A Mother's Solution
Carla picked at her avocado salad casually, noting the generally depressed mood of her son.
"Is everything okay, Josh?"
Josh sighed. His habit of sighing deeply was something she noticed was happening more and more recently.
"Yeah. Well, no..." He raised his sad blue eyes to look at her. "Mom, I know you really like Amy but...would you be mad if I broke up with her?" He looked at her with a mixture of curiosity and nervousness.
"Broke up with her? Why, are things not working out, honey? She's a lovely girl." Carla sighed but gave her son a supportive look.
"She is, and I do really like her..." Josh's cheeks blushed a little as he poked at his food with a fork. "She and I just...well...." His cheeks turned redder as he built up the courage to say what was on his mind. "She wants to wait til we're married...to..you know..."
"Have sex?" Carla said plainly, knowing exactly what was making her son feel so low.
Josh nodded. "Y-yeah...that. I really like her but I don't think I can wait that long."
"Oh, honey, I understand, I really do." Carla reached across the table and put her hand on his. "I've always had the impression that you two aren't really that...intimate...with each other. I mean, not yet anyway. Oh, honey, you poor thing!" She give his hand a gentle squeeze.
Josh enjoyed her warm, motherly touch. He forced a smile. "Thanks, Mom. We...I mean, we've done some stuff. It's just, I want more. I don't think I can wait till after college to marry her so we can...have sex." He blushed a little deeper, looking around to make sure no other patrons had heard him.
Carla smiled supportively with her eyes. "Well, have you told her how you feel? I'm sure if she knew how much you wanted to, she'd change her mind."
"I've tried to and she'll usually give me a ha-...use her hand..." He was blushing bright red now. "But that's as far as she'll go until we're married. I mean, if she'd at least suck my...I mean....do oral I might be able to wait." Josh was clearly getting frustrated as he vented to his mother.
"Oh, I see. Wow, she's a very...old-fashioned girl." Carla paused, thinking about what her son had said.
Josh nodded. "Yeah...way more than I thought, too."
"Have you ever cheated on her?"
"C'mon, Mom...you know I'd never do anything with another girl."
"But you must have thought about it, right?" Carla smiled, a knowing twinkle in her eye.
Josh nodded. "Yeah...That's why I'm thinking of breaking up with her. I'm 18...I don't want to wait till I'm, like, 22 or 23 to get my first...' Josh suddenly lowered his voice to a whisper. "...blow job."
Carla laughed lightly, then stifled it so as not to offend her son. "Oh, I completely understand, sweetheart. Wait--she hasn't even given you oral sex yet?" It was hard to hide the expression of utter surprise on her face.
Josh shook his head. "If she would at least do that I might be able to wait but...hands just don't cut it." He blushed again, never in his life thinking he'd be having a conversation like this with his own mother.
"Well, you can do that for yourself..." Carla joked.
"Exactly." He couldn't help but laugh a little at her comment.
Carla studied him coolly for a moment. "So, if you could have sex with someone and Amy would never find out, would you?"
Josh thought over her words carefully.
"No...I don't think I could cheat with another girl."
"Even if she could never, ever, ever find out?" Carla said, raising her eyebrows in surprise.
"I don't know...I'd feel bad if she cheated on me. Plus if I do that with any girls around here it'll get back to her somehow."
"True, but..." Carla looked at her son levelly, and smiled. "...what if it was not with a girl around here? What if you could have sex with a woman who'd make sure it never got back to anyone, especially Amy?"
Josh sighed, clearly mulling it over. "I don't know, Mom. I guess if there was no possible way for her to find out I might. I don't want to break up with her but.....god, I can't do four more years of just handjobs..."
"Well, there is a way," Carla sighed, taking a slow sip of her white wine. "A way that you could get your frustrations out of your system and then decide if she's the one for you or not." She nonchalantly speared a piece of lettuce with her fork and popped it into her mouth, her body language utterly laid-back and casual.
"And you know this magical girl who won't ever let it out that I'm cheating?" Josh gave his mother a doubtful look. "Did you find a magic lamp over the weekend?" He smirked and playfully rolled his eyes. "Can you make her look like Scarlett Johanson, too?" Josh chuckled to himself.
Carla laughed at her son's joke.
"No...I can't make her look like Scarlett Johanson, I'm afraid. But there is a hotel room waiting for you upstairs." She was totally reserved and somewhat enigmatic, wondering how soon her son would catch on. But she secretly enjoyed his naivety. It was endearing.