Story: A Perfect Match, Every Time - part 2

A Perfect Match, Every Time
by Varian Milagro


Chapter 2

Helen woke the following morning before her alarm, feeling better than she’d had in years. Normally she didn’t get out of bed until the very last moment and then raced to get ready in time for work. Today she decided that she wanted to make breakfast for Cassidy. After a quick shower she threw on some clothes and then drove to the grocery store, hoping to make something special and knowing that her refrigerator was woefully understocked.


“That smells pretty good, Mom,” Cassidy said as she hung her backpack on the back of the kitchen chair later that morning. “What is it?”

“It’s pomegranate crepes with a cream cheese filling and oatmeal-blueberry smoothies.”

“Really?” Cassidy took a seat, wondering what had gotten into her mom. She never made breakfast on a weekday and on the weekends it was runny scrambled eggs paired with burnt toast. “You sure look nice. Do you have an interview?”

Helen looked down at her outfit. She wore a knitted skirt and a satin blouse which wasn’t her normal attire for working at the bookstore. She normally wore a pair of dark slacks and a grey sweater over a plain cotton blouse.

“No, I felt like dressing a little nicer is all.”

“Your lipstick is pretty, too.”

It took Helen a moment to realize what Cassidy was talking about. Then she remembered putting on makeup before leaving for the grocery store, something she only did for special occasions. It did make her feel pretty though, which went well with her elevated mood.

Helen received more compliments at work. She was a cashier for Parables, a Christian bookstore in Pomona, CA. and all day long her regulars and fellow employees commented on how good she looked. Radiant some said. You look five years younger said another. Becky Ann, the purchasing agent for the store, wanted to know what she’d used to get rid of her rosacea. Helen told her that she’d used PorPlexin because she remembered their non stop commercials on the AMC cable channel.

Truth was she’d never treated her rosacea, believing that if God didn’t want her to have it then he wouldn’t have given it to her. She said a prayer, thanking God. Remembering her sister’s warnings about Olga she had a terrible feeling that her clear skin might not be a gift from above.


It was another early morning for Helen on Tuesday. She was so full of energy that staying inside the house sounded like torture, so she decided to ride her bicycle around the neighborhood. Unfortunately, sometime since the last time she’d ridden it, which was probably a good year prior, the tires had gone flat. So, instead of riding she went for a walk on the exercise path behind her house.

Walking was doing nothing to burn up her excess energy so she decided to try jogging, which normally lasted all of a block before she was out of breath and sick to her stomach. Today she didn’t stop after a block or the one after that. She finally had to stop after five blocks, not because she was tired, but because her sweat pants were falling down. After quickly cinching the cord that ran around the waist she was off again. By time she finished running she’d had to cinch the cord another three times. It wasn’t only her sweat pants that felt too big. Her t-shirt, which had been a touch too tight when she’d left the house, was now loose and hung to the tops of her thighs.

“Hi, Mom,” Cassidy said from the kitchen table. She was reading Wuthering Heights while eating a bowl of cereal.

“Hi, sweetie.” Helen waved at her daughter briefly on her way to her bedroom to disrobe and then shower.

“Mom?” There was fear in Cassidy voice, sounding like she’d just seen a giant spider and was afraid to move.

Helen spun around and then ran into the kitchen. “What is it, kitten?”

“What’s happening to you?” Cassidy stared at her mom like she was the spider.

“Do you mean the weight?” Helen did a slow twirl. “Isn’t it wonderful? If this keeps up I just might be able to fit into that dress in time for my date.”

“Mom, it isn’t healthy to lose weight that fast.” Cassidy frowned. “I don’t think it’s even possible without surgery or something. Have you weighed yourself? It looks like you’ve lost over twenty pounds.”

Helen sat down next to her daughter as the strangeness of it all started to seep in. “You know, you’re right. It isn’t normal. But it feels normal to me. I must've run five miles just now and I couldn’t have gone that far on a bicycle yesterday.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to count my blessings and not look a gift from God in the mouth. Look at my face; all of the redness is gone.” Helen leapt to her feet. “And I have more energy than I know what to do with. I feel like I could climb a mountain. This is something to rejoice, not fear.”

“I guess.” Cassidy picked up the box of Cheerios. “Want some cereal?”

“No thank you. I’m going to take a shower and then make myself a soufflé. I’m also going to use a personal day to skip work. I have this strong desire to try some Pilates.”

After her shower Helen struggled to find clothing that fit. She guessed that she was probably down to a size 12, still way too big for the Dolce & Gabbana gown. Luckily she’d kept all of her skinny clothes. Unfortunately, it had been many years since she’d been this size and not only were the clothes way out of style, but they smelled musty and old. She dressed in a pair of leggings and one of her larger shirts, which, when tied off with a belt, looked like a short dress.

