Pygmalion, Part 9

The following story is fictional and is provided solely for the enjoyment 
of its readers. While there are references to actual establishments such as 
major corporations, smaller companies, restaurants and locations, the 
characters in the story are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to a real 
person either living or dead is completely coincidental. Several 
non-fictional characters (celebrities) make brief cameo appearances. Their 
role is purely fictional and no way linked to their actual lives. This 
fictional account does contain adult language and themes. If such language 
and themes offend you, please read no further. This story is copyrighted by 
AZ-MAN, 2000, all rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce it in 
any form and for any purpose as long as this notice is reproduced and no 
financial remuneration is received, directly or indirectly, by the person 
reproducing it. 



A final thanks - to SSTORYMAN for his support, guidance and friendship. 

Should you have any comments, please feel free to respond to 
azman2k@yahoo.com. 



PYGMALION 

Part 9 of 10 

17. The Mistake of a Lifetime 

When Beth arrived home, she was very excited. She realized during her drive 
from Cynthia's that she needed to replenish her cigarettes. It was time to 
buy her second carton since she'd become a smoker. Almost on impulse Beth 
asked the clerk at the local AM/PM Mini-Mart for a carton of full-flavor 
Virginia Slims Menthols instead of her usual Lights. Her heart raced 
momentary during her purchase and now, here at home she could feel it 
thumping again in her chest as she pulled the wrapper from the first white 
and green-striped pack. She noticed that these cigarettes came in a soft 
pack and she had some difficulty pulling the first one free from the 
others. Once she had the slim, rich cigarette between her fingers, she 
smelled its moist tobacco aroma. It was very inviting to her senses. Beth 
closed her eyes and smiled just before inserting the cigarette between her 
lips and lighting it. 

Beth smoked the full-flavor VS much like she did her lights but it only 
took her a few puffs to realize that this was a much heavier smoke than her 
old brand. The smoke looked and felt richer as it exited her mouth. The 
richer tobacco taste almost, but not quite, masked the menthol additive 
that Beth had grown accustomed to. As she sat in her favorite chair and 
smoked, Beth didn't let the strong taste or feel of the smoke intimidate 
her. She took her usual 10 puffs before finishing it then put it out in her 
ashtray. It wasn't until she exhaled her last full, rich puff did she 
realize the total sensations associated with smoking such a strong 
cigarette for the first time. She was slightly dizzy and thought she 
detected a mild ringing in her ears. She remembered Cynthia saying that her 
cigarettes were twice as strong as the lights. Beth figured that she'd just 
smoked two of her old cigarettes simultaneously. That's precisely the way 
she felt. It was a powerful but pleasant experience. 

Beth was contemplating another VS just as the sensations of her first were 
beginning to fade. Then the phone next to her started to ring. She jumped. 

"Hello?" Beth noticed a strong residual tobacco taste in her mouth as she 
spoke - something that wasn't common with her lights. 

"Is Eliza there?" asked a deep male voice. 

"This is, uh Eliza." She knew who it was. 

"Heyyyy, Eliza. It's Tony, man. I got your message. So, like when do I get 
to see you?" 

She balked at his macho approach. "Hi Tony. I've been thinking about that. 
Like I said in the message, I'm free tonight. How 'bout I meet you 
someplace - save you from having to come pick me up?" She wasn't keen on 
his visiting her condo for some reason. 

"No baby, I want to pick you up. I want you to see my ride. It's a 
brand-new 2000 Dodge Viper, cherry red." He thought that this would impress 
her. 

"I'd rather just meet you somewhere - maybe Aunt Chilada's again?" 

"Aunt Chilada's is dead on Monday nights. I'm talkin' about going down to 
Mill Avenue." Mill Avenue was a hot nightclub area that bordered Arizona 
State University that catered mainly to the college-aged crowd. "It's 
shooters night at Baby K's and they've got this awesome kick-ass 
alternative band playing till 2!" 

"Oh great," she said sarcastically while rolling her eyes. This guy was 
courting her like she was a cheerleader in high school. 

"Then I'll pick you up at your place at eight?" 

"You know where I live?" 

"Yup. Just got it off the 'net, map and all." 

Beth laughed. She reminded herself to call US West and unlist her number. 
All she could come back with was, "See you at eight." 



