Abigail’s Apobimbosis
By Anostus
Abigail had worked hard to get where she was. She was in her second year of grad school, but she still felt like something was holding her back. Well, not something, but two somethings in particular.
It might have been all in her head, but she felt like people around her didn’t take her seriously because of her large chest. It didn’t help that she had been an early bloomer, and the memory of older men catcalling her and flirting with her as an awkward preteen had created an indelible association in her mind between her breasts and her life’s problems.
It seemed like men either saw her as a pretty decoration without anything to contribute, or a gazelle for their lion appetites to pursue and devour. Being taken seriously? Being treated like an equal? Forget it. She had to work twice as hard for half the recognition.
She was venting about this to her friend Sarah, and it was then that Sarah suggested it.
“Have you ever tried getting help for your body image issues?”
Abigail crossed her arms and shifted uncomfortably.
“I don’t have ‘body image issues.’ I have ‘other people’s images of my body and mind issues,’” she said defensively.
Sarah gave a knowing smile. “Abigail, look at yourself. You dress in unflattering clothes so people won’t notice you, and you always look so uncomfortable when you’re around people that they definitely won’t notice you.”
“I don’t—” Abigail tried to protest, but Sarah cut her off.
“You have beautiful red hair, and a rocking pair of tits! You should embrace it—guys should be falling over you and you should own your sexuality in the workplace. It’s not a weakness, guys should be scared of you and what a boss you are.”
Abigail frowned. “Are you done lecturing to me? I told you, I don’t need to see a shrink, okay?”
“A shrink?” Sarah said, giving a small laugh. “Oh, I didn’t mean you should see a shrink! There’s this really great hypnotist I saw to quit smoking. I haven’t even thought about smoking a cigarette in a month—I think he could help you.”
Abigail looked at her friend like she was crazy. “I don’t want some stranger rooting around in my mind. What if he does something weird, like make me cluck like a chicken.”
“Relax,” Sarah said, handing a business card to Abigail. “Just call him—hypnosis can’t make you do anything you truly don’t want to do. He told me that in my first session with him.”
Abigail didn’t know why she ended up calling the number, but here she was in the waiting room of Dr. Senmensa. She sort of doubted that the young man whose picture was on the business card was really a “Doctor” of any sort, but Sarah’s glowing reviews gave a small hope that he’d be able help her.
“Abigail?” a man said, popping his head out.
She went inside. She described her problems, and he nodded and wrote a number of things down.
When she was done, he said, “I think I know exactly what you need.”
He pulled out a metronome, and turned it on. The rhythmic sound filled the room, and Abigail found her eyes drawn to it.
“Abigail, please look at the metronome and listen to my voice,” he said.
Abigail had been tense when he pulled the metronome out, but his voice was so buttery smooth. She did just want to listen to it.
“As you watch the metronome, you will find your eyelids getting heavy. Your muscles are relaxing one by one. First your head, then your neck, your shoulders...”
Abigail found her head lolling forward. Every time she blinked, it took a little longer for her eyes to open again.
“All tension from your body is gone, and you are finding it harder and hard to stay awake. As I count down, you will find yourself getting deeper and deeper. 10...”
Abigail was losing what little resistance she had left.
“9...”
It was so easy to just fall.
“8...”
Fall into his voice.
“7...”
Go wherever it lead.
“6...”
Her breathing and his voice were all that was left.
“5... 4... 3... 2... 1...”
Down and down, she went until her mind was absolutely still.
Dr. Senmensa said, “Abigail, can you hear me.”
Her voice came from far away, “Yes.”
“Abigail, you’re under a lot of stress, right? Life is hard for you?”
A breathy whisper, “Yes.”
“Would you like to be rid of that stress?”
“Yes.”
“What if I gave you permission to forget about all of your self-consciousness? To see your body as an ally, instead of an enemy. Would you like that?”
A slight nod. “Yes.”
“And what about if I gave you permission to forget about all your hard school problems for a time. To just exist, and enjoy the pleasures that life has to offer. Does that sound good?”
A worried look crossed over Abigail’s face. “What about... all my responsibilities?”
“Your responsibilities will always be there when you want to go back to them. This is just a temporary respite. Knowing that you can always choose to come back whenever you want, do you want to try this?”
Abigail smiled for the first time in weeks.
“Yeah, that sounds nice.”
“Alright, Abigail. From now on, you’re going to start loving your body. It’s not something to be hidden and ashamed of. You can wear sexy clothes that show yourself off, and still be authentically you. In fact, not doing so is actually being inauthentic.”
She let the words wash over her, “Sexy clothes... authentic me...”
“That’s right, and every hard worker deserves a vacation, and your brain has been a very hard worker. A real trooper. But it needs a vacation now. When you wake up, your brain will be on vacation. Taking a rest. You won’t remember any of the hard, serious things in your life. Just the fun, frivolous things. Life will just be about pleasure, and doing what makes you happy.”
“Pleasure... whatever makes me happy...”
“Good, good. And all of this will only last as long as you want. If it interferes with the things you really want out of life, you can go back to the way things were before. You can always start caring about the serious things again, if you want to.”
“Serious again... if I want to.”
“Alright, on the count of three, I want you to wake up. One, two, three.”
