Chapter 2: Another One

I spent the evening drinking myself stupid. Not a great idea. But it was either that or spend the evening thinking about... everything. That was something I didn't want to do, not tonight. I wanted to shut off my mind and let the world fade away. I imagine others would have jumped at the chance of their dead spouse somehow magically returning to life in another body, but I found myself resisting the idea. It was too easy, too perfect, too absurd. As I turned around and around in my bed that night, I even wondered if I had imagined the whole thing. That made sense. It was the most likely explanation. I just created the whole scenario in my head to try to deal with my loss, that was all. Yet, as the morning light streamed in through the bedroom window, and with a headache from hell, I suddenly found myself hoping it was true. I couldn't wait for the day to pass so I could find out once and for all if what happened yesterday was real. I literally couldn't wait. I got into my car and drove back to the funeral home.

I waited in the parking lot, in the same spot I had been in yesterday. I hadn't had breakfast or lunch and my stomach rumbled angrily, but the thought of food made me feel nauseated. I just stared at the entrance, watching the seconds tick by. Peter the bald undertaker opened the front door and stepped in. The fog that hung low to the ground began to burn off in the early morning sun as the street lamps clicked off. Finally, Clara, or Emma, whoever, appeared, getting out of a small Honda Civic and walking toward the entrance.

I got out of my car and didn't even bother to close the door behind me. "Emma!" I shouted, but she didn't turn around. "Emma! Wait!"

She paused at the door and spun around. She looked at me with confusion, like she didn't know who I was. "Can I help you?" she asked.

I stopped dead. "Emma..." I was at a loss for words.

She raised an eyebrow and frowned. "I think you have me confused with someone else."

I felt so fucking dumb standing there. I had driven all the way down here in a daze like some lovesick teenager to find out it was all just a bad dream. "You don't remember? What you told me yesterday?"

Clara shook her head, looking uneasy. "Erm... I'm sorry. The last few days are a bit of a blur for me... I think I may have had an episode or something." She seemed a bit worried about her own sanity. "I hope I didn't say anything too weird."

"No," I said, feeling numb and empty. "It's fine. We just... talked about my wife. That's all." I couldn't help myself. I felt tears welling up in my eyes and I didn't want to cry in front of her.

She seemed to realize who I was. "Oh, of course, Mr. Kent," she mumble. "I'm very sorry for your loss." Her eyes flickered down to the open car door behind me.

I nodded and stared at her pretty eyes, hoping to catch some glimpse of my wife in them, but there was nothing there. "Right, I'm sorry to have bothered you." I walked away in a daze, feeling my whole world come crashing down again. I heard the funeral home's door open and close behind me.

I sat back in my car, gripping the steering wheel and sobbing. Why did my brain have to play such cruel jokes on me? To make me believe for one fleeting moment that my wife was somehow back, then rip her away again? How was that part of any healthy coping mechanism?

I turned the ignition and drove home, my vision blurred by tears. I didn't know what I was going to do with myself now. A week of recovery, if you could call it that, felt wasted. I was back to square one. Back to the moment they called me and told me my wife's car had been hit by a semi. Back to that moment of pure, unadulterated despair.

But as I pulled into my driveway, a young girl in her early twenties was waiting for me in front of the door. She was wearing a casual t-shirt and jeans, her dark hair pulled back into a pony tail, her hands thrust into her pockets. She stared at me as I got out of the car, her face set in an expression of determination, her jaw moving up and down, clearly chewing some gum. She had a bubbly, kind of innocent look to her, but her demeanor was confident, like she knew exactly what she was doing here.

"Hi?" I said, confused.

"Calvin!" she called out, her voice excited and happy. She almost threw herself at me and wrapped her arms around my waist.

I gently pushed her away, holding her at arm's length, eyebrows furrowed. "Okay, now, who the hell are you?"

She laughed and smacked me on the shoulder. "Calvin, it's me! Emma!" She was practically bouncing up and down, her eyes wide with excitement. "I mean, I get it. You'd never guess this was me, would you? I'm Mandy..." she gestured to herself, "I mean, she's Mandy. But I'm also Emma!" She giggled and then seemed to realize how she looked. "Sorry! I'm... Mandy's not Clara, for sure!" She giggled again. "But I'm me, for sure! Emma, I mean!"

My head was spinning. I stumbled backwards until I felt the car behind me and leaned against it for support.

"Calvin!" the girl cried out, reaching toward me. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head, trying to make sense of what she'd just said. "How?" I muttered. "I don't understand..." Was this another trick? Another dream?

She shrugged and gave me a lopsided smile. "Okay, so, yesterday, after I left the funeral home, I had to buy groceries for her husband or whatever, and I went to the store where I work. I mean, Mandy works, and when I got there, I touched her at the cash register, and suddenly, bam! I'm in her body instead of Clara's, and I remember everything she knows!" She looked down at herself and smirked, still chewing loudly on her gum. "I'm Mandy now, not Clara! Crazy, right?!"

