The Man with the Perfect Life
If you think you know what reality is, think again. You may not be where you think you are.
Sam shut the door of the room quietly, so he wouldn’t disturb the sleeping man within, and was satisfied he was okay for the night. He’d come later for a second check, just in case. After twenty years together, he’d become attached to the old guy. He felt that small twinge of envy, like he had for the last several years, and grinned to himself as he walked away to check his other patients.
----------------------------------------------------
Peter parked his riding mower in the garage and went back outside to look over the job he had just finished. There were times when he wished he hadn’t staked out such a large yard, from his ten-acres, when he landscaped his new home. Even with a riding mower, two acres of mowing took way too many hours of his time every weekend. He was fussy about his lawn and preferred to do it himself, even though he had two older sons to help. They helped their mom with the large garden behind the house instead.
He grinned as he watched his sons passing the beat up old football that had been his own many years earlier. He didn’t think it strange they preferred that old ball to the new ones he had bought for them over the years. That ball has a special feel when you handle it that’s hard to describe.
Mowing had made him tired, but not too tired to join his sons for awhile in their play. It would be hard for anyone to tell the boys were brothers, unless you knew their parents. Tommy, the oldest at sixteen, was a smaller version of his dad, with his dark brown eyes and hair, and already large at 6’1" and 170 pounds. Peter’s wife, Jolene says he looks exactly like his dad’s pictures from his college football days, when he played quarterback. His fourteen-year-old son, Bart, had his mother’s blonde hair, blue eyes, and good looks.
Peter begged off from the game eventually, and headed up to their Colonial style raised ranch to take a shower before supper. He called out to his wife to let her know his work was done before he stepped under the shower. He knew Jolene’s moods after so many years of marriage, and he knew from the subtle changes in the way she looked at him and smiled, she would be in the mood for making love that night. Peter thought how lucky they were to still be so strongly attracted to each other after all of these years.
Supper was ready within minutes after Peter came out of the shower. Jolene was a superb cook, and the special meals she prepared for the weekends rivaled anything you could find at the best eating-places. The sensuous glances she sent his way, when the boys wouldn’t notice, told him for certain he had been right about her mood. The boys helped her clean up the supper dishes then headed downstairs, where their bedrooms and the recreation room were, and she went to join Peter in the living room. She snuggled close to him on the couch, then leaned towards him to give him a long kiss.
Jolene looked up at him and smiled. "I was thinking about how much I love you, today. After all of these years, I still think about you all the time, Peter. Do you think about me too?"
He took her face in his hands and returned the kiss she had given him earlier. "Yes, Jolene, I think about you a thousand times a day. Your beautiful face haunts my thoughts whenever I’m away from you. If I ever lost you it would be like someone had ripped my heart and soul from my body. I love you so much I couldn’t live without you." Peter thought to himself how inadequately those words described his feelings for her.
She sighed and snuggled closer then said, "Do you like making love to me, Peter?"
"More than life itself, Jolene. I’ll never get tired of making love to you."
Jolene gave him that special smile and said, "The boys won’t be coming back up here tonight, dear. They seldom do after they get busy having fun, and I made extra sure there are plenty of snacks in the downstairs kitchen. What do you say we turn off all the lights, and go to bed early tonight, for some fun of our own?"
Peter could see the love in her eyes as he looked at her and said, "I can’t think of anything better than spending the night making love to the most beautiful woman in the world."
Her playful grin and flashing eyes reminded him it was more than her perfect body that attracted him so strongly. He would have loved her even if she hadn’t such a beautiful body, because she was so much more than just beautiful. She was the perfect wife and mother, and his best friend.
They made love until their passions were fulfilled. Then Jolene turned to him and said. "I’m sorry if I got a little out of control for awhile, Peter. It’s just that I need you so much."
Peter pulled her close and said, "I know, dear, I need you too"
Jolene snuggled even closer before she closed her eyes and said, "Pleasant dreams, dear. I love you!"
