I said, “Well then I guess you do know how I feel.” I just looked at her.
She said, “Oh Mattie, Mattie, what am I going to do with you?”
I said, “Well maybe you could just kiss me and then I’ll take you home with me, at least on paper.”
She kissed me, and again our tongues met. I put my hand on her boob and held it for a moment. It doesn’t sound like a big deal to touch a woman’s breast, but at that moment I was heart-poundingly elated. I had held my mother’s tit and she didn’t push my hand away. She did say with a capitulating smile, “Mattie you’re so bad.”
I said, “I’m not mom, I just love you.” She put her head against mine and then I left. As far as the business with the pictures went, as it turned out, only a few days later, she called me and said, “Mattie I’m so excited, I got all my hours back at work. When I got called in I figured it was the end, but Jensen said that the people who stayed would pick up the slack and even get raises. Can you believe it?”
“Of course I believe it mom,” I said. “You deserve it; you work harder than anyone over there.”
She said, “Mattie, I called Bunny and told her I didn’t want to put the pictures on the Net. You understand don’t you?”
I said, “Sure mom, whatever you want.”
She said, “I thought you might be disappointed because you seemed to like the idea so much.”
“I just thought it would help you out financially, and of course I’m proud of the way you look, and it would have been a kick to see you up there, but it’s cool. Anyway, I’d settle for a private showing, anytime.”
She said, “Oh you…” But I do have a nice surprise. I had a nice talk with Bunny and when we were done she said that she had had two tickets for the Springsteen concert Friday night that she couldn’t use. She asked if we’d like them. $250.00 seats Mattie, how’s that?”
I said “Awesome mom.”
She said, I’ll tell you what, how about Tonio’s for Pizza and Then the Parlour for sundaes after the concert?”
I said, “Deal.”
Friday night was great. Bruce was sick; he just played and played. Our ears were buzzing from the concert and after sharing a banana split, mom said, “Mattie, It’s been a long time since I had a good time like this…it was all wonderful.”
After a moment she said, “I don’t want the night to end; will you come home and stay a while, maybe sleep over?”
I said, “Sure,” and I drove the long way, by the lake, and I said, “It’s nice to see you feeling good mom.” She smiled.
“Bunny said that you’re a good guy, and I shouldn’t hurt you.” When she said it, I thought to myself, God that would be last thing I would ever do. I told her she had it wrong and she said, ‘Come on Camilla, I see the way he looks at you, and the way you look at him.’ I told her I’m thirty-six…”
I said, “Mom you’re still thirty –five.”
Mom said, “Anyway, we talked for about an hour and she told me how the girls she introduced you to, liked you, and wanted to keep going out, but you told them you loved someone else. She kept telling me that the real thing doesn’t come around that often and you can’t throw it away because some part of it isn’t what it says in the manual. She said, ‘Camilla, if someone doesn’t think you fit together walking, well, fuck ’em.’ I really like her Mattie. But then I started getting scared.”