Like almost any mom, I expected I'd do and sacrifice just about anything for my kids. And over the years, I had given up quite a bit to make sure there was somebody home most nights (my husband travels for work, usually being away Sunday nights through Friday mornings), so I had declined various projects over the years in order to ensure somebody was home. No question it had hurt my career, but my kids are worth it. Now my oldest was 19 and about to start his sophomore year at college, while my youngest son had turned 16 a few months ago and was just learning to drive.
As anyone can tell you, college is not inexpensive these days. And when you take into consideration Corey's preference for WVU, the rates for out-of-state tuition were far from cheap. But that was where he had his heart set on and we do try to accommodate both kids in areas like that. He had joined a fraternity on a sort of probationary basis (this was never really clear to me) during his freshman year and assured me he'd be a full-fledged member in his sophomore year. Personally, I never saw the attraction in it and had never even joined a soririty when I was in school over twenty-five years ago. That's right - it was a long time ago and I am not the youngest of mothers. I had Corey when I was 28 and Tim when I was 31. You're as capable of doing the math as anyone - I'm now 47 and no longer a spring chicken. I'm not horrible to look at and do exercise at least a couple times a week, but I'm definitely a little overweight. the weight only seems to hang on my torso, hips and upper arms - you could never tell just by looking at my face, legs or lower arms. So in public when I want to look better, I usually wear undergarments which compress me a little, with a looser layer on top. And like many other women, my boobs grew while nursing, then never quite returned to their former size or shape afterwards. And it's been 14 years since I stopped! No longer as full as they once were, they tend to hang too much for my liking, so I never, ever go bra-less. Most days, either a sports bra or an underwired full-cup is my garment of choice.
why am I sharing all this? Well, I thought I'd always do anything for my kids, but last week that belief was put to an extreme test. We were taking Corey back to school to start his sophomore year. The first year, he'd lived on campus. This year, he and four frat buddies were renting a house just off campus. The whole frat situation was still very unclear to me, but Corey assured me if things went well, he'd be a full frat member with all the associated perks very soon.
i was glad he was taking his own car (well, we leased it for him) to school this year - it meant if he wanted to come home for a weekend, I wouldn't have to go get him, then take him back - twenty hours of driving I could quite happily live without! So Friday morning dawned gloomy with rain in the air - not the worst driving weather, but not the best, either with the chance of heavier showers at any time. Corey set off in his car, the back seat and trunk packed full of stuff. Tim came with me in my car, the back seat and trunk also full. This way, Tim could drive part of the way and we could share the task. We were barely two minutes from home when my phone rang and I asked Tim to take Corey's call. He explained he'd forgotten something and was going back to get it and would likely catch us up somewhere en route. Whatever... I am so used to Corey forgetting things I didn't think twice about it - until later.
We settled into the drive and after stopping for gas, I let Tim drive for a bit while I dozed a little in the passenger seat. A smile crossed my face as I remembered my "bedtime activities" last night. I had been using Corey's USB stick to transfer some files around between my PC and my Mac and had noticed a directory on it, full of text files. They all appeared to be "naughty" stories and after quickly skimming a couple, I had copied those onto my laptop too, for later perusal when I was alone. When bedtime came around, I took my laptop up with me, closed my bedroom door (I normally leave it open if it's just the boys home) and got in bed with it. As I started to read, I quickly became aroused by some of the wife-sharing stories. I had sex so rarely these days, it wasn't long before I was literally dripping in my panties and had to take care of myself, leading to a very satisfying and draining climax. I slept well that night!
The blatter of heavier rain on the windshield brought me back to my senses. "You Ok, Tim?" I asked. "Do you want me to take over in the rain?"
"Oh, no, I'm fine, Mom", he replied. "I was just going to ask if YOU'RE ok, actually. You were moaning or something in your sleep."
I must have turned two shades of pink! I was so embarrassed. What if I had said actual words during my little reverie? What might I have said? so many possibilities went through my mind in a split second. I quickly came up with a response:
"Ah, no, I'm fine. Just thinking about all the things we have to do when we get there, then not looking forward to the drive home again, you know?"
"Yeah, I understand. Bummer of a way to kill a Friday, isn't it?" he agreed.
I smiled across at him, "It is, that's for sure. But it will be so worth it not to have to do it again during the year! Have you seen any sign of your brother yet, by the way?"
Tim looked again in the rearview mirror "I _think_ that's him a couple cars behind us, but I can't be totally sure".
I squinted into the passenger-side mirror, trying to get a better view myself "Yes, I think that may be him. Good, at least we'll arrive at the same time, as he knows exactly how to get to the house from the interstate exit!"