Peter smiled to himself as he answered, "I love you too, dear." He already knew he would have a pleasant dream. He had the same dream every night for as long as he could remember. Strange he could remember that, but not the dream itself. Sleep overtook Peter, and his dream began.
*****
"Pete! Come on down to the pier and enjoy the sun going down over the lake with me. I’m lonely and need your company. Grab a couple of beers on your way."
"Give me ten minutes to finish tuning up this outboard motor, Kelly, then I’ll be there." Peter grinned to himself at her impatience for him to join her. He knew what she really wanted, and it wasn’t to watch the sunset. It had only been this morning since they last made love, but some days she was very affectionate. It seemed like their honeymoon was still going on after all of these years of marriage.
He was on his way to the pier, within the time he promised, with the plastic retainer of a full six pack in his teeth and the outboard motor he had been working on in his arms. Kelly looked up and grinned as he walked out on the pier and released the six pack into her waiting hands. He heard the sound of her snapping two cans open, as he mounted the motor back on the small boat, then turned to grin back at her.
"You ready for a ride, little lady? The water’s nice and calm tonight, and we can watch the sunset from out on the lake."
He took the beer she handed to him, and swallowed down half of it before taking it from his lips. Her green Irish eyes sparkled when she replied.
"When it comes to you, cowboy, I’m always ready for a ride."
Peter laughed as his eyes drank in the beauty of the wild redheaded girl, who was his wife. She had that milky white complexion only true redheads have, and the light sprinkling of freckles, which she hated, actually made her even more attractive to him. He had never met a woman who loved being alive more than Kelly, and he had never met a woman he loved more than Kelly.
It was a long ride to the middle of the lake. By then the sun had set, and the quarter moon was already visible in the sky. He couldn’t see her face to well in the dark, but he could see her beautiful smile in his mind as she kissed him and said, "I love you, Pete."
"I love you too, Kelly."
…
It was still a while before bedtime when they got back, so they finished off the last of their six-pack and started another. The boat ride hadn’t slowed Kelly down any and she chatted and teased happily with Peter as they sat close together on the screened porch. He thought to himself, what a lucky man he was, to have a woman like Kelly at his side.
When they finally made it to bed they made love for the second time that day.
Afterwards, Kelly snuggled close before she closed her eyes and said, "Pleasant dreams, dear. I love you!"
Peter smiled to himself as he answered, "I love you too, dear." He already knew he would have a pleasant dream. He had the same dream every night for as long as he could remember. Strange he could remember that, but not the dream itself. Sleep overtook Peter, and his dream began.
*****
Peter watched as his two young daughters played ‘Go Fish’ on the family room floor. He never tired of watching them play, and was thankful he was able to make a really good living without being separated from his family, like some of his friends.
His oldest daughter, six year old Samantha, came over and grinned at him. She loved to put her face nose to nose with her dad, and stare into his eyes. Peter felt his heart swell with love as she put her arms around him and gave him a hug. She had her mother’s soft brown eyes, and looking into them was like looking into an endlessly deep pool that reflected back what she saw.
Three-year-old Jeanie wasn’t about to be outdone and crawled up onto her dad’s lap for her turn. Just like her sister, she was the image of her mother. He couldn’t help but laugh when she put her cute little grinning face to his and giggled as she stared into his eyes. He wondered if her gaze could reach into his soul to see how much he loved her. He hoped so.
He held both girls on his lap, with an arm around each one, as he had done many times before, until their youthful energy made them restless to go play. He watched as they went back to their game, and he tried to understand the feelings that stirred within him when he was with them. Part of him wished they would never grow up, but he knew that wasn’t fair to them, and pushed the thought from his mind just as Eve came into the room.
She bent down and hugged the two girls as she looked up at him.
"I called Erika to make sure she could still sit with the girls tonight. She’s coming early, so we’ll be able to get ready without having to keep an eye on them."
