(Written for a contest in which we were given the first and last lines (which were quotes from movies) randomly and had to fill in-between them. God, I hope this thing makes sense!)
Chapter 1. My life, so far...
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, why'd she have to walk into mine?
I was working part-time as a bartender in the fairly nice bar- you know, one of those places that does more martinis than beers, when an older woman came in and sat at the bar in front of me. I smiled and asked her what she wanted, then made it up for her. She nursed it slowly, seeming to just enjoy the atmosphere and some time to herself.
She was not much to look at- middle aged, average height and build, hair that appeared black in the soft lighting of the lounge. She looked like she was in her late 40's or so, but it was hard to tell. The only unusual thing about her was her outfit- it looked sort of 'modern gypsy'- a longish dark skirt with subtle swirls of color and small bursts of gold threads, a loose white blouse covered in pleats, a sort of jacket thing that might have been a shrug or shawl that looked homemade out of a colorful tapestry. She had hoop earrings, and a few other touches that made her look like, I dunno, maybe an upscale fortune teller?
But, hey. I was here to mix drinks and be nice, not to delve into my customer's lives unless they want to talk, and so far, all she was doing was sitting and sipping.
It turns out that she did want to talk, just sit and sip. All damn night. It was getting near closing and the place was empty but for her and me. I had just finished most of the closing chores and was about to tell her it was time when she looked up at me.
"I can't pay, but I can offer you this." At 'this' she set down a cheap bronze 'Aladdin's lamp' thing that made a cheap hollow clank as it hit the marble bar.
"Oh, come on. What's going on here?" I asked, a bit ticked by now. She sat here all night and was stiffing me for the damned drink?
"No, no, you don't understand." She said with a slight slur. She was drunk, too? Damn it all!
"It's a MAGIC lamp!" She urged it closer to me. I sighed and took it and shooed her out, all the while she was protesting that it was real. Yeesh. Some people just should not drink. I pulled the money out of my share of the tips and covered her ass.
I finished up and took the damned thing home. Jennifer, my long-time girlfriend, was already in bed, which figured since she worked a real job with real hours. I had to work a full-time slave-wages job for benefits, the bartender bit for actual spending money and I had a gig on-line for some extra bucks. In other words, I worked long hours with little to show for it. I was in the kitchen rustling up a bedtime snack and playing with the lamp.
Why not? I rubbed it and it started to rattle and shake on the table. I heard a voice thundering in my head- "I AM THE DJINN OF THE LAMP. WHY HAVE YOU DISTURBED ME?"
I stammered out something about the old lady and wishes when it interrupted me."WISHES, YES, BUT IT IS *I* WHO CHOOSES WHAT TO GRANT. I HAVE SEEN YOUR MIND AND KNOW WHAT I SHALL GRANT YOU. IT IS DONE AND OUR CONTRACT IS FULFILLED. YOU SHALL NEVER HEAR FROM ME AGAIN. GOODBYE!" The lamp went still.
I've been dating Jennifer for almost five years. She was smart, nice, dedicated, and more but she was not exciting, and lately our tastes and interests had drifted some. I still loved her in many ways, but I found that I was really not excited by her, and I suspect that she was no longer excited by me. Our schedules meant that we only shared a few meals a week, our sex life was rather skimpy, and we were more like roommates than a committed couple. I had no illusions that this was going to last much longer, but it was nice while it was lasting and she really is a good person.
I know that I am nothing special myself- a somewhat chunky 36 year-old already feeling tinges of age. Not a bad build- I could certainly benefit from hitting the gym more often, or the buffet a little less- and I've never really considered my face, butt, cock, or anything else to be anything too great.
Jen on the other hand is a tall 37 year-old that looks older, partly because she has chosen to burn the candle at both ends for years as a teacher and a long-time volunteer for several causes, partly because of genes. Even though she works out more than I do, she looks a bit... saggy. She carries a few more pounds than her frame should, and they are not well-distributed. Perhaps most unfortunately, her features have become a bit more masculine and rough. You could see traces of the young 'almost cute' young girl she was, but now you might call her a 'handsome woman'.
I wanted a change. I wanted Jen to be interesting, excited, sexual, and more- all the things I wished I could not have, but was resigned to living without. As I thought about this, I thought about what the djinn said, and all the ways things could be a lot worse and became afraid. I slept fitfully the rest of the night.
Chapter 2. Jenny
The next morning I woke to the smell of coffee and bacon? I shrugged on a robe and hit the bathroom, then made my way to the dining room, where two places had been set with coffee, coffee cake, juice, and the paper. Breakfast was usually cold cereal and maybe coffee if anyone remembered to set the timer. I heard light, musical humming in the kitchen and was about to investigate when the door swung open and...
"AAAAAhhh! Who are you?" I shrieked in surprise at the young blonde in the white robe carrying a tray of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. I leapt back, trying to half-way hide the old robe I was wearing that barely covered my body from this sexy young thing, and thinking about where there might be a weapon if I would need it. OK, that was a dumb thought- I was obviously bigger and stronger than the teen, but I was confused and, I'll admit it, scared.
She laughed musically. "Jackson William Browne, stop being silly and come to breakfast, you big goof."
I slowly unwound and stood up. 'You big goof' was a common phrase Jen used towards me. Why did this hot teen say it to me? "Do I know you?" I asked.
She came over and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. She smelled like lightly of fruits and flowers. "Tsk. Silly boy. It's just me, Jennifer Alicia McAdams, just like yesterday and the day before. Now stop messing around and sit. You've got to be at work soon."
I sat and rather mechanically began to eat as she sat across from me, smiled at me, and began to read the paper. This was Jen? Jen never looked like this. This girl was MAYBE 20, with long pale blonde hair and a hefty set of gorgeous breasts on a slender body. My Jen was actually a bit taller than me, but this girl was a fair bit shorter. But dear God she looked cute! Blue eyes, perfect pink lips, creamy smooth skin with a tiny nose and high cheek bones... she could easily be a model for pretty much anything. I have to admit, though, that she looked really familiar somehow.
"Wha..." I cleared my throat and tried again. "What happened?"
She glanced at the front page again. "The council voted against the school levy. I guess the good news is that our taxes won't go up but I feel bad that we can't build the new school. Oh, or did you mean about the fires out west?"
"No, no I mean, my God, Jen- what happened to you?"
"To me? What do you mean? Is something wrong?" She was looking at herself. She let the robe slip open and dear God she looked fine! Big, high breasts with perfect pink nipples on them, and an adorable little belly. She hefted one breast and I almost came right there. She was looking at her teeth in the bowl of a spoon- so damned cute! And so young, my God!
"No, I mean yes... I mean... you look so..." I was scrambling for the right thing to say. "You look so great this morning" By now, the memory of the wish had resurfaced- is this what Djinn did for me? Give me a young, sexy Jen? This might not be so bad, I thought.
Jen dimpled and thanked me for the compliment, then went to the laundry area and came back with a load of clothes she folded as I finished eating. I almost spat out my toast when she folded the distinctive T and bright orange shorts. "H... Hooters?" I choked out.
"Hmmm? Oh, yeah, it's OK, my shift does not start till 10 today. I'll get some stuff done around here, then head on in. Oh, hey, and tonight we are both on at the lounge, so maybe we can get something to eat afterwards?" The lounge? I saw her hanging up the cute little costume our lounge servers wore on the nights it was busy enough to justify the extra help and got hard, well, harder, at the thought of this cute chick wearing it.