Beth was eager to get back to the business at hand. All during the phone 
conversation with Tony, she'd been thinking about another one of her new 
cigarettes. The first one was very seductive and satisfying. It was strong. 
"It almost kicked my ass," she reminded herself with a chuckle. 
Nonetheless, Beth wanted to try just one more before getting dressed for 
the evening. 

She carefully lit her VS and drew in long and slowly. The inhale tickled 
her throat. Beth found that she loved watching the long exhales of the 
smoke continue to pour from her chest through every breath. As the stream 
from her mouth would thin and go invisible, she'd take another puff. Again, 
after 10 full puffs, Beth carefully put the cigarette out in her ashtray 
and leaned back and closed her eyes. The dizziness from earlier was 
replaced by a marvelous euphoric sensation that coursed through her body. 
It reminded her of a very mild orgasm beginning in the brain then flowing 
outward to her extremities. She remained in her recumbent position until 
all pleasantness ceased. 

Beth looked at her watch. Damn, there would not be time for another one - 
not just yet anyway. She had to get showered and dressed. She rose from the 
chair, and for the first time since entering the condo, she noticed the 
flashing message light on her answering machine. There was only one new 
message showing on the LED counter so she hit 'play'. 

"Hello Beth." 

"Oh, God," she gasped. She knew immediately who it was. He rarely called 
women at home. 

"It's Hank." There was an awkward pause, then he continued. "I really would 
like to see you again. I'm sorry things didn't go so well the other night 
but there were reasons for it, I guess. I'd like to explain if you'd give 
me the chance. Beth, I really feel strongly about you and I don't want to 
lose your trust or friendship. Please call me...anytime, day or night. 
You've got my private number. Take care. Bye." 

Beth closed her eyes. She hit the play button and listened to it again. 
Hank sounded subdued, hurt. Inside Beth was overjoyed - not because he hurt 
but simply because he chose to call. She was sorry he sounded so morose but 
knew she could lift his spirits by calling him back. She felt strongly 
about him as well. "Strongly, hell. I'm falling in love with the guy," she 
spoke aloud. Beth wanted to call him right now but realized she didn't 
dare. Tony was coming over. He'd be here in just a little over an hour. The 
call to Hank would have to wait. She'd plan on making it a short evening 
with this boy Tony. 



Beth was franticly running around her condo trying to finish up her makeup. 
It had taken her longer than usual to get into one of the new outfits that 
Cynthia had given her. The dress was a simple low-cut piece designed to be 
worn without a brassiere but Beth couldn't imagine leaving her house that 
way. She'd searched her dresser and tried on many strapless bras until she 
found one that worked. Then Heather called which was really a godsend. Beth 
talked her into meeting she and Tony at Baby K's but the conversation 
didn't end until she was a good half-hour behind schedule. Still, she was 
glad to have someone there tonight that she'd know. The more she thought 
about it, the more she regretted ever calling Tony in the first place. 

Beth heard her doorbell ring. "Oh shit!" she exclaimed as she looked at her 
watch. It said 7:50. "The little fucker's early." She opened the door. 

"Eliza." Sure enough, it was Tony. "Umm. You look bitchin' tonight." 

"Bitchin'?" she questioned. It was really offered as a stuck-up putdown. 

The truth was, 'Eliza' did look 'bitchin'' tonight. Her hair, makeup, 
jewelry and high fashion dress looked like something right off the cover of 
'Cosmo'. She was sorry she couldn't say the same for Tony. He looked like 
the pizza delivery boy - baggy jeans, Van sneakers, buttoned-down collared 
shirt with the tail hanging out, topped off with a short spiked hairdo. 

The two just stood on the porch for a moment when Tony asked, "Well, aren't 
you going to ask me in?" 

Pushy kid, she thought. "Don't you want to go? It's almost eight." 

"No. That's why I got here early. So we could have a chance to...get to 
know each other better." Tony set a large grocery bag on the coffee table 
then reached inside. "Beer?" he offered. "They're still cold." He pulled 
out two cans of Budweiser. 

Beth started laughing. This was one classy guy! She'd already felt quite an 
age gap between them. Now it had just widened considerably. He was acting 
like he was still in high school sneaking beer around in brown paper bags. 
She had to ask, "Tony, how old are you?" It was meant as an obvious jab at 
their age difference. 

