And this is why Jim and the doctor engaged in a discussion of ginseng while finally redressing. While on the examination table, Jim made mention of his sudden use of panax red ginseng extract.
Doctor Millheimer now explained why ginseng was not an option for Jim. “The use of ginseng is strongly advised against for patients with hypertension. Not only that, but your blood pressure medicine is an ACE inhibitor. The ACE stand for angiotensin-converting-enzyme. Ginseng can actually affect and counteract against the ACE inhibitor. I urge you… In fact I order you to no longer use ginseng.”
Jim stood silent and motionless. Life was so cruel. Ms. Lutrova's sex potion was actually doing wonders for Jim. It was helping him rediscover his penis. But unbeknown to Jim, Ms. Lutrova had something far, more powerful brewing and ready to try.
Doctor Millheimer suggested a new, experimental drug that would improve Jim's occasional episodes of sexual dysfunction. “Jim, I think you would be the perfect candidate to test a new male performance drug on. It hasn't even hit the market. It's been researched for five years and proven to be safe on monkeys. The name of the new drug is called ErexBoost.”
As the narrator, I laugh at the thought brought on by the previous, two sentences. For five years, medical researchers apparently specialized in triggering impotence in monkeys, and then caused erections with the ErexBoost drug. Amazing…
The doctor unlocked one of his cabinets and removed a sealed, cardboard box. “This box contains thirty days worth of medication.” The doctor pulled an exacto-knife from his desk drawer and sliced open the sealing tape on the box. Then he carefully removed a small, glass vial containing algae green liquid. It looked to be exactly the sort of stuff made with lizards, toads, strange plants and then mixed in a black cauldron at midnight during a time of desirable celestial events. The person mixing the liquid might have even sounded a hysterical cackle.
“You drink one vial per day.” the doctor instructed. “One vial is all you need! This will actually work with your blood pressure medicine and help keep it down. But I should also tell you that the medicine has a peculiar psychoactive effect that can best be described as those moments when you were about thirteen-years-old and sat in class during a boring lecture. Do you remember how you sort of drifted off to some other place and suddenly developed an erection for no reason at all?”
Jim smiled. “Oh yeah!”
“Well, this can happen to you. Most often it will happen while driving or maybe when you're sitting at an office meeting. To help prevent these undesirable moments, maybe take the medicine before dinner. You probably have sex in the evening, right?”
Jim nodded.
“The effects start to kick in an hour or two later and wears off in about twelve hours. It's perfectly safe, don't worry.”
Chapter 18
It was the night before Thanksgiving, and a very important one for April. This evening was solo and duet stringed performance night at Mapleview Community High School. For the past week April had been practicing a duet with her friend, Stacy, so that the two could perform on this special evening.
While Kimberly put the finishing touches on dinner, she glanced out the side kitchen window and took notice of her husband reaching for something in the back of his truck. It was one of those mysterious vials of medicine that the doctor had prescribed. But why was it necessary for Jim to store them outside in his cable truck? And apparently it tasted bad as Jim involuntarily convulsed while swallowing.
He had turned into such a strange man, recently. This transformation seemingly took place when Jim changed his style of clothes (the Ivan Trovskov wardrobe). Maybe “that woman” who lived down the street (Amber) caused this alarming change in Jim's appearance and behavior. He seemed obsessed with her ever since she moved in the neighborhood.
But Kimberly didn't understand the full picture surrounding her husband. For you see, it wasn't Amber who was foremost on Jim's mind. Instead it was April's orchestra teacher! For Jim, attending the performance opened the possibility of an encounter with the strange, crazy, old woman. Perhaps Jim could even pay attention and learn of her first name.
And so Wednesday evening came in much the same way that the Thursday before Halloween performance did. But this time as the rest of the family finished their dinner; Jim quickly stood up, cleared the scraps from his plate into the garbage and then loaded it in the dishwasher. The he announced, “I'm going to wait in the car.”
Secretly, Jim was freaking out really bad. And it would certainly show as the evening progressed. As for his blood pressure, it was most likely elevated to sky-rocketing levels as he fretted and considered the possibility of what Ms. Lutrova would do that night. She had been raping Jim in his own bed every night since Monday.
Jim waited impatiently in the driver's seat with the engine running and examined himself in the rearview mirror. It was time for Ivan Trovskov to get another hair cut so that he looked like… well, Ivan Trovskov!
Where the hell was Kimberly, April and Colin? What was taking so long? Didn't they understand that the bleachers were filling up, fast? Jim needed to be close to the performance—as close to Ms. Lutrova as possible. He nearly pressed the horn on the steering wheel, but then spotted his wife and kids walking from the garage.
“What took you so long?” asked Jim as Kimberly and the kids loaded in the car.
“I had to find a better shirt for Collin to wear. He had food stains on his other shirt.”
Jim only sighed and resisted the urge to shake his head while clicking the garage door remote. He quickly backed out of the driveway and thudded over the curb. It was the first sign for Kimberly that Jim was in a hurry.
“Relax!” ordered Kimberly “We've got enough time!”
“I just want to make it there.”