Peter smiled at his lovely wife Eve, and thought how lucky he was to have a woman like her. Her brown eyes held the same sparkle as her daughters, and her face portrayed a type of beauty that gave her what could only be described as, a sophisticated look. His friends had commented many times about her bearing reminding them of a first lady or a queen, and yet they felt comfortable around her. She was the perfect executives wife and that made her perfect for him.
Peter grinned to himself, and thought about how she left that sophistication at the bedroom door at night, like a pair of shoes. Eve was a totally different woman when she let her long dark brown hair down, and slipped her perfectly proportioned body into her expensive and revealing nightgown. She became not only a sensual woman, but also a mildly evil temptress.
…
Their dinner party had gone well. Peter stood looking out at the city lights from their twentieth floor condo bedroom as Eve and Erika talked a few minutes before she left. He heard her enter the room and stood still at the window waiting.
She came up behind him and placed her soft gentle hands on each side of his face. He felt her body moving sensuously against his, as she nibbled at his earlobes and kissed his neck. Her lightly perfumed scent was already starting to take affect as he turned to face her. She had learned the art of seduction well and knew all of the things that he liked.
…
After their lovemaking was over, Eve snuggled close before she closed her eyes and said, "Pleasant dreams, dear. I love you!"
Peter smiled to himself as he answered, "I love you too, dear." He already knew he would have a pleasant dream. He had the same dream every night for as long as he could remember. Strange he could remember that, but not the dream itself. Sleep overtook Peter, and his dream began.
*****
Jolene had set out a sumptuous noon meal for Peter and her two sons. It was a big day for Tommy, and Peter was as excited as he was. Today was tryout time for the high school football team, and Tommy was trying for the quarterback position. Peter looked at his wife and two sons and thought, "I’m the luckiest man in the world to have such fine sons and a beautiful loving wife."
Jolene gave him her ‘special’ kind of smile and said, "Have another piece of cherry pie, dear, I made it especially for you because I know how much you like it." -------
*****
Sam was giving Bill, the new hospital superintendent, a tour of the ward he was in charge of.
"Who’s that old man in the wheelchair, Sam, and what’s his problem?"
"His name’s Peter Scott, Bill, and he was a young man when he came here, long before I did. The story I heard was that he stepped in front of a moving delivery van. The poor soul was due to be married the next day. One of the doctors, who was here at the time told me he had severe head trauma when he arrived, and a lot of broken bones."
"How much were they able to do for him?" Asked Bill
"They were able to heal his body, but couldn’t do anything about the brain damage. He’s been in this special ward since then so they can try to learn about the human brain by studying him. The doctors say he’s a real strange case. His motor and other body functions are pretty normal, and he’s easy to take care of because of that. We try to keep his muscles in some kind of shape by exercising him. He can actually walk, and we lead him around once a day. He won’t feed himself, but he’ll chew and swallow if we put food in his mouth."
"Isn’t there anything the doctors can do now, Sam? We’ve come a long way since he was young."
"I guess not, Bill. The docs come around once in awhile to hook him up to their brainwave machine. They claim there’s a lot of activity going on in his head. They think there’s a connection broken somewhere in his brain, that isolates his mind from his body, and they each live separately without knowing the other exists. It’s like he’s in a coma, but he’s not. The only part of his body that seems connected to his mind, are his facial expressions."
"That’s what attracted my attention. He seems to smile a lot, and his eyes look alive. They move like he’s watching something we can’t see. I’ve never seen anyone who seems so happy."
Sam replied. "Yes, sir, he is happy. The brainwave guy told me the pleasure centers in his brain are close to overloading. They think he’s created a new world in his mind to replace the one he’s lost, and they say that whatever’s happening in there, is as real to him, as what we feel is to us. He talks quite often, kind of like someone does in his sleep. A few years back the docs asked us to write down what he says, and it’s pretty obvious from reading it that he’s got three lives now to replace the one he lost, and he’s happy in all of them."
The two men were silent for a moment, watching the expression on Peter’s happy face changing. Finally the superintendent said, "Do you know what I think, Sam?"