The soufflé turned out wonderfully and really hit the spot. Running for so many miles had really given her an appetite and now she needn’t feel guilty about filling her belly.

With breakfast out of the way, she drove to the mall to find some clothes that not only fit, but also didn’t make it look like she was still living in the 90s. Normally she shopped at a discount store like Ross or Target, but the idea of even stepping inside one of those stores revolted her.

She was able to find everything she needed at Nordstrom. As she walked past the makeup counter she let the MAC saleslady talk her into getting a free makeover. Between the clothes and all the makeup and moisturizers the MAC lady had recommended, the bill came to a little over $700. She was going to have to dip into savings to cover it, which she’d been planning on using for Cassidy’s tuition to UCLA next year, but momma needed to treat herself every once in awhile.

The MAC saleslady had given her the address of a private Pilates studio. She’d said that it was more expensive than the chain fitness clubs, but well worth it. Within twenty minutes of arriving at the studio she was signed up for a one month membership which was more than her car payment. If she kept spending money like this there wouldn’t be any left for Cassidy’s college fund. Oh well, there were always scholarships.

Helen didn’t regret a penny. They set her up with personal trainer named Anne Jennings who customized a Pilates workout just for her. By the end of the hour her whole body was singing; she practically skipped to the showers. Noticing that her hair shoulder length hair was now halfway down her back, she asked a couple of the ladies in the locker room for recommendations. Amber Richfield, a Ford model who looked like she could fit into a size 2 dress and still have wiggle room, not only knew a premier salon, but gave Helen her standing Wednesday appointment since she was flying to Milan later in the day. Apparently, the Jacque Cadieu salon was quite exclusive and only accepted clients by word of mouth.

She made a quick stop at whole foods on the way home to pick up the ingredients for dinner. Cassidy's friend Penny was coming over to study and she wanted to cook something special for them. She’d been torturing the poor girls over the years with her horrendous attempts at cooking and it was time she make up for it.

When Cassidy and Penny arrived at the house they were greeted with aroma of pan seared mackerel, the sounds of Brahms fourth symphony and the sight of a veritable stranger cooking dinner in the kitchen. Between the additional weight that she’d lost and the professionally applied makeup, Cassidy barely recognized her mother. Penny refused to believe that the gorgeous woman could be anyone’s mom. She looked like she belonged on the cover of a magazine, not cooking dinner in a normal everyday house.

“Um, Mom. I kind of promised Penny tacos.” Cassidy stared at the ground as she spoke. “You know, we normally have tacos on Tuesday nights.”

“It’s okay. We don’t have to have tacos,” Penny said quickly. “Whatever you’re cooking smells awesome.”

“We are having tacos. I’m making Baja fish tacos with pomegranate salsa, cotija cheese, and chipotle Greek yogurt. Doesn’t that sound yummy?”

“That sounds trippy. Where did you learn how to cook that, Mrs. Prentice? The internet?”

“It just came to me as I was shopping in Whole Foods today,” Helen said. “You two better wash up. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes.”

The girls loved the food, as did Helen. It gave her a warm gooey feeling seeing her baby girl take delight in her cooking for a change. She’d always assumed that Cassidy had been a fussy eater, but she now knew that she’d been serving slop to the poor girl for most of her life. Normally, the tacos they ate were made with beans from a can, sauce from a paper packet, roughly chopped iceberg lettuce and grated discount cheddar cheese. It turned her stomach just thinking of eating such swill. Well no more. Meals would be healthy for the body and made with all the senses in mind.

“Now, remember I’m going to be gone tomorrow night,” Helen said towards the end of the meal. “Did you ask Penny’s dad if you could stay over there?”

Cassidy nodded.

“He said it was okay,” Penny said. “He’s going to drive us to school in the morning, too.”

“Excellent.” Helen picked up Penny’s plate and her own as she stood up from the table. “I hope you both left room for dessert. I made passion fruit sorbet.”

“Um, can I ask you something, Mrs. Prentice?”

“Of course, Penny.”

“How did you change so much since Sunday?” Penny’s eyes darted between Helen and Cassidy. “You look like a whole new person.”

Helen sat back down. “I know that this must seem strange to you, but everything is fine. I visited a matchmaker and apparently the way she matches people is by changing one of them to suit the other. The man I picked wants to be with a slender, beautiful woman and that is what I’m becoming.”

Penny looked like she wanted to vomit. “You’re okay with changing your body to please some man?”