Sure enough, as we approached the exit, I asked Tim to slow down enough to allow Corey to pass us, then he slipped onto the ramp in front of us, acting as guide to his new home for the next few months.
Within ten minutes, we were there at his new residence. Corey pulled up right outside and I had Tim pull in behind him. Kind of a so-so neighborhood, not my choice of places to live, but Corey and his room-mates had chosen it, so who was I to make too much fuss about it? The rent was certainly affordable, at six hundred dollars a month for Corey's share. We started unloading my car first, as Tim and I would be heading back after a quick late-afternoon dinner. Corey could unload his car at his leisure.
I thought it strange there were none of Corey's new room-mates around to help him move in, but maybe it was just an incovenient day, or perhaps they figured on staying out of our way to avoid having to help! His room was at the top of the stairs, on the right side of the hallway. Next to one of the bathrooms, too - pretty convenient. I would have figured one of the other kids would have selected that room - spacious, view over the street outside, well-situated inside the house.
It was a little on the warm side to be lugging so many boxes and bags into the house and up the stairs to Corey's new room. There was no AC on, although Corey claimed the house had a central AC system. I could feel rivulets of sweat (I don't perspire - I _sweat_) running down my back and between my boobs. i was glad I'd worn a sports bra today, under my polo shirt. The sports bra nestled tightly against my ribcase, encasing my 38Cs perhaps a little more tightly than was comfortable, but stopping them from jiggling around on the stairs and definitely catching the sweat as it ran down, preventing it from reaching my belly. I could feel the sweat starting to gather in my butt-crack, too. I really don't like that sensation and was so worried it would start to show through my khaki shorts (just above the knee) I went in search of a full-length mirror to check it wasn't leaking through. I easily found one in what looked like a dining room or gaming room downstairs. Nope, I was good. Nothing showing. As I swatted my hand across my butt, looking over my shoulder at the mirror, a stranger came in the front door. I quickly adjusted my posture and smiled in greeting "Hi, I'm Corey's mom - you must be...?"
The young man, dressed casually in shorts and a dark blue, untucked t-shirt, smiled back at me, "Hi, I'm Tucker, and I'm a junior this year! Thanks for coming over with Corey - it's very much appreciated." Tucker was a couple inches taller than me, relatively lean and had gray-blue eyes which seemed devoid of life - his eyes didn't smile when he smiled. Short, blond hair and a very clear complexion. His lips were on the thin side, but his teeth were a sparkling white, really drawing your attention to his smile.. His chin and cheekbones were very evident, not having much extra flesh around his face.
Corey and Tim came thumping back down the stairs, Tim announcing that was the last of the things from my car. Upon seeing Tucker, Corey broke into a worried-looking smile, said "Hi" to him and muttered something about "getting the envelope from his car". Tucker caught hold of his arm as he brushed past him in the hallway, whispering something in his ear. Corey's look of worry turned to one of alarm as he said "be right back!" and rushed out the front door. Tim stood in the dining room next to me, said "Hi" to Tucker, introduced himself as Corey's brother and then stood there awkwardly, waiting for Corey to return.
Within maybe thirty seconds, we heard a car door slam and Corey's footsteps back up the path to the front door. Corey gave Tucker a manilla, padded envelope without looking him in the eye, then said to Tim "C'mon - I just remembered, I need to run an errand - you can come with me - I'll show you around a bit". Corey avoided making eye contact with me at all this whole time and I started to ask him "What do you need that you don't already have? Can't it wait until we finish unpacking and Tim and I get back on the road?" Corey just mumbled something indistinctly and pushed Tim out the door in front of him, closing it behind them.
Tucker, meanwhile, peered inside the envelope Corey had given him and nodded in a manner which indicated some form of satisfaction. In fact, he put his nose into the envelope and inhaled deeply, three times. What had Corey given him? Was my son providing drugs in return for being awarded full membership of the frat? If so, this had gone a little too far. I'd draw the line at activity like this. We had to talk!
"Excuse me, Tucker?" I asked the lad still standing just inside the front door, "What did Corey just give you in that envelope? I hope you didn't ask him to do anything illegal for you?"
Tucker leaned back against the wall, deliberately eyeing me up and down, up and down, as if considering exactly what or how much to tell me. After perhaps ten seconds of this, he spoke: "feel free to take a seat and I'll tell you all about it" and he himself took one of the dining room chairs, spun it around and straddled it with his chest facing the back, facing me. I hesitated only briefly before sitting in another chair in a more traditional (and modest!) manner, crossing my legs as I did so. Tucker placed the envelope on the table between us, with the open end facing away from me.
