Update 29
Mum had a sly grin.
"Still like to drive around topless, I see."
Susie laughed and nodded.
"Absolutely, I do it as often as possible. I love to feel the breeze. Do you still like to do it too?"
"I would love to, but unfortunately I haven't been allowed to have a convertible."
I couldn't help but wonder if Susie had a clue that I knew exactly what they were talking about and how much I would love to see these two women driving around topless.
It was at this moment that Chilton walked through the door and Susie seemed to stop mid-thought to openly stare at him. Mum gave Susie a gentle poke in the ribs and then made the introductions. Susie shook her head as though being stunned back into reality.
"I'm sorry, Chilton, It's lovely to meet you, and I am sorry if I was being rude. I didn't realise we would be having company, let alone such good-looking company. You do realise you're a very handsome man, right? Surely I'm not the only woman who has had that reaction."
Chilton turned a shade darker as he blushed and waved it off as though dismissing the compliment. Granny laughed and pointed at Susie.
"You can just keep your hands off, Missy. This is my date for the afternoon."
We all had a chuckle as Chilton just shook his head as though he had never heard such things. Susie grinned and was delighted to be included in the banter.
"Woo, look at you, girl. Go get that man."
Granny looked at Chilton and gave him a grin as well as a cheeky wink.
"Now, Chilton, I believe it's time you got me naked and gave me a good rubdown, young man."
He laughed and looked at his watch.
"It is indeed time for your massage."
He made a grand gesture of holding his hand out for her before helping her out of her chair. He then guided her towards the bedroom. Granny stopped in the doorway and turned back to us, blowing a kiss and giving another salacious wink. We all cracked up laughing, and it continued long after the door was closed.
Susie turned to Mum and was still giggling.
"She hasn't lost it, your mom. She always was a lot of fun. Remember that holiday we went on, just the three of us? She was so good about agreeing to all of Mum and Dad's rules and then promptly ignoring every one of them as soon as we left town. That was such a fun trip."
"Your parents would have exploded if they knew the shit we used to get up to."
"They would have had me committed if they knew half of what we did even before then. Although you may want to be careful of how much you say in present company."
She nodded towards me, but I just smiled. Mum gave a slightly evil chuckle.
"Don't worry about Jeff. We have recently had some very in-depth discussions and gotten to know each other a lot closer. He was feeling distant from the whole family and maybe a bit disconnected from me with everything that was going on. I don't know how much Mum has told you, but my family has essentially exploded. On the way from that mess to here the first time, we had a lot of time to talk and open up to each other. We got to know each other on a much deeper level than we had before, and in the process, Jeff learnt a lot about my childhood. As such, he also learnt a lot about our friendship."
Susie gave Mum a surprised look, but I could see the cogs turning, and she was putting two and two together quite neatly without much explanation needed. It made me nervous that Mum was being more than a bit careless with what she told Susie. I know she was just delighted to have her old friend back, but it had been over twenty years, and people change over time. Susie would not be the same woman she was the last time Mum spoke to her. She may have a completely different view of things than what she had back then. I wanted to warn Mum to be careful, but I couldn't in front of Susie.
There was a moment where I was sure Susie was about to say something, then she shrugged and appeared to let it go. Mum seemed to be completely unaware of the tension that I was feeling and the question that seemed to be hanging on Susie's lips.
Susie looked around and smiled at the house in general.
"It's like stepping back in time coming in here. So little has changed. I miss those nights of freedom hanging out with you here."
"Me too. I have missed them since the day I moved away. I didn't necessarily regret it straight away; I was in love and blind to a lot of things, but that doesn't mean that I didn't miss home. It doesn't mean I didn't miss you."
Susie bowed her head and nodded.
"Yeah, I handled that badly. I should have stayed in touch, and I didn't because I was hurt, and life had begun moving me in a different direction by then."
"Me too. I should have made more effort to get back in touch with you. I knew on some level that I had hurt you, but I didn't know what to do about it. By the time I needed you again, Darren had pretty much separated me from everyone and everything. He had me in a position where I believed I needed him and that I couldn't cope with two sons on my own. When I spoke of you, he never failed to tell me that you had run off and weren't interested in anything I was doing. That you were most likely living some kind of rock star lifestyle that I couldn't be a part of, especially with two kids to look after."
Susie laughed a small, bitter laugh.
"Look, I won't lie; I have certainly had some interesting times over the last twenty years, and a lot of that was a direct response to how I was brought up. I've had pretty wild years, but I have never lived a rock-star lifestyle. Unless you mean essentially homeless and living in a converted school bus like a gipsy."
"You have no idea how appealing that sounds."
They both laughed, then smiled at each other.
