After tasting her culinary endeavors, Howard discovered that she was a spectacularly inadequate cook. Howard wasn’t dismayed in the slightest, she had other dishes that he was eager to sample. The trip from Barbie’s dining table to her bedroom was short and predictable as Howard had surmised earlier. His intimate contact with her in her bedroom was short and without untoward emotion. She got up from the bed and brushed her disheveled hair into place as if their quick liaison was an everyday occurrence with her. From the pleased look on her face, Howard knew that she hadn’t lied about his performance and that she was telling the truth when she told him that she had enjoyed herself. He was a little surprised that she was so easily satisfied, and hoped that there was more in future offings. Howard was a tiny bit disappointed that she hadn’t wanted fun in a more unusual variety. Still, he was satisfied with the outcome. Perhaps she would allow him to sample more exotic pleasures on his next visit. She was probably being careful until she had his measure. Nevertheless, each of them got what they needed. Barbie was reaffirmed as a woman to be desired and Howard had been validated as a man. They liked each other’s company and the carnal pleasures they exchanged, but there was nothing more that bound them together. Nevertheless, they agreed to meet at her apartment again as soon as possible. Howard didn’t feel particularly guilty over his illicit liaison, but he resolved to keep his lecherous relationship with Barbie secret from his wife.
When Howard got home he told Anita that he had a sick headache from the stress at work and wouldn’t be eating dinner. He explained that he had finally been accepted at the firm and that he expected to have to work overtime several times a week for the next few months to wrap up a new project. Anita was pleased for his success, but felt a little putout that the recovery of his health had the effect of keeping him at work so much. She had hoped that he would spend more time with her after he had started feeling better. She knew that it would take a lot of talking to make him change his mind about having a baby and she wanted to avail herself of every opportunity to try. She sighed and said she understood without arguing about his schedule. She knew that his attitude about being the one who wore the pants in the family wouldn’t permit her to question his decision.
Howard was having a ball. His ego swelled in size as his appearance steadily improved. True, he had to make trips to the bathroom every forty-five minutes to urinate, but that was easily explained by his increased intake of coffee. As he looked out of the rain splattered office window at the grey October sky, he wasn’t at all displeased by the recent developments in his life. Howard wasn’t disturbed that he had started to dribble a little both before and after he peed. After all, with the amount of urine his obviously healthy kidneys were producing, that was to be expected! Aside from a few insignificant difficulties with perfect bladder control, he was the picture of health. His diarrhea hadn’t improved, but that was minor problem compared against the fantastic changes that were happening to his body. He was delighted to discover that the slight forgetfulness of middle age he had been laboring under disappeared, allowing him to digest entire technical papers at a single sitting. He was so brimming with energy that he easily doubled his productivity at work. Howard positively sparkled with creativity. Fresh waste management ideas blossomed in his consciousness in a series of flashing insights. When he related them in passing during a weekly meeting, the company executives were astonished with the clarity and originality of Howard’s thinking. After one particularly brilliant stroke, he was given a huge bonus when he devised a new method for surreptitiously dumping chemicals that promised to save the company millions of dollars in political bribes. He would come home each day and announce the day’s successes to Anita like a schoolboy telling his mother about the games he had won in the schoolyard. Anita would smile tolerantly and listen to his excited description of his activities, taking vicarious pleasure in her husband’s accomplishments.