Love Me to , Part 1: Strange old woman

“C’mon, hurry up, Jonathan!” Freddie shouted at you from a distance.

Though, as much as you wanted to go faster, the heavy bags pulling down on your shoulders made it hard to do so. Filled with enough clothes to wear for an entire month they made each step feel like climbing steep stairs. And so, you treaded sluggishly behind your friend, who was unburdened with any weight beside his chubby belly. Freddie had picked you up from the train station to take you to his house, but since his mother worked on Fridays you had to walk the whole way on foot.

You were excited about the summer holidays you were about to spend living under one roof with your friend. You had met a year before on a summer camp, and after months of waiting it was finally time to reunite. With school finished, weeks of fun and relaxation in the sunny town waited with open doors.

“Fucking finally…” Freddie said annoyedly when you reached the place of his living. “With that pace one’d think you didn’t wanna get here until it got dark!”

For a moment, you felt anger build up inside you at his stupid comments. He knew damn well the weight you carried on your shoulders. And he hadn’t even offered to take some of it off you. He just whined and complained, as if you willingly hadn’t transformed into a Machamp and carried the heavy bags like sacks of feathers. However, the thought that the stroll was over helped you calm down and not destroy the vacation on its first day.

“Well, we’re here, aren’t we?” You pointed out between tired pants, leaning forward with hands on your knees to try and catch a breath.

“Don’t be standing there like a moron. Take those bags inside and let’s hop in the pool!” Freddie urged, leaving you alone with the bags again.

However, before you could pick them from the ground you noticed an elderly woman behaving strangely on the other side of the street. She was trying to reach under a car parked on the street, and her face was filled with concern when she found herself unable to lean down enough to do so.

Feeling concerned about her, you left the bags at the gate to Freddie’s estate and crossed the road in her direction.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” You asked in a soft tone.

The woman jerked her head to face you, having not noticed you there before. She fixed the glasses on her nose and took a moment to look you over. “Yes, I’m afraid Princess had run underneath the car and doesn’t want to come out.”

You quickly kneeled on the asphalt and brought your head down to have a good view of the space under the car. And just like the woman explained, a small Chihuahua dog sat far below the chassis. It looked scared, and crawled away a little when you started moving your hand towards it. And afraid that it might bite you, you stopped in your tracks.

“Oh, don’t worry, Princess doesn’t bite.” The woman reassured you from atop, as if sensing your concerns.

And so, you moved your hand again. Slowly bringing it closer to the dog, doing your best not to make it feel in danger, you grabbed the pooch and just as slowly pulled it out. Holding the fragile pet in your hands, you stood up and presented it to the woman.

“Princess! Never do that again, you hear me?” She berated the dog right before patting it on the head and kissing its head lovingly.

“Thank you so much, young man.” She said as you handed Princess over to her hands. “I was starting to think no one would come and help me!”

She looked like she was about to cry, perhaps thinking of what would happen if her precious Princess was left under the car.

“Glad I could help, ma’am.” You said with a smile and started walking away when she stopped you suddenly.

“No no, I’m not going to let you leave without a reward.” She said, desperately looking through her bag.

Your hands shot up in the air, as if she had just pulled out a gun instead of her purse. “Ma’am, it’s really not a big deal!”

“But of course, it is! I’ve been standing here for an hour before you showed up and helped! It’s the least I can do…” She argued.

“I’m sure you need the money more than me, ma’am. And being able to help is reward enough in itself.” You kindly refused taking the bill from her hand.

“You’re a good man, son. Your girl must be proud to have you.” She had a big and sincere smile on her face.

At least until she noticed her words had made you uneasy. Her smile instantly turned into what looked like motherly concern, and you did your best to cover up with a fake smile. But that mere attempt wouldn’t fool her. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed you like girls…”

WHAT

“No no no, it’s not like that! I’m not gay!” You explained yourself frantically, shocked that she would think that. “I… I just don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Oh!” The woman giggled at your embarrassment. And the situation made you let out a chuckle as well.

“So, how come a handsome young gentleman like yourself does not have a partner? If you don’t mind me asking.” The woman inquired.

“Uhm, I think… girls don’t really like me…” You began explaining.

Talking to the woman about your lack of success in love felt really good. She was a great listener and seemed to know a lot about relationships and girls in general. And the conversation dragged on for so long that Freddie came looking for you.

“Hey! You coming, or do you want me to swim by myself?” He asked impatiently from the other side of the street.

“Yeah, give me one sec’!” You shouted back, before turning towards the lady.

You were about to apologize and say goodbye to her when she spoke first. “You know, you remind me of my late husband, Jonathan. A very long time ago, I didn’t think much of him. I barely even knew he existed save for the way he always looked at me weirdly. But I grew to open my eyes and see how incredible he really was.”

Uhh. You didn’t want to interrupt her story, but there was a pool of cool water waiting for you to jump into after a hot morning of carrying bags. But because you were polite, or because you genuinely felt a connection with the woman, you decided to listen to what she had to say.

“Our love wasn’t what you’d call conventional, and I probably should hate him. But I don’t feel any of that. He had made me and countless other women the happiest we could ever be, and I’d give anything to live through that again. But since he’s gone that’s no longer possible…”

“I’m… really sorry to hear that.” You said.

What the hell was she talking about? You considered calling an ambulance because she might have had a stroke.

“But he has left me his gift that I can pass on to a worthy successor…” She continued. “Tell me, Jonathan, if you could make any woman love you unconditionally, would you?”

Conversing with her for a long while suddenly took a weird turn, and you decided to leave before it got any weirder. But she asked you to think about it for a moment, and you amused her one last time.

Making any woman love you unconditionally sounded like a hell of a power. A power that there was no way was real. But one that you often fantasized about. Because, deep at heart, controlling others, especially sexy women, was the ultimate dream in your lonely life. A dream that just a thought of made your hard-on spring to life.

“I would…”

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