Just an idea

This story refers back to a previous one - the link is at the end. 


It looked like her face had forgotten how to smile, two vertical, worry lines sat permanently above her eyes, while the rest of her forehead seemed tense, anxious, worried about everything and anything. Her dark eyes had lost their sparkle, reflecting the grey world around her. Her high cheekbones made her face stern, harsh; accentuating her frown. The sides of her mouth tried to turn upwards as she spoke but the weight of the world seemed to pull them down. Her face was unable to break the scowl, unable to shake the frown. But there was a smile in there somewhere struggling to get out - hidden under years of frowns. Those same dark eyes and high cheekbones suggested that when it came, the smile could break a 1000 hearts, launch a 1000 ships and light up 1000 rooms.

               ‘What you need,’ said Helen passing a slip of paper across the table, ‘is this.’

               ‘What’s that? Caroline asked, reading what was written on the paper.

               ‘That is your passport to happiness my dear, that will help you find your smile.’

Caroline looked at the paper again, it was just an email address - brynlewis@outlook.com.

               ‘Who’s he when he’s at home?’

               ‘He my friend, is satisfaction guaranteed.’ Helen said with a grin on her face, a knowing grin at that.

Caroline looked none the wiser, completely confused by her friend’s cryptic nonsense.

               ‘What are you going on about?’ she asked, losing patience.

               ‘He’s a gigolo my dear.’

               ‘What?’ Caroline looked genuinely shocked and looked around to make sure no one was listening.

               ‘You know, a gigolo, a male hooker, a whore.’

               ‘Alright alright, keep your voice down, I get the message.

Caroline was blushing and more than a little offended.

               ‘I don’t need a gigolo, what makes you think I need a gigolo? I’m a married woman. I can’t go around paying for sex and anyway Jim does a good enough job.’ If anything, Caroline’s face was now darker than ever before.

               ‘Good enough, or great!’ Helen said ‘great’ with a smile. ‘What you need is to lose yourself, forget work, forget Jim, forget the kids, do something just for you. Something that will take you to another place.’

               ‘That’s as may be, but a gigolo? What’s wrong with a massage or some light retail therapy?’ Helen noticed that Caroline’s face was already a little lighter. ‘And paying for sex? That’s just wrong.’

Helen grinned at Caroline for a moment. Caroline looked at her before the penny dropped. She was sometimes a bit slow on the uptake.

               ‘You’ve’ she searched for the right words, ‘used his services?’

Helen nodded slowly, deliberately, wickedly, still grinning. Caroline’s mouth was open and it looked like her eyes would pop out any second.

               ‘Satisfaction guaranteed my friend.’ Helen said as she got up to leave, ‘satisfaction guaranteed.’

If you don’t know who Bryn and Helen are, click here.
For part two of this story click here Find out if Caroline takes Helen’s advice.