Lyle knew better than accept a date with his mom's friend. It's not that he was unattractive, he just knew very few women. That's what comes of years of attending all boys schools. Until he got to college he could count the number of dates he'd had on one hand.
He'd gone out with Tabitha, mostly to appease his mom who gave too much attention to his private life even though he had moved out almost two years ago. Nightly she would call and talk about everything, from television shows he watched to the fictional dates he told her about. He agreed to meet Tabitha for dinner came during a drawn out conversation where he would have said anything to get her off the phone so he could get dinner started.
She was his mother's oldest friend. In fact she had been close to the entire family at one point, having met his mother when she was hired as her tutor in college. The two had hit it off immediately and grown a bond of friendship neither experienced elsewhere. She was her bridegroom at her wedding and his babysitter when his parents went out. As his mother settled into the complacency of marriage and all that came with it, she was busy getting her Masters, starting her own company and building her investments. She was a very intelligent woman, with a keen sense of herself. She never married, nor did it seem she ever wanted to.
Though she drifted apart from them while she built her own life, she was never far from them. Phone calls, letters and postcards kept her a constant in their home. As Lyle entered college, she moved to the city and dropped in on them most every weekend. He began to date and Tabitha showed an increased amount of concern about the women he chose to spend his time with. When he was out she'd discuss his choice of women with his mother, who trust him to show good judgement.
"But don't you think that's learned, not something you want to experiment with?" Tabitha asked his mother.
She answered as best she could with a series of clichés. Lessons learned the hard way are the most remembered, she said.
"Darleen," she groaned. "This is not something that should be learned the hard way. Look at all the men growing up that don't have a clue about women or," she added, her eyebrows rising, "the men that get women pregnant that don't have a clue about raising children."
Her friend nodded her head. How else does a boy learn?
Aware of her background and liberating view of sex, Tabitha suggested something most women would never dream of, especially with the son of their best friend. His mother turned to listen, her mouth held slightly open, unsure of what to say.
"Think of it Darleen, you know me, you trust me. I love him and you know he loves me. What could be so wrong with that?"
She was dumbfounded. Everything told her it was wrong yet her friend was right. Intelligent reasoning proved it to be a worthwhile idea.
"I'm not talking marriage," She added. "God knows there's time for that later and it's not what I'm looking for at this stage. I'm just talking about an intimate relationship, with me more of a mentor than anything. We go out, share evenings together and I coach him on being a man. I teach him how to treat women."
They discussed it further though it was obvious both women felt the same way. Darleen's love for her son made her cautious and though she trusted her friend with him, she couldn't shake the concern that a mother has for her offspring.
"He's mine too," Tabitha offered. "Yes, you carried him and nursed him but I raised him as well. I bathed him, fed him, kept him in my bed when he was too young and you were away. No doubt the boy thinks of me as his second mother- perhaps more than that."
Darleen looked out the window. A grove of trees where together they'd played Hide and Seek with him still loomed larger and denser than she remembered from his childhood. The Boy- It was a long time since she thought of him that way. It was a cute term they used together as they raised him without a father. "Did you put the boy down for his nap?" "Has the boy been behaving himself?" Such thoughts filled her heart and caused a warmth to flow through her chest. She missed her boy and there was no doubt her friend cared for him as much as his biological mother.
She assented to the idea though she kept her reservations silent. If anyone would hurt him it would more than likely be a strange girl than her best friend that practically raised him.
That night, as he returned home she met him before he turned in. He was glad to see her but acted guilty, as if he had done something. She was just turning in but before she did she told him Tabitha was coming to pick him up the next night.
"Ms. Smith?"
"Tabitha. You're old enough not to use such a term anymore. You may call her Tabitha." A thought passed through her mind. "You're not going out tomorrow night, are you?"
He said he wasn't but seemed confused by her idea. He enjoyed having her around and he couldn't say he wasn't attracted to her yet his mother's declaration surprised him.
The next evening he chose his clothes more carefully than he would for any date. She would expect him to wear something better, having laid out his clothes for him on numerous occasions. He selected a pair of faded blue chinos and a starched white shirt. With his hair finely combed and cleaned he looked much more respectful than he did sneaking in the night before.
Tabitha too, had primped and dressed appropriately. She wore a tight dress that stopped at mid thigh, where he could see her legs covered in light gold pantyhose.
"Wow...hi Ms, I mean Tabitha."
"Hello dear. Ready for our night out?"
He got in the passenger side and sat quietly, not sure what to say. She drove off and together they shared a wonderful dinner. Afterwards they walked together along the beach and when she reached for his hand she found it shaking slightly. He did not resist however, and thought the feel of her skin was very comforting. She took him home that first night though rather than move too fast, she took the spare bedroom after wrapping him tightly in a thick down comforter.