Abby felt really good as she left the hypnotist office. It was as if a huge weight had lifted off of her shoulders. She looked at her watch, and saw that it was only 7 on a Friday night. Plenty of time to go to the mall, buy some clothes and maybe find a party for tonight! She was free, and it felt amazing.
She hit mall, and picked out the cutest, sexiest things she could. Why had she never worn anything like this before? She looked great! And she loved the looks she was getting from guys. She flirted with a few of them, and even ended up giving a few her number.
When she was done, she decided to hit some clubs and bars.
She was in luck! There was a wet t-shirt contest at one of the clubs she went to, and she was able to make a late entrance. The competition was stiff, but Abby’s enthusiasm (and her amazing chest) won the crowd over and she ended up taking first place.
A guy approached her afterwards, and asked her if she had ever considered dancing professionally before.
Sunday morning, Sarah and Abby were doing their usual brunch. Abby was wearing sunglasses to hide her hangover, but seemed more chipper than Sarah had seen her in a while.
“You seem happy recently,” Sarah observed.
Abby smiled, “Why shouldn’t I be? The last three days have been, like, amazing! I’ve got so many cute new clothes, I’ve fucked some hot guys, and I got a new job!”
Sarah cocked her head. “A new job? How are you going to have time to do that and your master’s thesis?”
Abby lowered her glasses and looked at Sarah. “My what?”
Sarah wasn’t sure if Abby was joking. “Haven’t you always said that you didn’t want the stress of doing school and work at the same time?”
Abby shook her head, “Why on Earth would I be in school? It’s, like, so much hard work, and it’s soooo boring! I’m a hot piece of ass—I’m going to be enjoying my life and seizing the day!”
Sarah looked worried. “Abigail, did you see that hypnotist I told you about?”
“Oh, I prefer to go by Abby now!” Abby said cheerfully. “And yes I did as a matter of fact! He was, like, as good as you said he was!”
Sarah grabbed Abby’s hand. “I think we should go see him again. I think something’s gone wrong.”
Abby pouted, but she didn’t object to her friend’s suggestion.
“Oh, I don’t think it’s anything to worry about,” Dr. Senmensa said. “I told her that she could start caring about serious things again whenever she wanted. She’ll probably start caring again when Monday morning rolls around. They always do. She’s just finally allowing herself to take a break.”
This didn’t fully satisfy Sarah, but she was willing to wait and see.
A week later, Sarah and Abby had brunch again and Sarah was horrified at what she saw. Abby’s outfit showed off so much skin, she was surprised that her clothes was staying on her body. Her cleavage was in your face, and she appeared to have gotten a tattoo!
“Abigail, uh, Abby? How have you been? What have you, uh, been up to all week?”
Abby smiled. “Oh my god! I’ve been to so many awesome parties recently. And my new job is so amazing! Men love it when I, like, dance. And they really like it when I take off all my clothes, and they get to see my boobies.”
Sarah gulped, “And did you make any progress on your thesis?”
Abby tilted her head. “My what?”
Sarah’s eyes widened, “Abby, have you been teaching the labs that you’re supposed to teach?”
Abby started giggling. “You’re so silly Sarah! Why would I, like, be teaching a lab? I don’t know how to teach people things, except, like, how to party and wear the latest fashion. Oh! And I’m, like, super good at doing make up and giving head, too! Everyone tells me that.”
Sarah grabbed her arm again, “We’re going to Dr. Senmensa’s something is very wrong!”
Dr. Senmensa looked surprised as Sarah and Abby burst into his room.
“Oh, I wasn’t expecting to see you two again. Is everything alright?”
“You’ve fucked over my friend! She spent the past week blowing off her responsibilities as a grad student—”
“Yuck! I keep, like, telling you,” Abby said, “There’s no way I’d be doing something as boring as that.”
“And she’s turned into a brainless, fashion-obsessed stripper,” Sarah said in exasperation.
Dr. Senmensa looked from the worried face of Sarah, to the perky, happy face of Abby.
“I told you last time,” he said slowly. “She has the ability to start caring again whenever she wants to. I only intended for her to spend the weekend relaxing, if she’s still like this after a week—it’s because she deep down truly wants to be this way.”
“Well, can’t you unhypnotize her or something?” Sarah demanded.
Dr. Senmensa frowned. “I can try, but I told you in our first meeting. Hypnosis can’t make a person do something they truly don’t want to do. If she wants to stay as a sexy, stupid stripper—I can’t make her a grad student.”
Sarah looked like she was at her wits end. “Please, just try! I can’t let her life be ruined because I referred her to you.”
Dr. Senmensa nodded slowly. He pulled out a metronome, and started it up.
Sarah felt a little calmer listening to rhythms of the metronome.
“It seems like you’ve been very stressed out, Sarah,” the doctor said in his calming voice. “Maybe you’d like to take a rest?”
One month later.
Sarah woke up and looked over. Dr. Senmensa and Abby were still sleeping. She thought back to last night, and started rubbing her thighs together. It was too bad they were both asleep, or she could start another mind-blowing threesome.
It was so nice living with the doctor, doing whatever he said, working at the strip club with Abby and living life to the fullest! Every once in a while, Sarah felt like she was on the verge of realizing something... important? But she always dismissed those feelings. Why would she want to think about something important? Why would she ever want to think again?