Jenny slept all through the afternoon, her mind soaked in alcohol. John, after his dare master play-acting, needed to wind down. His mind went a mile a minute, recounting again and again the images in his mind. His mother had become his slave, and although drunk, she had done it willingly. Even through the flimsiest scenario of rules, she was his. He sat playing his Xbox once again as the bright sun faded, and the house began to cool. The air around him was got still, so silent. As evening came, he decided to retire to bed. His mother's bedroom door was closed.
John had no trouble sleeping, but was woken in the middle of the night by the sound of Jenny's door creaking open, and then the slow, heavy steps treading down the hallway towards the bathroom. A groan emanated through the thin wall. John stared into the blackness, his senses highly attuned to the movement outside. He had the passing thought that his mother was making his way to his room, driven nuts by their sexual daring this afternoon, eager to be absolutely ravished by him.
Sadly for him he heard her footsteps passing his door. His mother was making her way to the bathroom. He considered for a moment jumping out and surprising her, but was too unsure, and did not have the nerve. He would have to wait until the sober light of day to gauge his mother's reaction. Continuing to listen, he heard her arm arming against the wall. Was she hung over? Maybe even still drunk? As she reached the bathroom door he heard her taking a drink for the facet. John rolled over and went back to sleep.
The next morning John was awoken by sunlight beaming down into his eyes. It was every bit of the scorcher it yesterday. He could already feel a sweat forming on his brow. After moving out of the light, he listened for movement in the house. There was not a sound. John trod carefully as he moved out of bed, and opened the door slowly. He listened once again, but nothing. He bit his lip, breathing deeply, and left his room.
Making his way downstairs he began to relax. He could see his mother was nowhere to be seen. John was not sure if he was ready for inevitable awkward conversation they would be forced to have. He picked up the newspaper hanging through the letterbox and moved into the kitchen, laughing at the sight of breadcrumbs on the table. Feeling mostly at ease he made some coffee, sat down and opened the paper.
There really was not much worth reading. It was all toothless local news; something about a burglary, news of a parade next week, a local election campaigner trying to rally up support. After reading for about twenty minutes John was alerted to a noise by the stairs. He looked up, but saw nothing. He kept staring. Slowly, he caught sight of his mother's curly locks emerging from the corner of the wall. She had her back to the wall, peering round slowly so as not to be detected, like a child hiding might. Her eyes came into John's view his heart stopped beating. He took a cold breath. For a moment their gazes met. John's expression was without motion, lips parted slightly. When Jenny glimpsed at him she jumped a little, darting her head back behind the cover of the wall. John sat paralyzed, helpless in what he should do. After a few moments he heard a low giggle. Relief overcame him. His heart beat back into life.
"Is there any chance you didn't see me?" Jenny asked playfully. John began smiling. He felt all his dread lifted from him.
"See what?" he teased, "Who said that?" A few moments passed, and then slowly his mother slumped from around the corner. Her hair fell haphazardly over her face, covering one eye. She held one hand on her forehead, clearly nursing a headache. She looked beaten, shoulders slumped forwards. She shuffled towards the table. John noticed a wide smile under her hair. She sat opposite him, just as she had last night, though this time eyes fixed on the table surface shrouded by locks and tresses.
"How are we today?" asked John. His mother gave a low groan, having to deal with the pain of a hangover. Taking mercy, he took a glass and filled it with water, placing it before Jenny. Some quick searching netted some aspirin which he popped out of the pack and put alongside the glass of water. He then sat back opposite her and continued reading the paper.
"Ow!" Jenny moaned loudly and ironically, clutching her head in both hands, "Pain! Dislike!" John laughed at her, throwing a glance her way.
"Think it's funny?" she asked, one eye finding his face through matted hair.
"It's weird. I don't remember you drinking last night." John smiled sarcastically. His mother gave a disapproving, yet accountable look. She slowly pushed herself away from the table and slumped back with another groan. John saw more of her face now, still as pretty but with an exhausted frustration.
"What did we do last night?" she sighed, hand covering her eyes from the light.
"Well, we drank a lot, and played dare games. You lost a lot at poker so..."
"Don't!" his mother interrupted, trying not to smile through her agony, "I remember."
"Do you remember everything?" John inquired. Jenny sat motionless, her son studying her body. She finally pulled her hands from her face and looked straight at him.
"Do you know how drunk I was?" She asked meekly.
"Your fault!" John said excitedly, "You sucked at monopoly, and then poker! You got so many dares against you!" Jenny groaned and hid her eyes from the light again.
"Be gentle, mom's hung over," Jenny was looking for sympathy. John studied her for a few moments more, picturing her from yesterday, chest coated in semen.
"At least you finished your dares!" he poked fun.
"Don't." smiled Jenny.
"Don't worry, it's pretty healthy. That was a lot of protein." John said with a feeling of risk.
"Don't!" Jenny could not help but laugh, leaning forward and play-slapping him. It was all a big joke. John leaned back and left her be. He was so pleased she was not weird about last night. She took it all in jest, like it was just one of those things you know you should not have done when you were drunk. John felt like everything had gone back to normal. Well, not entirely normal. There was no denying they had crossed a line, but it seemed there was no consequence. It was a drinking anecdote.
John left his mother at the table, suggesting she lay down. She did so, retiring to her room and was not seen for the next few hours. John wandered around the house, doing a few chores. He went to the store and picked up some milk and cereal. As the afternoon drew in he decided to enjoy the sun and mowed the lawn. A few hours passed, and finally his mother reappeared.
Jenny entered the kitchen while John was making more coffee. She wore a cheap blue t-shirt which hung loosely off her body. Her bottom half covered by shorts ending half way up her thigh. In one hand she held the cotton vest she had worn yesterday.