“Are you kidding? Look at me. Most women would kill to look this good. Not only am I gaining a body and face that I’ve only been able to dream of having, but I get a date with a handsome surgeon. It’s win-win, trust me.”

“How do they do it? How is it even possible?”

“My sister Lynette thinks it’s magic. I’m beginning to think that she’s on to something.”

“Magic is evil,” Penny said, her voice rising in pitch. “Pastor Jones says that anything not from God is from the devil.”

“I’ve thought about that, but I’ve come to realize that there are many mysteries in the universe and quite frankly the bible tells us so little. Pastor Jones is a wise man, but he is just a man trying to make sense of it all. I’ve lived my life within the confines of a single church, listening to the teachings of a handful of men who were all taught in the same small seminary. I’m no longer going to confine myself to the teachings of one man, one book or even one religion. There is no way that anyone of them have the answers to all there is to know about the spirit and what lies beyond.”

“I don’t really understand what you just said,” Penny said.

“You don’t have to. I’m okay with what is happening to me and that’s what’s important.” Helen reached across the table and took her daughter’s hand. “Are you okay with the changes I’ve gone through?”

Cassidy glanced at Penny and then back at her mom. After a couple moments of chewing her bottom lip she shrugged.

“That will have to do for now.” Helen stood again. “Now help me clear the table and then we can have dessert.”


Helen spent most of the following morning calling various spas in the LA area to find one that could squeeze her in for a mani/pedi and a body wax. She finally found one on the other side of town that had a cancellation, but she needed to get there within twenty minutes. Without traffic it was a twenty-five minute drive and what were the chances that there wouldn’t be traffic in LA? She didn’t make the deadline, but they let her have the appointment anyway. She opted for a Brazilian wax and French tips on both her fingers and toes.

With all of the hair below her eyebrows removed and acrylic extensions on her fingernails she proceeded to the salon, which thankfully, was on the same side of town as the spa. Jacque was a miracle worker with her hair. After showing him a picture of the dress and letting him know that she’d be at the Getty Center that evening he simply nodded and went to work. When he was finished she had a breathtaking updo that made her feel like a royal princess.

The best part was that Jacque was able to get her out of the door before the worst of the rush hour traffic had started, giving her ample time to get home and changed into her gown. As a bonus for being a new client he’d even done her makeup. It was well worth the $400.

Helen did have a little trouble getting into the dress. While she’d lost plenty of weight in her lower body, her boobs hadn’t shrunk at quite the same rate, giving her a rather top heavy kind of look, not that she was complaining. While the dress fit perfectly in the waist and ass, it left half of her boobs spilling out of the top. She had a feeling that Ryan wasn’t going to complain either.

After donning the shoes, earrings and bracelets that had accompanied the gown she stood before the mirror and giggled. She looked more beautiful than she’d ever even imagined in her wildest dreams of being. She had a kind of timeless beauty. She didn’t look like she was in her twenties, but beyond that she imagined that people would have a hard time pinpointing her age. Other than the lack of a necklace to go along with the other jewelry, everything was perfect.

Helen let out a squeal when she heard a knock at the front door. She kind of wish she had someone to answer the door for her. That way he could be waiting in the entryway when she descended the stairs and she could watch his face go slack in amazement at her beauty, just like in the movies. It didn’t matter. She lived in a one story house so she didn’t even have a set of stairs to descend, let alone someone to open the door.

His jaw still went slack and his eyes widened when she opened the door and he saw her for the first time. It wasn’t quite the same as the descending the stairs thing, but it still felt really nice.

“Helen, I presume.” Ryan held a bouquet of roses in his hand.

“Yes and you must be Ryan. Would you like to come in? I can put these in a vase.”

“It is unnecessary. I’m having a second set of roses delivered here tomorrow with its own crystal vase. These flowers are for you tonight, to have with you as we ride to the gala. I thought that you might enjoy their elegant bouquet as we chatted along the way.” He held out his arm. “Shall we?”

“Yes, please.” Helen slid her arm through his and let him lead her to the long black limo parked at the end of her driveway.

It was Helen’s first limo ride and she was giddy as a schoolgirl. In addition to a full bar, soft leather seats, and enough room to fit eight comfortably, there were two champagne buckets, one holding a chilled bottle of Dom Perignon and the other water for her flowers.

“This is amazing, but you didn’t have to rent a limo. I’d be happy with an Uber,” Helen said as Ryan filled her champagne glass.

“I didn’t rent it. I own it.” Ryan clicked his glass against hers. “To the first of what I hope is many nights with the most stunning woman I have ever laid eyes upon.”

