I sat and thought about everything that had happened. I couldn't help feel guilty about what I had done. Judith had come on to me, without any encouragement from the ring, but still, I would not have been in this position if it wasn't for the ring's power. I felt that I had done a terrible wrong to her by altering her and then using her the way I just did. I swallowed in my throat and began to talk to her.
"Judith, you saw what happened to Ashley at the bus stop. How do you think something like that could have happened?" She looked back at up me, her generous breasts still heavily lifting up and down as she breathed, and said, "I can't believe you're still worried about that. She got what she deserved, you know that. Maybe now she won't be so eager to point out other people's shortcomings." I sighed and said, "Yea, I know. But, really, how could that have happened?" I asked as if I didn't have the answer. She looked up for a second, shrugged her shoulders and put forth, "Some kind of magic, I guess. Magic that punishes those who hurt others."
It was time to be honest. Again I swallowed deeply and said, "You're right. It was magic. And I made it happen." A puzzled look crossed her face, and again she looked up at me. "You what?" she asked with disbelief. "I did that to Ashley. Because of this," I said, showing off the ring on my finger. "But how?" she wondered. I told her the story of the old lady giving it to me. I also said that I didn't believe it either until the first wish I wished happened in the blink of an eye. She didn't seem sure whether or not to believe me. After all we had only known each other for about an hour or two. She said, "Prove it to me."
Now I was on the spot. I certainly didn't risk doing anything to her, and I wasn't too eager to demonstrate on myself either. I looked at the coffee table, my eyes trying to find an object that could be altered. I spotted an ashtray, one that wasn't used by either my mother or myself, but was there for visitors. It was white in color, and round in shape. I figured this was as good a test on any. "I wish the ashtray on the coffee table would change from white to blue and its shape would change from round to square." In an instant blue permeated the previously pale color, and the round edges pointed themselves off, forming a perfect square. Judith's eyes went wide with amazement. Her eyes quickly darted back up to me, showing me the same expression. She now sat up off my lap, and placed herself next to me.
"You weren't kidding, were you?" I looked at her and meekly replied, "No." I figured she would call me out for changing her and forcing her to have sex with me, only one of which I was guilty of doing. She spoke again, "Can you change people too? Oh wait, you said you changed Ashely. You must be able to." She became silent once more, and seemed to be lost in a thought. Then her expression changed, showing a look like she had just figured out the answer to a great mystery. "That means you can change anybody!" she said. I was a bit taken aback by her statement. I thought for sure I was headed for trouble. "Wow, think of the power you have now." She continued to say a few more things about what this ring could do. Meanwhile my mind was bashing about inside my head. I just couldn't let her think that I had left her unchanged.
"Judith, stop. Listen to me." I interrupted. She stopped and looked at me quizzically. "I can change anybody. I changed Ashley. I changed you too." "What are you talking about?" she asked as a slight look of fear developed. "Ashley changed like that because I thought it would be funny to make her like all the people she ridiculed. But in order to see that she really got what she deserved, I wished that you would gain the looks she once possessed!" Now she looked at me sternly and said, "Jim I've always looked like this! You didn't change my looks, I just developed this way."
I pleaded with her, "No you didn't. You look like that because of my ring. I didn't mean to, but you just happened to be standing there. Much like I just happened to be the person that lady gave this ring to. Please trust me on this. I don't want to lie to you or mislead you. I know I've only known you a short while, but I care for you. Because these looks I've given you haven't changed your personality. You've shown me that you're intelligent, witty, caring, and that you have deep emotional feelings. How could someone be so mean to someone who possesses those qualities? Let me put it like this: Since you think you've always looked the way you do now, have you ever made fun of or belittled someone who wasn't nearly as attractive as you?"
Still flabbergasted, she replied, "No. Most of the friends I have would probably be called 'unattractive.' I stick up for them." Of course I knew she really hadn't because she was probably too timid to actually challenge someone popular at school, but that didn't matter. It reinforced what I had said about her personality. She looked as though she was about to cry. With tears welling she said, "Jim, why would you do this to me? Why are you telling me that you changed me when I know you didn't? And even if you did, why whould you have?" She still didn't believe her looks had been changed. I now remembered that I wished it that way. But I refused to make any more wishes that would change her.
"I said, I wasn't intentionally picking on you. It was all just circumstance. I am so sorry. I'm sorry for bringing you here, I'm sorry for changing you, I'm sorry for lying to you, and I'm sorry that I've taken advantage of you." Wiping a tear away from her eye, she looked at me and said, "You didn't take advantage of me. I came here willingly. Then I came on to you. I kissed you first. I don't even care if you really need help in math or not. In the past two hours, you've done and said things with me that no one has ever done before. You've talked to me as a person. You have shown that you also care about others. You've...given me the chance to be a woman. And now you're telling me this. I just don't know what to believe. I can't remember being ugly, or however you would describe the way you say I looked. All I can remember is you approaching me, talking to me, and now you're saying you care for me." She sniffed in, and a smile replaced her previously sad look. "That's all I need to know, Jim. Because I care for you too. But...more. I love you."
I was totally moved by what she had said. Apparently she was willing to forgive me for anything that I might have done. She seemed to know that she was the one who initiated sex. Somehow no feelings of hurt or betrayal of trust had crossed her mind. I could only say one thing. "I love you too." She smiled wide, bent her head down, and placed another passionate kiss, a kiss of love, upon my accepting lips.
When the moment was over, she wanted to know one thing. "Can you still make changes to me?"