I was in the living room watching TV when she came back from the office, carrying bags of groceries in one hand and holding her long yellow skirt with the other. Instead of getting up to help her with bags or ask her about her work, I continued watching TV. Keeping the groceries in the kitchen, she ruffled my hair with her fingers and went to her room to change.
After around ten minutes, she came out and got busy with dinner and called me when it was ready, so sat down on a dining room chair and started enjoying grilled duck.
"How was college?"
"College was OK. How was your work?"
"I'm planning to change jobs, but let's see what happens."
"Are you planning to get a job in a city, or are we going to remain stuck in this small town?"
"Let's see," she replied, looking at me with her deep blue eyes.
The next morning when she went to drop me off at college, she was, as usual, wearing a long skirt and a full-sleeved blouse.
For the next six days, she didn't mention anything about the job and I also didn't talk about it. Then, on Tuesday, she told me that she had received an offer of a photographer's post from an architecture magazine.
Before I could ask her where this magazine was based, she looked me in the eye and smiled.
"We are finally leaving this town and going to Chantel," she announced. (It's a comparatively bigger city on the other side of the state).
Although the news initially made me happy but then started worrying about leaving my friends, my college, and the town where I'd spent all my 18 years. I spoke with her about leaving the town where both of us had spent our whole lives, discussed with friends and relatives but she reassured me that we will visit regularly and stay in touch with friends and relatives.
The next few weeks were spent packing, saying goodbyes, and getting ready for life in a new city. The days were hectic and both of us went to sleep thinking about city life and simultaneously dreading it. It was a big move for both of us, but we were ready.
Finally, the day came and we headed off to the city and by evening had settled into a one-bedroom apartment. After unpacking essential stuff and ordering pizzas, both of us went straight to bed, with Mom sleeping in the bedroom and me on the couch in the living room.
Mom joined her office in the morning and I college, so both of us got settled in nicely.
It was a Sunday afternoon and was watching TV when she sat down near me and told me that everybody in her office dressed up smartly which made her look out of place.
"You should also dress up smartly."
"So, you think my dresses suck?"
"Yes, I do."
"OK, let's go and do some shopping," she said smiling.
She bought some smart and beautiful skirts, blouses, T-shirts and jeans, while I bought a couple of jeans and some crazy T-shirts. After shopping, we went to a fast-food joint and had burgers.
The next morning, I was ready for college and finishing breakfast when she came into the kitchen wearing the skirt and blouse she had bought yesterday.
The skirt was definitely shorter than the long ones she had always worn and the blouse was fitting perfectly.
"How do I look?" she asked when she saw me looking at her.
I saw that she had tied her hair in a bun, was wearing long earrings, had full make-up on and her short skirt was complementing her long legs and smooth thighs, while the blouse was doing justice to her big breasts by revealing their firm and round shape and by showing little bit of cleavage.
"You look beautiful," I replied admiring how beautiful and different she was looking.
"Thank you. Now get up or we'll get late."
After dropping me off at school, she adjusted her shades and was off to her office.
The dress, the make-up, and the hair were a big change for her, but that was just a start. Within one week, her skirts got shorter, her blouses tighter and she started wearing a nose ring, which simply added to her beauty. On weekdays, she started dressing smartly and on weekends her appearance bordered on what many would call slutty. She began wearing short, tight leather skirts that revealed her thighs and the nice shape of her ass, cropped T-shirts that showed the blue veins running down her cleavage and the shape of her big breasts, full make-up; and lots of funky jewelry.
The change in her from a small-town woman to a city girl was truly amazing, and I'm not sure even she had expected such a huge transformation. What was pretty obvious was that she was loving it.
"Hello, Jules. How are you?" asked a woman when we were out shopping for groceries.
Mom told her she was fine and they started talking and it was obvious she was Mom's colleague. Her colleague turned toward me and looked at Mom, who kept talking but finally realized there was no escape from introducing me.
"He's my nephew, Jonathan. The one I'd told you about," she reluctantly told her.
Hearing that, I turned my head toward Mom and stared at her in disbelief, but she simply kept talking at her colleague.
"I'm so sorry to hear about your loss," her colleague said to me before I could recover from Mom's introduction.
I looked at her with my mouth open and was going to ask her whether she was on something when Mom diverted her attention by dragging her toward the cheese aisle. After that, Mom didn't give me a chance to talk to her friend.
"Nephew? I'm your nephew?" I asked Mom as soon as we were in the car.
"OK, here's the story. I don't want them to know that I have a grown-up son. I want to be young like them, party and enjoy. I don't want them to think I'm some old woman way past her age," she replied taking a deep breath.
"Are you angry?" she asked when I didn't respond.
"No, Mom, I'm not angry. I understand it. It just came as a surprise," I said although I was certainly puzzled.
She kissed me on my cheeks and said sorry.
"Why was she sorry about my loss? What was that all about?"
"I've told them that your mother - my sister - died in a car crash, so you're living with me."
"Wow! That's a big lie." But I couldn't help but laugh at her wickedness.