A few of you may recognize this story from several years ago. It’s been updated and rewritten since then.
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Chapter 1 — People Change
Jen sat at the kitchen table with an unmistakable look of disgust on her face. Her contempt was seventeen years in the making. What happened to her husband after their three-year anniversary? It was like he suddenly stopped giving a shit about everything in his life.
Tom was a handsome, fit guy when the two first started dating. He possessed a thick head of brown hair, muscles everywhere, and a very low body fat percentage to match. Not only did the twenty-five-year-old stud have stamina for days, but he could get her going just by taking his shirt off. Things slowly began to change, however.
His healthy diet was replaced by fast food, his gym routine was ousted by video games and hours of watching TV, his sexy five o’clock shadow was swapped out for a ragged-looking beard, and his thick hair was now thin and straggly. Sure, some things were out of his control. She couldn’t fault him for his thinning hair, but it was more a combination of everything. The current forty-seven-year-old version of her husband didn’t even slightly resemble the twenty-five-year-old man she’d fallen in love with.
Crunch… Crunch… Crunch…
God, it was so gross. The way that he ate drove her insane. His mouth was always open, and it felt like a lack of common courtesy to her. Nobody wants to hear you chew your food! Close your goddamn mouth! She just wanted to scream!
Crunch… Crunch… Crunch…
Why was he eating cereal? Didn’t she show him how to make smoothies in her blender years ago? All the ingredients were in the refrigerator, and they were so easy to make. Kale, tomatoes, celery, throw in some fruit, add a little water, and blend it all up. It was a perfectly nutritious breakfast, but no, Tom decided to eat junk food cereal which he’d specifically bought for himself–just like he did every morning.
Crunch… Crunch… Crunch…
It was like he chewed loud on purpose just to bug her, but his disgusting eating habits weren’t even the worst part about her morning. There was milk in his already repulsive beard! She turned her attention to her coffee to hide her disgust. She never would’ve imagined calling this man her husband two decades ago.
Tom worked in construction, and his job didn’t exactly bring home the big bucks–not that his lack of income was a problem. She valued personality, loyalty, and how a man made her feel over finances. Tom had all those traits in the beginning. Not only was he once responsible and enjoyable to talk to, but a brief glance at his chiseled body could make her melt.
He was by far the most mature and loyal of her post-college boyfriends, despite his lack of creativity and adventure. She knew that his looks wouldn’t necessarily stay the same twenty years down the road, but she’d never expected his personality to change the way it had. He just wasn’t enjoyable to be around anymore. He never made time to talk or ask about her day, he put off real responsibilities for selfish pleasures, and he spent his days glued to his phone and playing Xbox down in the basement. He was even busy fidgeting with his iPhone on the oak kitchen table at this very second! Twenty years ago they would’ve at least had a conversation over breakfast. Now, they didn’t even look at each other.
“Hey, Mom.”
The brunette mother of one had no qualms about being the family’s primary breadwinner. She was a registered nurse who made close to double her husband’s salary, but there wasn’t any resentment or loss of respect over their financial differences. She never looked at it as “her money” or “his money.” She saw it as “their money.” They were a team. The entire point of a marriage was to help each other, but Tom didn’t do his part. There was no sex or stimulation, and nothing he did resulted in her desiring to be in his presence.
“Hey, Mom!”
She loved giving head and she loved to please, but the thought of wrapping her lips around his dick disgusted her. Where to start? There was his gross beer belly, his general lack of grooming downstairs, and the awful winded sucking-sound he made whenever they attempted something sexual. Receiving a blowjob was exhausting for him thanks to his incredibly low stamina, and his borderline nonexistent sex drive made those encounters few and far between. The most bizarre part of everything was that she still tried. She still attempted to give him oral sex because she wanted to make him happy, but it was like he wasn’t interested.
Jen worked hard to keep herself together, even if she didn’t exactly look like she did back in college. Her toned legs, slim figure, and impressive bust weren’t anything to scoff at, though. She was proud of her appearance. Healthy eating, a solid gym-going habit, and plenty of hiking and yoga served as her recipe for success.
She was very fit and noticed plenty of guys checking her out wherever she went–especially at the gym. Young hunks, older guys, married men, single players: it didn’t matter. They all made time to at least look at her, if not go out of their way to make small talk. It’d gotten to the point where she was embarrassed to be seen in public with Tom. It wasn’t like that was a major problem or anything. He would never leave the house if it was up to him.
“Mom!”
Her eyes snapped to the left to find her eighteen-year-old daughter sitting at the table with a meal replacement bar in hand.
“Oh, hey,” Jen smiled. “I didn’t see you there.”
Ashley observed her mother curiously while unwrapping her breakfast. “What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing,” Jen smiled again. “Just thinking.”
“Dad,” Ashley acknowledged her father.
“Hey,” Tom responded, his eyes still glued on his phone.
Just like her mother, Ashley had been blessed with long brown hair and striking chestnut eyes. The busty brunette was quite the looker and received her fair share of attention from the boys at her high school, and unfortunately, she also shared something else in common with her mom. It wasn’t something that she was particularly happy about either.
Ashley’s relationship with her mom resembled more of a best friends type of vibe than a typical mother-daughter rapport, but that wasn’t necessarily her choice. She had to go to Mom with her problems and needs since Dad didn’t take much of an interest in her personal life. Maybe things would be different if she was a boy? She really didn’t have too much in common with her father, but she didn’t allow their lack of a relationship to bother her like she had in the past. Honestly, she’d grown to accept how things were.
“My soccer game is at five,” Ashley announced. “You guys are coming, right?”
“I’ll be there,” Jen nodded.
Tom continued to play with his phone while noting, “Me too.”
“Okay, cool,” Ashley said with a smile. “I’m gonna to get going to school. See ya later!”
“Have a good day, sweetheart!” Jen told her daughter as she watched her walk away.
Tom raised his hand in the air and gave a quick wave, never breaking stride from the game he played on his smartphone.