"It's funny. I long now for the security of a home, at least a home base anyway. Somewhere I can always come back to, a safety net. I never had that with Mum and Dad. I seriously doubt I could ever go back to living with Mum now, even with Dad gone. Once I took off after telling them my honest thoughts about them, I knew there was no turning back. One thing I was exceptionally good at back then was burning bridges. You had the appearance of a safety net, but for you, it was a cage, not a net. Now we each long for what the other has had for so long."
Mum shook her head in disagreement.
"No, I don't think we do."
"You still want the freedom but with the safety and comfort of a home. I still want a home but with the excitement of adventure and freedom. I think we both want the same thing; we are just coming at it from opposite directions."
There was a drawn-out silence as they both seemed to daydream about this potential lifestyle. I couldn't help but wonder if they had yet thought about this possible future as something they could offer each other yet. A future that may or may not await them if they could rebuild their trust in each other.
I was getting a much better idea of where I figured in this whole equation, and I wasn't sure how to feel about it. Mum had openly talked about what she wanted for the future, and at no point in that scenario had it included anyone else. There was no "I want to settle down with a man" or "I want to be near Jeff." On some level, I knew that this thing that had been happening between us was temporary at best. She wasn't envisioning a shared future.
It made sense, and I understood it, but it still stung a little. I knew I would always be a part of her life and vice versa. I didn't, however, know just what that would involve. Would we continue to be secret lovers, or would this burn out quickly, never to be revisited? If I moved away, would there be something special between us when I returned home to visit, or would it be a dark secret best not revisited? I had no way of knowing, and I don't think even she knew the answer to that one yet. I guess the wise thing to do was to embrace it while it lasted and make the most of the opportunities presented.
I quite liked Susie from the moment I met her, and I couldn't deny that she was a very attractive and sensual woman, but I did resent her just the smallest amount at that moment. Her showing up was potentially taking this new and interesting relationship with Mum away from me.
I knew there was nothing I could do about it, and the reality is, that acting on jealousy only leads to losing all. I mean, look at the existence Dad now found himself in. He has lost his whole family and traded it in for someone who will most likely leave as soon as things look even slightly difficult or a better prospect comes along. That's if she hasn't left already after the embarrassment of our confrontation. Why? Because he was too jealous of Mum's desire for just a taste of freedom. He had to lock her up and keep her all to himself, and it cost him everything. I wasn't going to make that mistake, and I certainly wouldn't want her to stop being herself when I have just discovered how amazing she truly is.
"Still like to drive around topless, I see."
Susie laughed and nodded.
"Absolutely, I do it as often as possible. I love to feel the breeze. Do you still like to do it too?"
"I would love to, but unfortunately I haven't been allowed to have a convertible."
I couldn't help but wonder if Susie had a clue that I knew exactly what they were talking about and how much I would love to see these two women driving around topless.
It was at this moment that Chilton walked through the door and Susie seemed to stop mid-thought to openly stare at him. Mum gave Susie a gentle poke in the ribs and then made the introductions. Susie shook her head as though being stunned back into reality.
"I'm sorry, Chilton, It's lovely to meet you, and I am sorry if I was being rude. I didn't realise we would be having company, let alone such good-looking company. You do realise you're a very handsome man, right? Surely I'm not the only woman who has had that reaction."
Chilton turned a shade darker as he blushed and waved it off as though dismissing the compliment. Granny laughed and pointed at Susie.
"You can just keep your hands off, Missy. This is my date for the afternoon."
We all had a chuckle as Chilton just shook his head as though he had never heard such things. Susie grinned and was delighted to be included in the banter.
"Woo, look at you, girl. Go get that man."
Granny looked at Chilton and gave him a grin as well as a cheeky wink.
"Now, Chilton, I believe it's time you got me naked and gave me a good rubdown, young man."
He laughed and looked at his watch.
"It is indeed time for your massage."
He made a grand gesture of holding his hand out for her before helping her out of her chair. He then guided her towards the bedroom. Granny stopped in the doorway and turned back to us, blowing a kiss and giving another salacious wink. We all cracked up laughing, and it continued long after the door was closed.
Susie turned to Mum and was still giggling.
"She hasn't lost it, your mom. She always was a lot of fun. Remember that holiday we went on, just the three of us? She was so good about agreeing to all of Mum and Dad's rules and then promptly ignoring every one of them as soon as we left town. That was such a fun trip."
"Your parents would have exploded if they knew the shit we used to get up to."
"They would have had me committed if they knew half of what we did even before then. Although you may want to be careful of how much you say in present company."
She nodded towards me, but I just smiled. Mum gave a slightly evil chuckle.
