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1Part Eleven: Judgement Day
At the conference the next day, Meryn found her mind wandering frequently to worrying about how Jeremy was going to react to the evening’s events. She found the conference stimulating, and was able to focus enough to answer any questions, and discuss the issues raised with her boss, Mr. Martin. She noted with satisfaction that he referred to her as often as he did with Michael. When the conference ended at four however, she was pleased that after thanking them for attending, Mr. Martin indicated that he had to leave right away. She really didn’t want to have to socialize today. She wanted to get home before Jeremy arrived.
She was thus very surprised when, upon arriving home, she found Jeremy in her bedroom folding a last batch of her laundry, and putting it into her now neatly arranged dresser drawers.
“Jeremy. What are you doing here now?” She asked, perhaps a little too harshly. “I told you I didn’t need you to make dinner for me tonight.”
He looked up and smiled, but this time it did not include his eyes. “I’m sorry Miss Meryn. As you ordered, I didn’t make dinner. But I felt I needed to come over today to get some things done for you. Make sure the place was spic and span.”
For the last time, she thought he left unsaid. Meryn sat down on her bed. This was all too much. She needed to get this over with as soon as possible. But she wanted to let him down as easily as she could.
“Jeremy,” she started quietly, “I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything you’ve done this week. It has been a far different, and much nicer experience than I could have ever believed. But I just don’t think it can continue.”
His eyes were cast down. She was making a mess of this she thought.
“We did make a bargain though.” She sighed. “So let’s see how it goes.” She stood up and looked away. “Do what you have to do.” She said barely audibly. “I’ll meet you in the bathroom.”
Jeremy joined her there a minute later. She couldn’t suppress a ghost of a smile when she saw him wearing a pair of white briefs. He didn’t look anywhere near as ridiculously fat in them as she had supposed he would, and she was secretly happy about that.
Without a word, he took a deep breath and stepped forward onto the scale. Again he refused to look down, and Meryn saw that his eyes were closed. She also realized that he was trembling.
My God, what am I doing to this man, she thought despairingly. She had to end this now, once and for all. Bending forward, she peered down at the scale. Her eyes widened. “Two hundred and seventy eight.” was all she could say.
Two hundred and seventy eight. She looked again. Nineteen pounds. She was thunderstruck. Jeremy had lost nineteen pounds. In one week. She had never heard of anyone losing that much weight in one week. But he had done it. For her. Oh, he was getting something out of it for himself as well she knew. He was proving his worthiness to her, he had said. Because she had asked. He had done it for her. She was staggered by what this all meant.
Her attention was drawn back to Jeremy as she heard him speaking.
“I’m so sorry Miss Meryn. I tried my best. I really did. But I’ve never been able to do this no matter how hard I try. I’m so sorry I failed you.” He was trembling more violently.
Meryn put her hand on one of his forearms and gripped it tightly.
“Jeremy.” She said urgently. “You lost nineteen pounds in one week. That’s incredible.” She wanted desperately to reassure him. “I’m so very proud of you.” The trembling diminished slightly, as he opened his eyes and looked at her, disbelieving.
“But Jeremy,” she continued as she guided him off the scale and back into the bedroom holding his arm the entire way, “you have to continue to lose weight. Oh, I can’t expect you to lose this much weight every week. That would be unhealthy, and I don’t want that. Ever. But I want you to continue to lose. For me. And I know now that you can and will.” She added one more time. “For me.”
Jeremy’s face went from disbelieving to a look of wonderment as he considered the implications of all that she had just said. His smile now definitely included his eyes. As Meryn let go of his arm, and indicated that he should dress, she suddenly realized that she was famished. In truth, she had not eaten anything during the day at the conference. She had been too nervous about this evening. She decided that she was going to make them both some dinner. When he started to protest, she insisted.
“No Jeremy. I want to do this. I know you’re probably not going to eat much, but it will be my small contribution to help celebrate your achievement.” He said no more. Meryn was the boss after all. And maybe now, he fervently hoped, for a good while longer.
Leaving him to get dressed, Meryn went into the kitchen to see what she could whip up in a hurry. She decided on Spanish omelets, as they were easy, quick, and she knew she could make good ones. As predicted, Jeremy ate only a small portion, but declared so sincerely that it was the best omelet he had ever eaten, that she almost believed him.
While he cleaned up, which he had insisted upon, Meryn sat in the livingroom and contemplated everything that had happened that evening, and what all she had gotten herself into. She felt strangely content. She certainly didn’t know where this was all going to go, but Jeremy had earned the right to continue on a while longer. And she was content, indeed happy now, to see it through. Oh, it would probably end at some point, maybe sooner rather than later. It was still all so strange. But she decided now to let it play itself out. He had proven to her that he deserved that.
As he came in to ask if there was anything more she needed from him tonight, she smiled. “I think you owe me one of your wonderful foot massages Jeremy.” This time he worked on her feet for over an hour, as they talked first about the conference that day, and her hopes and aspirations for her project. They moved seamlessly on to other topics, laughing and sharing confidences, and getting to know each other better, now, as she reasoned, there was a good reason for them to do so.
After she felt that she was as relaxed and comfortable as she could ever be, Meryn suggested that she would find it very nice if Jeremy wanted to repeat his special foot adoration of the night before. He was ecstatically happy to comply. As he ever so slowly and gently performed his worship of her feet, he began thanking her again for the opportunity she had given him to serve her. He thanked her for the faith she had shown in him. And he promised he would always do everything he could do to never let her down. She never let on that she had had very little faith in him. It didn’t matter now, and she didn’t want to ruin a moment she was thoroughly enjoying. She would let nothing bring her down tonight.
When his homage was finished, Meryn told him there was one last thing she needed him to do before she retired for the evening.
“Anything Miss Meryn.” He replied.
“I want you to go to the linen closet and get out some sheets and a blanket,” she told him, “and put them on the couch in the livingroom. I’d like you to sleep over tonight.”
Jeremy’s eyes widened as he rushed to obey.
“And Jeremy,” she said to him after he had fixed up his bed on the couch, and she was entering her bedroom for the night, “Tomorrow I’d like you to go to your place, and bring back some clothes, and whatever else you need. I think I’d like you to stay over a couple of more nights as well.”
Jeremy’s smile lit up the room. “Whatever you wish, Miss Meryn. Whatever you want.”
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