by Jeffrey Wagner

Created on: July 21, 2009   Last Updated: July 22, 2009

"The Vanity Brush"

Jack McDowell and his wife Virginia had a perfect marriage despite a few bumps along the road; and most of their bumps during their first 10 years of marriage revolved around Jack's vanity and pride. But in a few short years, Virginia put a swift end to his issues and helped resolve Jack's internal flaws.

Many say it was love at first sight for the handsome pair: Jack met Virginia at a bar when the two were only 23 and still in graduate school. Jack was one of the handsomest men you could have met and women often swooned over him. He had dirty blonde hair, green eyes, a tan complexion and broad shoulders to match his athletic build. However, friends often called him a metro sexual because he was obsessed with his physical appearance. Jack spent hours at the gym, always manicured his fingernails, waxed his eyebrows, whitened his teeth, and was addicted to watching the scale for any major changes. He was also very self-conscious about the slightest skin blemish and always took issue with his height, as he only stood at 5'7. Some questioned why someone so insecure about his height and looks would marry a woman who was almost three inches taller than him at 5'9 . But one short look at Virginia would always put those questions to rest. Virginia was a tall, blue-eyed blond, athletic, sophisticated and easy-going. She was a natural beauty who could roll out of bed and look gorgeous. Her Swedish genes had been good to her and even landed her some first place distinctions at local beauty pageants. Friends of the couple often proclaimed that during the night that they met, it was pure magic. The coupled talked for hours and acted as though nobody was in the room. They giggled and chatted about sweet nothings for hours, talked under a starlit summer sky, and sealed the idyllic meeting with a kiss.

And perhaps this infatuation was love at first sight; the two became inseparable and were married less than two years after that fateful encounter. But days after their wedding, something peculiar happened as they were unpacking, Jack discovered the most peculiar brush he had ever seen in his life. The brush looked as though it was crafted from pure gold; it must have weighed at least three pounds. It was seven inches wide and about five inches in length. Jack studied the object before Virgina abruptly snatched it from his hand. What is that! he demanded.

But in a tone uncharacteristic of this mild-mannered woman, she said it is called the Vanity Brush

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• Next Page >>