"Yes, sir, I think I do. In spite of his condition, he’s happier than either of us, or anyone we know."
He felt that usual twinge of envy and voiced what he had been thinking for years. "In all the ways that count, he has the perfect life, and he knows it."
The End
----------------------------------------------------
Peter parked his riding mower in the garage and went back outside to look over the job he had just finished. There were times when he wished he hadn’t staked out such a large yard, from his ten-acres, when he landscaped his new home. Even with a riding mower, two acres of mowing took way too many hours of his time every weekend. He was fussy about his lawn and preferred to do it himself, even though he had two older sons to help. They helped their mom with the large garden behind the house instead.
He grinned as he watched his sons passing the beat up old football that had been his own many years earlier. He didn’t think it strange they preferred that old ball to the new ones he had bought for them over the years. That ball has a special feel when you handle it that’s hard to describe.
Mowing had made him tired, but not too tired to join his sons for awhile in their play. It would be hard for anyone to tell the boys were brothers, unless you knew their parents. Tommy, the oldest at sixteen, was a smaller version of his dad, with his dark brown eyes and hair, and already large at 6’1" and 170 pounds. Peter’s wife, Jolene says he looks exactly like his dad’s pictures from his college football days, when he played quarterback. His fourteen-year-old son, Bart, had his mother’s blonde hair, blue eyes, and good looks.
Peter begged off from the game eventually, and headed up to their Colonial style raised ranch to take a shower before supper. He called out to his wife to let her know his work was done before he stepped under the shower. He knew Jolene’s moods after so many years of marriage, and he knew from the subtle changes in the way she looked at him and smiled, she would be in the mood for making love that night. Peter thought how lucky they were to still be so strongly attracted to each other after all of these years.
Supper was ready within minutes after Peter came out of the shower. Jolene was a superb cook, and the special meals she prepared for the weekends rivaled anything you could find at the best eating-places. The sensuous glances she sent his way, when the boys wouldn’t notice, told him for certain he had been right about her mood. The boys helped her clean up the supper dishes then headed downstairs, where their bedrooms and the recreation room were, and she went to join Peter in the living room. She snuggled close to him on the couch, then leaned towards him to give him a long kiss.
Jolene looked up at him and smiled. "I was thinking about how much I love you, today. After all of these years, I still think about you all the time, Peter. Do you think about me too?"
He took her face in his hands and returned the kiss she had given him earlier. "Yes, Jolene, I think about you a thousand times a day. Your beautiful face haunts my thoughts whenever I’m away from you. If I ever lost you it would be like someone had ripped my heart and soul from my body. I love you so much I couldn’t live without you." Peter thought to himself how inadequately those words described his feelings for her.
She sighed and snuggled closer then said, "Do you like making love to me, Peter?"
"More than life itself, Jolene. I’ll never get tired of making love to you."
Jolene gave him that special smile and said, "The boys won’t be coming back up here tonight, dear. They seldom do after they get busy having fun, and I made extra sure there are plenty of snacks in the downstairs kitchen. What do you say we turn off all the lights, and go to bed early tonight, for some fun of our own?"
Peter could see the love in her eyes as he looked at her and said, "I can’t think of anything better than spending the night making love to the most beautiful woman in the world."
Her playful grin and flashing eyes reminded him it was more than her perfect body that attracted him so strongly. He would have loved her even if she hadn’t such a beautiful body, because she was so much more than just beautiful. She was the perfect wife and mother, and his best friend.
They made love until their passions were fulfilled. Then Jolene turned to him and said. "I’m sorry if I got a little out of control for awhile, Peter. It’s just that I need you so much."
Peter pulled her close and said, "I know, dear, I need you too"
Jolene snuggled even closer before she closed her eyes and said, "Pleasant dreams, dear. I love you!"
Peter smiled to himself as he answered, "I love you too, dear." He already knew he would have a pleasant dream. He had the same dream every night for as long as he could remember. Strange he could remember that, but not the dream itself. Sleep overtook Peter, and his dream began.
