Ellen looked at her nude body in the mirror and felt tears spring into her eyes. Her breasts were full but no longer as firm as they once were. Thin silvery lines traced around them, marks from her childbearing. The same silvery lines ran down her sides like a pale thin roadmap, traced over her belly down to her pubic bone.
They started again on the inside of her thighs. Her stomach was rounder and softer than she wanted and no amount of sit-ups seemed to relieve that. Her hips were wider and her thighs were too. Everything on her had grown and stretched.
She longed to be able to see the reflection of the woman she had been before, before 4 kids and Jake. Jake had aged well; they had been married 20 years today. He had a bit of salt and pepper at his temples but, as the old cliché went, it made him look distinguished. His body was a touch softer than before he was still strikingly handsome and trim looking.
How could life be so unfair? She ran a brush through her shoulder length blonde hair that she had been dying to cover the gray for the last 5 years. She admitted to herself that her face was still relatively unlined and her blue eyes still shone brightly. Her mouth had developed a few lines at the corners, as had her eyes.
She forced herself to smile and looked at her image critically. Thoughts of her husband finding someone younger, someone toned and tight crossed her mind. She angrily pulled on her cotton robe and knotted it tightly over her belly. She finished getting ready for the day and then went to her bedroom to get dressed.
She gasped as she entered the room. The shades were drawn and candles were lit on the dresser and the two end tables. The canopy was lowered to drop gracefully over their huge four poster bed. Soft music played in the background.
Strong arms snaked about her waist from behind and she inhaled the familiar scent of Jake. He pressed a kiss into her neck and squeezed her gently. “Happy anniversary beautiful” he whispered into her ear causing goosebumps to run down her arms.
She turned into him laying her head against his bare chest. “You too, but Jake, we don’t have time for this now, we got to get the kids to school and you have to get to work.”
“No not today, my Mom came and picked the kids up while you were in the shower, they had all the stuff they need for school packed and ready, and I took the day off to spend it showing you how much I love you.” His hands started to unknot her robe.
“Stop it Jake, I’m not dressed” she protested twisting away from him. She couldn’t bare the thought of him looking at her naked body during the day. Even with the shades closed it was still light in the room.
“That’s the point, I want to see my gorgeous wife. I know what you look like under there and I love it. I love you, now let me do this.” He kissed her between words loosening her resolve.
She resigned to him and pushed her protests to the back of her mind as he removed her robe. He lovingly caressed her back down to her buttocks, her hips, her thighs, her stomach, and finally her breasts, cupping and kneading them softly.
“Your skin is so soft and smooth. You are so very sexy; I love your breasts and stomach, the two areas that gave life to our children. You are beautiful there. He traced the thin stretch marks and dropped kisses on them. Ellen fought back tears and the urge to turn from him and hide herself.