He'd just taken a sip from his beer. "Twenty-three. You sure you don't want 
a brew or something?" Her previous question sailed right over the top of 
his spiked head. 

"I think I'll wait." She was doing her best to sound snooty. 

"Suit yourself." Then Tony reached into his sack and pulled out an unopened 
box of Marlboro Reds. He pulled the wrapper off and firmly rapped the pack 
against the palm of his hand and said, "I'm sure you'll have a cigarette 
with me. I know you smoke from the other night." 

Beth had reservations. She couldn't quite figure this guy out. At first he 
seemed threatening but then she realized maybe he just thinks he's being 
charming. Either way, he's got a lot to learn about women, she thought. 
Beth reached out and pulled one of the cork-tipped cigarettes from the box 
as he offered it to her. It felt stubby and fat between her fingers. Tony 
spotted Beth's gold lighter on the coffee table and reached for it then lit 
both of them. 

Beth pulled away from the flame and took her first true puff. It was very 
different from what she expected. The smoke felt slightly heavier than her 
full-flavored VS brand but the taste was completely new to her. It was a 
woody, rich tobacco taste with no hint of the cool menthol sensation she 
was used to. The smoke from her exhale was thick and long lasting. Beth 
felt it needed something to go with it. "I guess I'll try one of your beers 
if you don't mind." 

Tony quickly opened the can and handed it to her. He continued to watch as 
his date smoked and sipped her new beer. She looked so incredibly hot to 
him. She was dressed in this colorful, slinky outfit that radiated pure, 
unabashed sexuality to him. She wanted to be fucked tonight - he just knew 
it. Tony moved closer to her on the couch while Beth took another hit from 
her Marlboro. With the smoke resting inside her, he leaned over for a kiss. 

"Hey! Not so fast, wise guy. Slow down!" Smoke poured from her mouth as she 
spoke. When she noticed, she pursed her lips and quickly got rid of the 
rest, away from Tony. 

"Oh Eliza," Tony cooed. "You look so hot to me. Just a little kiss, 
please?" 

"No. Not now. I think it's time we go. We are going aren't we?" 

"But you just opened that," he said gesturing at the beer. "We can't take 
an open beer in my car. It's against the law." Tony smiled smugly. 

"Yeah, whatever." Beth stood up and headed for the kitchen. Her beer was in 
her right hand and her Marlboro was in her left. She was intending to pour 
the beer down the sink so they could leave once and for all. 

Tony remained seated on the couch not paying attention when suddenly they 
both heard the doorbell ring. Beth whirled around to proceed back into the 
room. Tony stood up. She said, "No, I'll get it." 

Tony was closer. He leaned for the knob and pulled the door open wide. 
"What do you want?" he spoke to the man on the porch he didn't know from 
Adam. 

"Oh God! Hank!" Beth gasped, fully alarmed at his sudden appearance. She 
was standing just inside the door still holding the beer in one hand and 
her cork-tipped cigarette in the other. And to make things worse, she 
looked like she was dressed for a runway appearance in a Paris fashion 
show. Tony's presence next to her only helped complete this nightmarish 
scene. 

Hank stood on the stoop frozen in time holding a simple bouquet of flowers 
he'd just picked up for Beth. He was going to surprise her - something he'd 
never done in his 49 years. Now he didn't know what to do. He'd never 
allowed himself to be put in this vulnerable of a spot until tonight. 
Doug's little pep talk earlier had compelled Hank to venture out of the 
safety of his own home to find the woman he now freely admitted that he 
loved. But here he was, standing on Beth's porch confronted by perhaps the 
worst set of circumstances imaginable. He felt like his entire universe was 
crashing down around him. There would be no more women after this. He was 
sure of it. 

Beth nudged Tony out of the way and moved closer to the door. "Hank, I...I, 
uh, this is not what it seems..." 

He just looked at her, his face as blank as she'd ever seen it. He wanted 
to hand the bouquet to her then simply walk away but both her hands were 
occupied with beer and cigarette. Finally he just dropped the flowers on 
the porch and turned around. 

Beth tried to follow him but Tony interfered. "Hey, let the loser go," he 
pronounced gleefully. He was standing directly on the threshold blocking 
her exit. "Who was that anyway? You're father?" 

Beth gave Tony a hearty shove. "Get out of my way!" She dropped her beer 
and cigarette on the porch and ran after him. 