What was Jim's rush? In Kimberly's perception he had a need to sit near “that woman”, probably to make goo-goo eyes at her. How much longer would poor Kimberly observe Amber's control over her husband?
Some minutes passed as Jim cruised through downtown Mapleview, traveling 50MPH in a 35MPH zone. Several car lengths before a traffic light that suddenly turned yellow, Jim floored the accelerator so the car open throttled through the light that had quickly turned red.
Kimberly had enough. “Jim, slow down!”
“What? I want to make it there in time!”
Again, she ordered, “Slow down! We don't have money for a ticket! Nor do I want us to get in an accident. And do you want to get us all killed?”
Jim eased on the accelerator, but then took sight of the horror while approaching Mapleview Community High School. Traffic was backed up as parents and family entered the school parking lot. “Awe jeez! What the hell is this?”
Now at ropes end with her husband's impatience, Kimberly nearly shouted, “Jim would you relax? Look at you! You're face is all red and it looks like you're sweating. What's wrong with you? Are you sure that medicine the doctor prescribed you is working?”
“Yes, I just don't like traffic backups.”
More like Jim didn't want to sit too far from “that woman” (Amber). At least this is what Kimberly believed.
Kimberly sighed, “Jim did you drink coffee, today?”
“Just my usual two cups.”
Kimberly didn't understand. It wasn't the traffic, the backup in the parking lot, Amber, or the coffee that affected Jim's behavior. Instead, it was the dreaded anticipation of encountering Ms. Lutrova while at the same time possibly missing an opportunity to sit nearby.
Although the school parking lot was filled like a shopping mall on Black Friday, there were spots for Jim to park. It only took four minutes of caravanning behind other motorists before finding one. And sure enough, Jim exited the car with heart rate up and excessive steam blowing through his nose. His biorhythms matched that of a fighter pilot who was moments from soaring into the skies for battle. To make matters worse, no one could walk fast enough for Jim!
“Jim, slow down! Are you going to leave your
family behind?” asked Kimberly.
It was best that he calm down and accept the fact that the gymnasium was already full of spectators.
Parents and family of other orchestra members were filing into a side door that apparently led directly into the gymnasium. This was probably done to reduce the amount of excessive hallway traffic. Seeing that the side door was the quicker way in, Jim instinctively lined up behind the trail of people. Within a few moments, he and his family were finally in the gymnasium and approaching the bleachers.
And who do you suppose was waiting for Jim and family? It was the mistress, Amber. She sat in her usual spot. And despite how careful Amber was to make inconspicuous eye contact with who she believed to be her secret husband; Kimberly (that woman who Jim lived with) noticed it.
Kimberly already had a dislike towards “that woman”. But as the months passed, she began to hate Amber with an irrational jealousy. It almost felt as though the woman had in mind to take Kimberly's husband away. This is why she was beginning to pay closer attention to Amber during school concerts, and felt an alarming rage when the woman turned around to look at Jim.
To be on the safe side Jim chose a spot no more than twenty feet away from Amber. She appeared closed off, but it didn't terribly bother Jim as he was more interested in seeing Ms. Lutrova and confirming that she had a psychic connection to him.
The anxieties: What if the evening splashed Jim with a cold bucket of reality, an unwelcome reminder that for some weeks he had merely been lost in nothing more than an overpowering fantasy? What if there was never any telepathic communication between him and Ms. Lutrova? What if Jim had merely blown a possible mutual attraction way out of proportion while tampering with mystical forces he knew nothing about?
The gymnasium bleachers filled with more parents. The few rows of folding chairs for performers were becoming increasingly occupied with soloists and duettists. In these moments, Kimberly paid close attention to Amber's daughter, Trista, who sat quietly in her seat. Unlike the other kids, she would only briefly exchange a few words with a neighbor before returning to a reflective, deep-in-thought sort of state. She was such a peculiar girl, looking very much like her mother. Surely Trista had a similar personality to that strange witch-of-a-woman.
It disturbed Kimberly to see Amber's daughter appear so focused on the evening. It was as-if playing in the orchestra was a ticket to a scholarship, or some other recognition. In a way, Trista was one of those grown up girls who were not only beautiful, but destined for success with her peculiar, mysterious nature similar to Amber's. Not only was Kimberly jealous of Amber possibly stealing her husband, but she was becoming envious of Amber's daughter as well.
Only a dot after six o'clock, the school principal stood at the podium and welcomed the parents and family while announcing the overall performance for the evening. Introductions weren't necessary. Jim knew why he was there; to see Ms. Lutrova and possibly learn of her first name.
“At this time, I'd like to turn the stage over to Mapleview Community High School's orchestra teacher…” The first name was so terribly drowned out. It sounded like, “Ms. Arecibo Lutrova.”
The audience applauded, including Jim.
Arecibo; as-in the Arecibo Observatory near Puerto Rico? That would be ridiculous! No one names their kid after a stellar radio telescope!
Ms. Lutrova stood at the podium and spoke. It was the first time, ever, that Jim got to hear her voice. The woman spoke somewhat of broken English with a foreign accent; perhaps Polish or maybe even Russian. I'll spare any attempt of emulating her manner of speaking while telling this story. But apparently, Ms. Lutrova was an immigrant.