*****
"Pete! Come on down to the pier and enjoy the sun going down over the lake with me. I’m lonely and need your company. Grab a couple of beers on your way."
"Give me ten minutes to finish tuning up this outboard motor, Kelly, then I’ll be there." Peter grinned to himself at her impatience for him to join her. He knew what she really wanted, and it wasn’t to watch the sunset. It had only been this morning since they last made love, but some days she was very affectionate. It seemed like their honeymoon was still going on after all of these years of marriage.
He was on his way to the pier, within the time he promised, with the plastic retainer of a full six pack in his teeth and the outboard motor he had been working on in his arms. Kelly looked up and grinned as he walked out on the pier and released the six pack into her waiting hands. He heard the sound of her snapping two cans open, as he mounted the motor back on the small boat, then turned to grin back at her.
"You ready for a ride, little lady? The water’s nice and calm tonight, and we can watch the sunset from out on the lake."
He took the beer she handed to him, and swallowed down half of it before taking it from his lips. Her green Irish eyes sparkled when she replied.
"When it comes to you, cowboy, I’m always ready for a ride."
Peter laughed as his eyes drank in the beauty of the wild redheaded girl, who was his wife. She had that milky white complexion only true redheads have, and the light sprinkling of freckles, which she hated, actually made her even more attractive to him. He had never met a woman who loved being alive more than Kelly, and he had never met a woman he loved more than Kelly.
It was a long ride to the middle of the lake. By then the sun had set, and the quarter moon was already visible in the sky. He couldn’t see her face to well in the dark, but he could see her beautiful smile in his mind as she kissed him and said, "I love you, Pete."
"I love you too, Kelly."
…
It was still a while before bedtime when they got back, so they finished off the last of their six-pack and started another. The boat ride hadn’t slowed Kelly down any and she chatted and teased happily with Peter as they sat close together on the screened porch. He thought to himself, what a lucky man he was, to have a woman like Kelly at his side.
When they finally made it to bed they made love for the second time that day.
Afterwards, Kelly snuggled close before she closed her eyes and said, "Pleasant dreams, dear. I love you!"
Peter smiled to himself as he answered, "I love you too, dear." He already knew he would have a pleasant dream. He had the same dream every night for as long as he could remember. Strange he could remember that, but not the dream itself. Sleep overtook Peter, and his dream began.
*****
Peter watched as his two young daughters played ‘Go Fish’ on the family room floor. He never tired of watching them play, and was thankful he was able to make a really good living without being separated from his family, like some of his friends.
His oldest daughter, six year old Samantha, came over and grinned at him. She loved to put her face nose to nose with her dad, and stare into his eyes. Peter felt his heart swell with love as she put her arms around him and gave him a hug. She had her mother’s soft brown eyes, and looking into them was like looking into an endlessly deep pool that reflected back what she saw.
Three-year-old Jeanie wasn’t about to be outdone and crawled up onto her dad’s lap for her turn. Just like her sister, she was the image of her mother. He couldn’t help but laugh when she put her cute little grinning face to his and giggled as she stared into his eyes. He wondered if her gaze could reach into his soul to see how much he loved her. He hoped so.
He held both girls on his lap, with an arm around each one, as he had done many times before, until their youthful energy made them restless to go play. He watched as they went back to their game, and he tried to understand the feelings that stirred within him when he was with them. Part of him wished they would never grow up, but he knew that wasn’t fair to them, and pushed the thought from his mind just as Eve came into the room.
She bent down and hugged the two girls as she looked up at him.
"I called Erika to make sure she could still sit with the girls tonight. She’s coming early, so we’ll be able to get ready without having to keep an eye on them."
Peter smiled at his lovely wife Eve, and thought how lucky he was to have a woman like her. Her brown eyes held the same sparkle as her daughters, and her face portrayed a type of beauty that gave her what could only be described as, a sophisticated look. His friends had commented many times about her bearing reminding them of a first lady or a queen, and yet they felt comfortable around her. She was the perfect executives wife and that made her perfect for him.