Helen sipped her champagne, feeling light headed even before the alcohol made it down her throat. Anxiety, joy, adoration and lust each pressed for dominance, making her feel like she might start crying at any moment, only the fear of ruining her makeup holding back the tears.

“I have something for you,” Ryan said once they’d both taken a sip. “You may have noticed that your outfit is missing one crucial item: a necklace.” He reached into his tux pocket and removed a long velvet case. “This belonged to my grandmother and I wanted to give it to you personally.” He opened the box to reveal a choker necklace with so many diamonds that it would take the whole night to count them all. The thing probably cost more than her house.

“I don’t know what to say,” Helen said as he clasped it around her neck. Unabashed joy surged to the forefront, making her think that she might lose it at any moment and drown them both in her tears.

“Then let’s not speak. Let’s drink champagne and enjoy being together. There will be lots of time for chatter later. The night is young and ours.” He slid his arm around her shoulder. She let her body melt into his.


The gala was a charity event to benefit local homeless children and Ryan seemed to know everyone in attendance, introducing her to scores of people, some of which she’d heard mentioned on the news: minor celebrities, city council members, CEOs of powerful companies, sports figures. She clung to his arm the whole evening, afraid that if she let go he might disappear and she’d wake up, finding that it had all been a dream. He wore a smile, letting everyone know his dream come true was at his side.

The lust in the men’s eyes when they looked at her made belly flutter and her knees weak. The daggers of jealousy the other ladies sent her way made her smile almost as much as Ryan.

When the night was over Helen invited Ryan into the house for some “coffee” and this time he accepted. Her heart fell to the floor when she saw Cassidy’s backpack hanging from the closet door knob. Digging out her phone, she found the text from her daughter, sent nearly two hours ago, reading, “fight w/Penny, omw home, luv u.”

Her first impulse was to send Ryan away. This was quickly quashed when she caught yet another whiff of his heavenly cologne.

“We have to be very quiet. My daughter, who was spending the night at a friends, is currently asleep down the hall.”

“I don’t have to stay. If you feel about me anywhere close to how I feel about you, then we will be seeing a lot of each other in the very near future. Speaking of which, what are you doing on Friday.”

“I’ll tell you over breakfast.” She ran her hands over his chest “As long as we’re quiet and you leave the house before 7am we won’t have any problems. I don’t want my daughter getting the idea that sleeping with someone after the first date is a good idea, but I definitely want to sleep with you tonight.” She grabbed a hold of his belt. “I hope that you feel the same way.”

Ryan answered by scooping her up into his arms and then carrying her deeper into the house. She whispered directions to her bedroom between kisses.

Helen had made love in the house with her daughter sleeping in the room across the hall many times over the years and it had never been a problem. She and her ex would be mindful of the noise and as far as they knew Cassidy was never the wiser that her parents had been getting intimate less than twenty feet away.

Tonight was different. Ryan was a master musician and she was his instrument. He knew exactly how to make her body sing. Unfortunately she now vocalized her pleasure. With every nip and nibble she let out a yelp and that was just on her earlobes. When his mouth reached her nipples she shrieked like she’d been struck by a whip, only it wasn’t pain she was feeling.

“I thought you said to be quiet,” Ryan said, looking up at her, his face framed by her bare breasts.

Helen pushed his mouth back to her nipple as she used her other hand to cover her mouth, hoping that it would dampen her volume. It took a pillow over her mouth when his fingers found her clit. When his cock replaced his hand, not even the pillow helped. It had been tossed to the side, both of her hands were too busy grasping Ryan’s back, trying to to pull his body further into hers.

Ryan abruptly stopped, making Helen want to scream again, this time in frustration, having been seconds from an orgasm. She was about to scold him when she heard the knocking on the bedroom door.

“What’s happening, are you okay?” Cassidy shouted frantically from the other side of the door. ”Should I call the police?”

“Oh shit,” Helen said to Ryan. In a louder voice she said, “Go back to sleep, baby. I’m watching a scary movie. It should be over in a half hour or so, In the meantime try sleeping with your headphones on.”

Ryan and Helen stared at the bedroom door. The sound of footsteps walking away was followed by Cassidy’s bedroom door closing.

“Maybe we should continue this another time.” Ryan pulled his hips back.

“Not until you finish what you started!” Helen latched her ankles together behind his ass, keeping him from pulling out of her.

“Aren’t you worried about your daughter? What about that part about sex and first dates. I mean you don’t think she bought that crap about a horror movie, did you?”

“If she didn’t, then the cat’s out of the bag already, so no sense denying ourselves.” She pulled his face to hers, kissing him with a savage passion. He answered by slamming his pelvis into hers, making her shriek once more.