“Thank you for coming to our concert, tonight. We have a nice show for you tonight. The kids have been practicing very hard. The first part of our evening will be solos. Then we will have duets. Let's have our first solo.”
Something was wrong! Ms. Lutrova was not focused on Jim like she was last time. While speaking up at the podium, she made no eye contact with him. He didn't feel her presence and there was no telepathic communication. As the audience applauded and welcomed the first performer, Ms. Lutrova merely sat down at a chair with her back turned to the audience.
While the first performer for the evening played her violin solo, Jim struggled for any favorable theory as to why Ms. Lutrova was so cold that evening. Her mental energies must have been preoccupied with something of greater importance—perhaps overseeing the individual performances.
Of course, that was it! Ms. Lutrova wasn't deliberately being cold to Jim!
Still, he maintained a subtle persistence of calling out to her. Only a deliberate lock of eyes would be necessary to “dust off” the mystical link shared together. Jim focused on his generator stone while forcing his mind into a deeper state of relaxation. “Look at me… Look at me… Look at me…” He repeated this while nearly staring at her.
But Ms. Lutrova remained with her face forward, not so much as a slight turn of her head to inconspicuously glance with her eye. In the meantime, soloists took turns standing before the microphone to deliver their performances. The kids had worked so hard in recent weeks and were proud to finally execute the much-practiced pieces before an audience. And for them, this was merely a “dry run” as shortly after the holiday they would meet for regional competition with other schools.
“Look at me… Look at me… Look at me…” Jim would take rests from his attempt of telepathic communication to watch the performance of the moment. As the audience clapped at the completion of a stringed solo done so well, Jim turned back to her and continued his chant, “Look at me… Look at me… Look at me…”
If only Jim knew of her first name, a telepathic calling would be all the more effective. Perhaps it was on the program handout. Jim reached for it just as the next performer was announced.
The timing was all wrong! From Kimberly's perception, Jim reached for the handout at the moment Amber's daughter was called. To further bring out Kimberly's jealousy, Amber turned her head and looked directly at Jim with eyes deeply set into his with an expression that appeared to be saying something.
Kimberly did not like this. “What the hell?” she thought.
Kimberly nearly yanked the program handout from Jim's hand and then pointed out where in order April and Stacy were. Duets would begin shortly. In Kimberly's belief and silent insistence, this is where Jim's mind should have been—not in trying to learn the last name of “that woman” who kept looking at him!
Kimberly studied Trista during the performance, all the while developing further envy and near hatred for the girl. There was something outstanding of the way she carried herself, her mannerisms and behavior. It was impossible not to see that Trista was highly intelligent and most-likely a couple years more mature than her peers. She played her solo so exquisitely with such vigor and passion. How proud Amber must have been of this girl. Why couldn't Kimberly's own daughter, April, be more like her?
After the solo, the audience applauded like they had done with previous performances. But interestingly enough, the claps were a bit louder with a hint of more energy from the crowd. And to further boil Kimberly's already seething jealousy, hatred and envy; Amber turned her face towards Jim for another deep setting of eyes into his and an expression that was as-if to say something.
Kimberly screamed an extension of harsh fornication to Amber in her mind.
But that witch heard it and turned her face back towards Kimberly. And you would think that the fire in Kimberly's eyes would have intimidated Amber. But this was not the case. Instead, Amber provided her smile of wicked persistence that suggested Kimberly should have everything to worry about.
“He's mine.” the smile said. “It's only a matter of time before he surrenders to me.”
Yes, Kimberly was jealous and full of envy. It was exactly what Amber wanted.
Chapter 19
Not every late night visit from Ms. Lutrova was made in person. Hours after the concert, she toyed with
her victim through an opened dream portal. Tonight's game started off as a reassurance that all was well; just a simple conversation between voices carried across the dark of night.
“Awe… I'm sorry I didn't look at you. Yes, you are right. I was preoccupied with the students.”
“And I wished I knew your first name so that I could call out to you.”
“My first name? Oh, you only know me as Ms. Lutrova? Well now you can call me by my first name.”
Jim informed her that he had yet to learn her first name. “I still don't know your name.”
“Ah, but I would feel so special if you called me by my first name.”
“But I don't know it.”
“It would make me feel so special if you would say my name. Please say my name!”
There were a few minutes of silence as the mood changed. Suddenly, things didn't feel so warm and fuzzy between Jim and Ms. Lutrova. She broke the silence. “I'm starting to get my doubts about you.”
“What? Why?”
“You haven't really proven anything to me. I call out to you at the carnival when you're with your little girlfriend. I put on a special performance for you at the Halloween concert. I visit you every night. But you don't even know my name?”
Jim suggested, “Well could you tell me?”
“I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. I need to see commitment. I want you to take some initiative to learn my name. I want you to do some research of me.”
With that, Jim woke up. Ms. Lutrova was right. It was time to show how serious and dedicated he was of the woman. Jim was going to learn of her first name. He was so serious, that he was going to learn of her name right now. That handout left in the car would surely have the name of the orchestra teacher.
And so Jim crept out of bed and sneaked outside.
Chapter 20
Sex Magick Page 10