The pub that Lydia's father decided to take them too was ironically a posh blue, aqua, glass styled restaurant with an aquarium theme. It was called the 'Fish Bowl.' Lydia seemed uneasy as the quartet walked through the parking lot. You wrap your arm around her and try to reassure her that everything was alright.
"But what if I get splashed by a lobster or something? What if there is a small pond that I trip and fall into? Or, a little kid gets me with a squirt gun?" Lydia whispered to you.
"None of that is going to happen," you say equally quietly. "How many times have you dined in a restaurant? Did you ever leave one of them completely soaked?"
"No," she said and she tried to smile. Lydia seemed to be a little reassured but hesitant. "I just don't know how long it will be before my parents suspect that there is something wrong."
"You only think they will find out because you know there is something you don't want them to know. Look at it from their point of view. Everything is normal so there is no reason to pry."
With that you enter the building. The hostess is dressed smartly in a greenish polo shirt and she lead you to a neat little table in the corner by some large windows. Menus are handed out and conversation turns to food choice. Lydia's parents discuss what they saw at the swap meet. They ask you about your plans for the summer and school next year. Then the waiter arrives.
Charles, deftly places glasses of ice before each of you before using the over-sized pitcher of water fill each in turn. You try to split your attention between Lydia and the pitcher. Lydia seems to cringe every time the stream of water points in her direction. You fear that somehow you have entered a silly farce, and any second the whole jug of water with upend itself over Lydia. At the pool you had watched her spend almost a minute and a half in the water and the only change to occur was a little stretching of her suit. But here there would be no immediate toweling off. You try to plan for the worst when Charles leaves.
You see Lydia breathe a sigh of relief. You try to remind yourself that life is no like TV. It was so unlikely that anything catastrophic would happen. There really were not that many ways for a person to become immersed in water if they were careful. You look at Lydia and smile. She smiles back seemingly thinking the same thing you are.
Lunch continued normally. Lydia's parents talked more about the swap-meet. Lydia was making water rings on the table with the condensation from her water glass. She ran her finger through the water making fish patterns with it. You try to zone out by thinking about last night. You wonder about the fact that Lydia should not be changing again. It was only supposed to be temporary. But did temporary mean only once? Or did it indicate that the changes could be reversed? Damn, genies. Always trying to make things difficult. But you had the fact that she was changing to look forward to. Red and white this time. Her hair looked like it would turn white this time around. This time you would be sure to bring a camera. The way the red spandex reflected the light, she would look amazing.
"I swear it looked just like Aladin's lamp out of that Disney movie you used to watch Lydia," Father said. "The guy wanted fifty bucks for it. But he didn't have any kind of authenticity papers or anything. It was probably made in China or some such."
This grabs your attention. "What did it look like?" you ask trying to not sound too interested.
"Oh, you know. Brassy with a cheesy saying engraved on the side: "Rub lamp to release the Magic Changing Genie." Or something stupid. I should wash my hands; there might have been lead on it or something," her Father said. He got up and excused himself to the bathroom. Lydia's mother followed after a moment to do the same.
Alone, you turn to Lydia, "That sounds like the lamp I found."
"It couldn't be. Dad handled it and nothing came out. Besides didn't you say it disappeared?"
"Yeah, it could have gone anywhere. Why not to a swap meet? Maybe the genie only comes out when you are alone?"
"That's silly. We can't just go running after every lamp we hear about," Lydia said.
She had a point. The lamp came and went. So long as she could live with it maybe you should too. She was not angry at you. You could live with her with out guilt. And for the moment her transformation was manageable. You could barely see the spandex skin under her top.
Or you used to be unable. You frown as you look at your girlfriend. Creeping up her neck was shiny-red and white. From under her short sleeves you could see more of the red peeking out from the cotton cuffs. You point a little and Lydia sits up straight to see what had drawn your focus. As she cranes her head about trying to look down you swear her breasts have started to stretch her top even more than before.
"What's causing it?" Lydia panics.
You shake your head. Can you hear the fabric of her shirt stretching? Are the seams tearing? The spandex has stopped spreading but it can not be so easily hidden now. What was the trigger?
You point at her glass and the condensation art she was making. You both had been so attentive to the large water sources she had neglected the little ones.
"Should we leave?" you ask. "If we hurry your parents won't see."
"Or I have my sweat-shirt in Dad's car? I could go get it quick," she counters.
Stay or go? You need to make a decision fast.