I rubbed my forehead and sighed. I felt like running away, but I wasn't about to back down from a second chance at... Whatever the fuck this was. "So, wait," I said, still trying to wrap my head around this. "You still remember being Clara?"

"No." She looked down at herself and shrugged. "I mean, yeah, I remember when I was her, you know, but I don't remember the rest of her life, just mine, now. I mean Mandy's... Oh and Emma's, duh!"

I looked at the front door of the house and then back at the young girl. "Wanna come inside?"

She grinned. "Sure!" She bounded up to the door, waiting for me to catch up. I opened the door and she skipped inside. "Finally!" she cried out. "Home sweet home!" She dropped her purse on the kitchen table and spun around the room. "So it's like, for example, I remember putting Clara's kids to bed when I was her, but I can't remember their names now." She opened one of the top drawers and grabbed a bottle of wine, then turned and immediately found where the glasses were and poured us both a drink, just like Emma used to do after a long day.

I watched her, mesmerized, still not sure if I should be believing any of this. If this was my wife, she certainly was much more energetic and bubbly than she used to be. But then again, what other explanation was there? She even knew where to find the cork screw... She raised her glass and giggled again. "I'm not even old enough to drink yet!" she said, before taking a sip. She groaned and coughed. "Oh god, this is disgusting!" She laughed. "I guess Mandy's more into soda and energy drinks..."

"Emma..." I said.

"Oh! Don't worry! I'm legal, in case that's what you're wondering," she said with a wink. She seemed to realize I was struggling with this and her expression turned serious, though more like the seriousness of an eight year old trying to act adult. She put down the glass and sat at the kitchen table, folding her hands in front of her. "Sorry... Must be weird, huh?"

I scoffed and sat down across from her. "You could say that."

"Calvin, it's really me," she said, looking me deep in the eyes. "I know I'm acting a bit strange... It's like, Mandy, the girl whose body I'm in, has different feelings about things, you know?"

"How the hell did you get inside her body?" I asked. "Where is the real Mandy?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It's like, I can go inside the body of whoever I touch. I think?"

This was mental. "What about Clara?"

"What about her?"

"Is she back to herself? You know, her husband and kids?"

She raised her eyebrow and tilted her head. "I guess? I mean, she looked a bit confused after we, um, switched. Like she didn't know what she was doing at the grocery store."

I stared at her for a few seconds, trying to figure this out. It was impossible. There was no way any of this could be happening. I don't know how long I sat there, just staring at her, before she reached out and touched my hand.

"Calvin... I'm sorry. I can't even imagine how weird this is for you." Her tone was soft and gentle but still had the inflection of a teenager. It sounded a bit ****, like she wasn't used to talking that way. "But we're back together now, right?" She smiled.

I scoffed. "Back together? You're in a twenty year old's body!"

She giggled. "So?"

"So what? You're gonna take over..." I trailed off, looking at her. "What's your name again?"

"Mandy," she said, frowning a little. "And it's not my name. I'm Emma. I'm inside Mandy." She was pouting. Actually pouting. "Okay, maybe I'm kinda her too, but mostly I'm Emma!"

"You're gonna take over Mandy's life?"

"Why not?" she said, shrugging. "I don't wanna go back to being dead!"

"But what about her? She's not dead. She's still got a whole life to live." I shook my head. "This is fucked up. What about her family? Her friends? You expect them to be fine with her settling down with some forty something dude? You can't just waltz into her life and pretend to be her!"

She crossed her arms, looking offended. "And what about me? I don't deserve a life anymore?"

I rubbed my temples. "That's not what I mean." Jesus Christ. Was I really arguing against having my wife back? A hotter, younger version of her, kinda? I couldn't help but notice how cute Mandy was, in a youthful, innocent way. I had long stopped noticing girls that age, but it was difficult to ignore now, the familiar way she looked at me, the love in her eyes. I looked down at the table, avoiding her gaze, but it was too late. My wife knew me better than that.

"Hey..." she smirked. "I don't look too bad, do I?" She leaned forward, her shirt hanging open just enough to reveal her deep, smooth cleavage. I looked away, feeling guilty. "Tell you what... What if I kept switching?"

I looked at her, confused. "Huh?"