"Don't worry about Jeff. We have recently had some very in-depth discussions and gotten to know each other a lot closer. He was feeling distant from the whole family and maybe a bit disconnected from me with everything that was going on. I don't know how much Mum has told you, but my family has essentially exploded. On the way from that mess to here the first time, we had a lot of time to talk and open up to each other. We got to know each other on a much deeper level than we had before, and in the process, Jeff learnt a lot about my childhood. As such, he also learnt a lot about our friendship."
Susie gave Mum a surprised look, but I could see the cogs turning, and she was putting two and two together quite neatly without much explanation needed. It made me nervous that Mum was being more than a bit careless with what she told Susie. I know she was just delighted to have her old friend back, but it had been over twenty years, and people change over time. Susie would not be the same woman she was the last time Mum spoke to her. She may have a completely different view of things than what she had back then. I wanted to warn Mum to be careful, but I couldn't in front of Susie.
There was a moment where I was sure Susie was about to say something, then she shrugged and appeared to let it go. Mum seemed to be completely unaware of the tension that I was feeling and the question that seemed to be hanging on Susie's lips.
Susie looked around and smiled at the house in general.
"It's like stepping back in time coming in here. So little has changed. I miss those nights of freedom hanging out with you here."
"Me too. I have missed them since the day I moved away. I didn't necessarily regret it straight away; I was in love and blind to a lot of things, but that doesn't mean that I didn't miss home. It doesn't mean I didn't miss you."
Susie bowed her head and nodded.
"Yeah, I handled that badly. I should have stayed in touch, and I didn't because I was hurt, and life had begun moving me in a different direction by then."
"Me too. I should have made more effort to get back in touch with you. I knew on some level that I had hurt you, but I didn't know what to do about it. By the time I needed you again, Darren had pretty much separated me from everyone and everything. He had me in a position where I believed I needed him and that I couldn't cope with two sons on my own. When I spoke of you, he never failed to tell me that you had run off and weren't interested in anything I was doing. That you were most likely living some kind of rock star lifestyle that I couldn't be a part of, especially with two kids to look after."
Susie laughed a small, bitter laugh.
"Look, I won't lie; I have certainly had some interesting times over the last twenty years, and a lot of that was a direct response to how I was brought up. I've had pretty wild years, but I have never lived a rock-star lifestyle. Unless you mean essentially homeless and living in a converted school bus like a gipsy."
"You have no idea how appealing that sounds."
They both laughed, then smiled at each other.
"It's funny. I long now for the security of a home, at least a home base anyway. Somewhere I can always come back to, a safety net. I never had that with Mum and Dad. I seriously doubt I could ever go back to living with Mum now, even with Dad gone. Once I took off after telling them my honest thoughts about them, I knew there was no turning back. One thing I was exceptionally good at back then was burning bridges. You had the appearance of a safety net, but for you, it was a cage, not a net. Now we each long for what the other has had for so long."
Mum shook her head in disagreement.
"No, I don't think we do."
"You still want the freedom but with the safety and comfort of a home. I still want a home but with the excitement of adventure and freedom. I think we both want the same thing; we are just coming at it from opposite directions."
There was a drawn-out silence as they both seemed to daydream about this potential lifestyle. I couldn't help but wonder if they had yet thought about this possible future as something they could offer each other yet. A future that may or may not await them if they could rebuild their trust in each other.
I was getting a much better idea of where I figured in this whole equation, and I wasn't sure how to feel about it. Mum had openly talked about what she wanted for the future, and at no point in that scenario had it included anyone else. There was no "I want to settle down with a man" or "I want to be near Jeff." On some level, I knew that this thing that had been happening between us was temporary at best. She wasn't envisioning a shared future.
It made sense, and I understood it, but it still stung a little. I knew I would always be a part of her life and vice versa. I didn't, however, know just what that would involve. Would we continue to be secret lovers, or would this burn out quickly, never to be revisited? If I moved away, would there be something special between us when I returned home to visit, or would it be a dark secret best not revisited? I had no way of knowing, and I don't think even she knew the answer to that one yet. I guess the wise thing to do was to embrace it while it lasted and make the most of the opportunities presented.
I quite liked Susie from the moment I met her, and I couldn't deny that she was a very attractive and sensual woman, but I did resent her just the smallest amount at that moment. Her showing up was potentially taking this new and interesting relationship with Mum away from me.
I knew there was nothing I could do about it, and the reality is, that acting on jealousy only leads to losing all. I mean, look at the existence Dad now found himself in. He has lost his whole family and traded it in for someone who will most likely leave as soon as things look even slightly difficult or a better prospect comes along. That's if she hasn't left already after the embarrassment of our confrontation. Why? Because he was too jealous of Mum's desire for just a taste of freedom. He had to lock her up and keep her all to himself, and it cost him everything. I wasn't going to make that mistake, and I certainly wouldn't want her to stop being herself when I have just discovered how amazing she truly is.