Hank was walking briskly in the night air to his car. Beth was trying 
awkwardly to catch him in her spiked heels. "Wait Hank! Slow down! 
HAA---AANK, stop, please. Goddamn it." Finally she stopped to kick her 
shoes off then ran to his car as he was getting in. It looked like 
Cynthia's little Mercedes sports car but Beth spotted no one else inside. 
"Just a minute Hank, please." 

He had activated the power lock switch on the key ring and was able to 
quickly get into the driver's seat on the fly. He closed the door just as 
Beth arrived at his window. 

She had tears flowing down her cheeks as she began to rap on the glass. 
"Hank, please, open up, don't go." 

Had Hank been more experienced with romance and the special needs of women 
in love, had Hank known Beth's motives and true feelings for him he 
would've certainly gotten out of the car and taken her in his arms in that 
instant. He would understand that this was the right thing to do - that 
this was what Aphrodite had prepared for him to do. But Hank had been hurt, 
his pride wounded and he had too many skeletons lining the walls of his 
past to deal with. It was easier to lower the window only a crack before 
speeding off so he could utter a final, "Goodbye, Beth." 


18. The Aftermath 

Beth's alarm went off precisely at 5:30 AM. She easily rose from bed and 
donned her lightweight running outfit. She laced up her colorful running 
shoes, walked into the kitchen, popped eight different vitamins then chased 
them with several long gulps from her water bottle. She emerged from her 
condo into the very dim morning twilight. Darkness was being pushed away by 
a wonderfully orange sky forming in the east. Beth loved this time of day 
and she marveled at the consistently beautiful sunrises Arizona provided. 
It was time to begin her six-mile run. 

Beth ran at a slower pace than usual this morning. She was coming back from 
nearly five weeks of inactivity and had only been running for ten days now. 
Running gave Beth a peace like none of her other activities. The solitude 
and cool morning air was the best therapy around. She had a great talent to 
block the monotony of running solo by using a technique called 
disassociation. She found she could deal with work problems, money 
problems, family problems or whatever as she clicked off the miles 
providing that she could disassociate the aerobic strain from her thinking. 
Although disassociation had failed her during these last couple of weeks. 
Beth was carrying a burden like she'd never carried before. No matter how 
long she ran she could not shake the events from two weeks ago. But she 
thought things were getting better - at least she hoped they were. She was 
able to sleep at night where until four days ago she could not. She was 
eating more regularly and back to working normal hours at Motorola. She'd 
lived through a nightmare but time was working its healing magic. But 
still, if she wanted to, she could recall it all. 



The red taillights of Hank's Mercedes faded as he passed through the condo 
complex's gate that night. Beth just broke down and cried right there on 
the asphalt parking lot in the spot where the car had been. She cried until 
there was nothing left inside her. She wasn't surprised that Tony never 
showed to offer help. Walking back to her condo, she didn't know if she'd 
still find him there or not - she hoped not. But as she approached her 
opened doorway she saw Tony standing in the light. She cursed to herself 
for imagining that he was smart enough to leave and for not being so lucky. 

"So, are you ready to go out now or what?" he asked. Then he looked down. 
"Hey, where are your shoes?" 

Beth shook her head. This guy's not only young and inexperienced he's got 
an acute learning disability. "We're not going anywhere. Goodnight Tony." 

"What do you mean, 'Goodnight'? What's going on?" 

Beth walked up to his face. She could see remnants of leftover teenage acne 
on his cheeks. "Just what I said. The evening's over. Goodnight. I'm going 
back inside now." 

Tony was stunned. He couldn't believe that this woman he desired, this 
woman whose bed he thought he'd share tonight was dismissing him. He 
grabbed her forearm tightly and said, "What if I don't want to go. I have a 
say in this you know. What if I say we go back inside together?" He flashed 
a menacing smile. 

To Beth's credit her reflexes were good and her muscles strong. Without 
giving it more than a second's thought she shook off his clenched grip and 
simultaneously dealt him a perfect knee to the groin. Tony's legs collapsed 
and he instantly crumpled to the ground. Beth's adrenaline spiked and 
before she knew it she was yelling loudly further intimidating him. 
Fortunately her booming voice attracted the attention of 
Carl-the-rent-a-cop and several others on the tennis court. 