Peter grinned to himself, and thought about how she left that sophistication at the bedroom door at night, like a pair of shoes. Eve was a totally different woman when she let her long dark brown hair down, and slipped her perfectly proportioned body into her expensive and revealing nightgown. She became not only a sensual woman, but also a mildly evil temptress.
…
Their dinner party had gone well. Peter stood looking out at the city lights from their twentieth floor condo bedroom as Eve and Erika talked a few minutes before she left. He heard her enter the room and stood still at the window waiting.
She came up behind him and placed her soft gentle hands on each side of his face. He felt her body moving sensuously against his, as she nibbled at his earlobes and kissed his neck. Her lightly perfumed scent was already starting to take affect as he turned to face her. She had learned the art of seduction well and knew all of the things that he liked.
…
After their lovemaking was over, Eve snuggled close before she closed her eyes and said, "Pleasant dreams, dear. I love you!"
Peter smiled to himself as he answered, "I love you too, dear." He already knew he would have a pleasant dream. He had the same dream every night for as long as he could remember. Strange he could remember that, but not the dream itself. Sleep overtook Peter, and his dream began.
*****
Jolene had set out a sumptuous noon meal for Peter and her two sons. It was a big day for Tommy, and Peter was as excited as he was. Today was tryout time for the high school football team, and Tommy was trying for the quarterback position. Peter looked at his wife and two sons and thought, "I’m the luckiest man in the world to have such fine sons and a beautiful loving wife."
Jolene gave him her ‘special’ kind of smile and said, "Have another piece of cherry pie, dear, I made it especially for you because I know how much you like it." -------
*****
Sam was giving Bill, the new hospital superintendent, a tour of the ward he was in charge of.
"Who’s that old man in the wheelchair, Sam, and what’s his problem?"
"His name’s Peter Scott, Bill, and he was a young man when he came here, long before I did. The story I heard was that he stepped in front of a moving delivery van. The poor soul was due to be married the next day. One of the doctors, who was here at the time told me he had severe head trauma when he arrived, and a lot of broken bones."
"How much were they able to do for him?" Asked Bill
"They were able to heal his body, but couldn’t do anything about the brain damage. He’s been in this special ward since then so they can try to learn about the human brain by studying him. The doctors say he’s a real strange case. His motor and other body functions are pretty normal, and he’s easy to take care of because of that. We try to keep his muscles in some kind of shape by exercising him. He can actually walk, and we lead him around once a day. He won’t feed himself, but he’ll chew and swallow if we put food in his mouth."
"Isn’t there anything the doctors can do now, Sam? We’ve come a long way since he was young."
"I guess not, Bill. The docs come around once in awhile to hook him up to their brainwave machine. They claim there’s a lot of activity going on in his head. They think there’s a connection broken somewhere in his brain, that isolates his mind from his body, and they each live separately without knowing the other exists. It’s like he’s in a coma, but he’s not. The only part of his body that seems connected to his mind, are his facial expressions."
"That’s what attracted my attention. He seems to smile a lot, and his eyes look alive. They move like he’s watching something we can’t see. I’ve never seen anyone who seems so happy."
Sam replied. "Yes, sir, he is happy. The brainwave guy told me the pleasure centers in his brain are close to overloading. They think he’s created a new world in his mind to replace the one he’s lost, and they say that whatever’s happening in there, is as real to him, as what we feel is to us. He talks quite often, kind of like someone does in his sleep. A few years back the docs asked us to write down what he says, and it’s pretty obvious from reading it that he’s got three lives now to replace the one he lost, and he’s happy in all of them."
The two men were silent for a moment, watching the expression on Peter’s happy face changing. Finally the superintendent said, "Do you know what I think, Sam?"
"Yes, sir, I think I do. In spite of his condition, he’s happier than either of us, or anyone we know."
He felt that usual twinge of envy and voiced what he had been thinking for years. "In all the ways that count, he has the perfect life, and he knows it."
The End
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