Son and his mom make some lasting memories…
“Just one more? Pleaaaase?”
Arms folded, Helen Cleaver attempted to resist the puppy-dog-eye routine in front of her, but as had been the norm for 18 years, she couldn’t help but acquiesce.
“Ok… but this is really the last one,” she sighed, fishing in her handbag and pulling out a crisp note.
Now flashing his gorgeous smile, Jason grabbed the cash before bending down to quickly peck Helen on the cheek, “Thanks, mom! You’re the best!”
As she watched her son run off to the ticket counter, Helen smiled, her fingers savoring the evanescent warmth on her cheek. When he disappeared into the crowd, a deep ache grew in her chest as she realized her baby boy would disappear from her life within the month. Even her husband, who had both reassured her with the promise of frequent campus visits and admonished her for being overbearing, had to admit that Stanford was over 2000 miles west of home. Resigned to her fate, Helen threw back the remainder of her glass, the Cabernet Sauvignon slightly dulling her pain.
“Looks like you need another glass.”
Helen turned around to find Julie Eldridge with two glasses of wine. She handed her a glass, smiling sympathetically.
“Thanks, Julie.”
“Don’t mention it. These neighborhood graduation parties may be a blast for the men, but they’re always hard on us moms.”
Helen lightly smacked herself on the head, “Ooops! I forgot Kyle was graduating this year too. Sorry and congratulations, I guess.”
“It’s okay. Thanks. I can understand why you’re preoccupied. Only another mom can understand what it’s like to lose our strong, handsome babies.”
Helen gestured her frustration, “I know! Paul almost seems overjoyed to have Jason out of the house.”
Julie giggled knowingly, “Between us, it’s natural for old men to feel threatened by young studs. Especially these days — I heard on the news that this new generation has higher testosterone levels or something.”
Although she was unfamiliar with the study, Helen wasn’t particularly surprised given the data in her own home: the muscle-bound teen towered over her flabby, slightly effeminate spouse.
“Mom! Let’s go!”
Kyle, Julie’s son, waved his arms across the crowd, gesturing for her to leave. Beaming, the matron waved back excitedly.
“I have to go. Give my congrats to Jason, though I’m sorry you’re losing him.” With a mischievous smile, she added, “Make sure you really take advantage of him for this last month.”
“Thanks!” Helen yelled as she watched Julie run to her son. As she sipped her wine and watched the somewhat less-than-filial embrace between the two, she began wondering what exactly Julie had meant. Amongst the bridge club, there certainly had been rumors about a possible affair responsible for Julie’s stormy marriage, but there had never been any specifics. Helen, however, had always maintained a distant suspicion that the mystery lothario had been the boy who Julie was currently wrapped around.
After all, she was not entirely innocent regarding the taboo in question. Years earlier, when Jason suffered the pangs of puberty with no support from his prude of a father, Helen had tutored the youth at his behest. An experienced lover who had been with her fair share of partners, Helen had capably been the theoretical and practical foundation for Jason’s tremendous successes with girls; she had been the training course for his first date, his first dance, and even his first kiss. Energized by his romantic triumphs, the boy had further goaded her into delivering lessons on basic male and female anatomy, cunnilingus, and other things women liked in bed. Despite the well-meaning housewife’s attempts to draw inviolable boundaries, her inability to say no (and, on some deep level, her pleasure in his wide-eyed attention) to the apple of her eye saw their relationship grow more and more dangerous. It took a teary-eyed confession of his newfound oedipal love that finally led Helen to put a firm stop to their lessons. Fortunately, the friction between them was not longstanding; with a horde of girls throwing themselves at him, the boy soon found ample distraction, and Helen, although jealous, dismissed his short-lived proclivities as a growing pain.