She was grinning again. "Yeah! I keep switching bodies! That way no one notices! Mandy's life won't change too much! She'll just be confused, right?" She was excited now. "I can be anyone you want! Anytime you want!" She stood up and moved closer, sitting on the edge of the table, facing me, her legs dangling, her hands gripping the table's edge, biting her lower lip seductively. "It's weird, but like, I'm horny all the time in Mandy's body... Do you think it's cause she's young?" I cleared my throat, trying to look anywhere but her tight, perky breasts, the swell of her hips, her lean, toned stomach, but it was no use. "Nah... Probably not..." she said, leaning forward until her face was close to mine. "I was just as horny when I was Clara, and she's old, like, my age."

I swallowed nervously. "I don't know if..."

Her hands reached down and unbuckled my pants. I didn't stop her. "You know what's funny?" she asked, her voice low and husky. "I've never had sex before. I mean, Mandy hasn't." I moaned as she pulled my hard cock out of my pants and started stroking it. She giggled nervously, blushing. "Oh that's, like, super weird, huh? I feel like this is brand new to me." She looked at me and smirked. "But I know exactly how you like it..."

I closed my eyes, my breath coming short and fast, trying to control myself. Her pace increased, her grip tightening. Her other hand slipped between her legs, rubbing herself through her jeans. "Emma," I croaked, reaching out to her, but before I could stop her, she had lowered herself to her knees and wrapped her lips around my rock hard dick. "Fuck..." I whispered.

She looked up at me as she sucked, her big, doe-like eyes wide with excitement, her cheeks flushed with desire. She let out a low, throaty groan, her mouth full of my cock. I couldn't resist. Adrenaline rushed through me, my heart pounding, my body shaking. This was wrong, so fucking wrong... It felt like... cheating? But it was Emma. I was sure of it now. But it wasn't Emma. Not entirely. It was Mandy too, her whole, bubbly, innocent persona. It was my wife in a stranger's body, in a stranger's brain. My wife who had died, who I had never thought I'd see again, who I had never thought I'd touch again. I let out a loud moan as I felt the familiar sensation of my orgasm building inside me.

I looked down at her, her eyes closed as she sucked, and I grabbed her hair, pushing her further down onto my cock, feeling her lips tighten around the base of my shaft, her throat bulging. I thrust into her mouth, my balls slapping against her chin, her moans muffled by my thick, throbbing dick. I couldn't hold back any longer. I let out a strangled cry as my cum filled her mouth, my body tensing up, my hands gripping her hair, pulling her close, holding her in place as I came.

When it was over, I let go of her and collapsed into a chair, panting heavily. I looked down at her, still kneeling at my feet, her face red, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. Her eyes were wide open now, staring up at me in shock. "You alright?" I asked, suddenly worried I had hurt her. I had been so rough, but I was so horny, I hadn't been able to control myself.

"Honey, I'm absolutely fucking fantastic," she said, then giggled. She swallowed, licking her lips. "Things feel a lot clearer all of a sudden. I feel more like me. Like Emma." She somehow didn't sound as childishly exuberant as before. It was still her voice, but the inflection, the tone, it was more like my wife.

"I didn't know my sperm was magical..." I said, smirking.

"Seriously, Calvin," she said, standing up and wiping her mouth. "I feel more like myself. More than before."

"Okay..."

She grinned. "Maybe we should keep doing it... Just in case?"

I laughed and pulled her toward me. She sat on my lap and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight. "Maybe..." I whispered. My wife was back... She really was back...

"Ah! I guess I made a pretty good point there, huh?" she said, grinding her ass against my spent cock. I moaned and kissed her neck. "I've got two other points here, too, if you're interested," she teased, grabbing my hands and slipping them underneath her shirt. Her skin was warm and smooth and soft. I squeezed her firm breasts, feeling the hard nubs of her nipples beneath the thin fabric of her bra.

"Alright, alright," I said, chuckling, "you win. I don't know what the fuck is going on, but I'm not gonna question it anymore. If this is some insane dream, or a delusion, or if you're really my wife somehow, I don't care."

"Sweet way of going about it, Cal," she said, then giggled. "I don't really care either. It's good to be back."

"You really do sound more like yourself..." I said, looking into her eyes.

"I feel more like myself," she said, nodding. "Like, I'm more me now. Like, Mandy's in the background somewhere, but I'm up front." She shrugged. "It felt a bit like the opposite before, you know? I was kinda just watching from the background. Still in control but with more... layers?"

I didn't really understand. "So... You think sex is making you more... yourself?"

She shrugged again. "Not the weirdest thing that's happened in the last few days, right?"

"Definitely not."

"Now that I think about it... I felt more like myself when I first woke up inside Clara's body." She looked thoughtful. "But over time I started to feel more and more like her." That was a creepy thought. She was slowly becoming whoever she inhabited? Slowly fading away? Unless...

I snorted. "So... What? If we keep fucking, you'll stay you?"

She laughed and kissed me. "Well... Let's not take any chances." She grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. "Come on, let's go upstairs," she said, leading the way. "Let's see how much more me I can be."