The police came, statements were taken and initially Tony was cuffed. In 
the end he was allowed to drive his car out of the complex with an escort 
back to his apartment. He was cited with attempted assault and disturbing 
the peace. Fortunately he plea-bargained the charges and Beth never had to 
make a court appearance or see him again. 

Back in her empty condo, Beth tidied up before trying to call Hank. It 
would give him time to drive home as well as time for her to calm down. She 
had never needed to use some of the moves learned in a self-defense class 
taken several years ago in Albuquerque but tonight they came in handy. Beth 
was just thankful that they worked. But even with Tony safely out of her 
presence, she still shook when reminded of the incident. Beth needed a man 
to console her, to comfort her. She needed Hank now more than ever. 
Finally, at almost midnight she got the nerve to call him on his private 
line but was greeted by a computerized voice saying to leave a message. She 
tried again at 1 AM and this time decided to speak to the machine. Beth 
delivered her message in a passionate plea that conveyed her love to him 
without directly confessing it. She again told him things were not as they 
seemed. She cried. She asked him to please call her back. Then she hung up. 



Over the next two days Beth left more messages for Hank but none were 
returned. She finally gave up calling. She even gave up smoking. Beth never 
made a conscious decision to quit. She just didn't feel like smoking any 
more. She knew that when life's little problems would intrude a cigarette 
would help her cope and make her feel much better. However, regarding Hank, 
she unconsciously knew that smoking would not help her and suspected that 
it would only make things worse. Beth found that she generally had to be 
feeling good about herself to want to smoke. Lately, she'd been feeling 
awful. In any case, Beth did not crave a cigarette and so her new carton of 
VS Menthols just sat alone in her kitchen pantry. After a week, she even 
forgot they were there. She started running soon after the 'Hank incident' 
and was working back up to 10 miles on alternating weekdays. 

Beth's run this morning was difficult though. She wished she could make her 
memories of Hank and that terrible night two weeks ago disappear for good. 
They haunted her this morning just as if the incident occurred last night. 
The problem, she reasoned was that her feelings for him remained. She knew 
that if she were going to make the bad memories stop, she'd have to speak 
to him and gain closure on the things they'd left hanging two weeks ago in 
the parking lot. But she realized that was not going to happen. She'd even 
tried to call Cynthia but never got a reply from her either. Hank probably 
asked her not to return the calls. Doug had also been elusive. Usually he 
was easy to spot around the complex but lately he'd been scarce. 

Beth's eyes were watering as she fumbled with her front door key upon 
returning from the run. She could hear her phone ringing behind the door so 
she sped up her activity hoping to catch it. Her phone rarely rang before 7 
AM so she figured it must be important. John at work or something... 

She picked up on the fourth ring. "Hello?" 

"Beth...it's Cynthia," she softly spoke. 

"Cynthia?!" Beth could barely hear her. 

"Yes. Can you talk?" 

"Sure, I guess." Beth's heart started to race. "God Cynthia, it's been two 
weeks! Why didn't you return my calls?" she asked, her voice beginning to 
crackle. 

Cynthia knew what had happened. She felt sorry for both Hank and Beth and 
their botched meeting. It was mainly the reason for her early call. "Well, 
I'm calling now," she said, trying to sound light and friendly. 

"Yeah." Beth wanted to get angry but proceeded with caution. She didn't 
want to blow it again. A call from anyone in that huge house was what she'd 
been hoping for. But after a week she'd given up. Now here was Cynthia when 
she least expected it. "How are you Cynthia? How's Hank?" 

"I'm fine I guess. But Hank's not so hot. I think his doctor's got him on 
some kind of anti-depressant. I don't think it's working though - at least 
not yet. We've all tried to kid him that he's just down because he turns 
fifty next week. Poor guy. But that's not it." Cynthia's tone changed, 
suggesting that she was getting to the reason she'd called. "I need your 
help Beth. We all need your help." 

Beth was confused. She certainly wanted to help but didn't understand 
Cynthia's odd request. She agreed Hank needed help...I certainly could use 
some help too, but why would Cynthia and the others need any help? "Okay. 
What do I need to do?" she asked. 

Cynthia explained it very carefully with slight hesitation because she 
wasn't sure Beth would go along. When she was done talking Cynthia was 
pleased. She'd judged Beth correctly. She was hoping for an unequivocal 
'yes' and she'd gotten it. Beth was really a good sport with a good heart. 

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