Sunday, July 5, 1992, 7:00 A.M.:
When I woke, I realized Kami wasn't still in bed. Shit, I hoped Mom wasn't already up. I got out of bed and dressed. I was about to reach for the door handle, when it opened. Kami smiled and walked in.
"Please tell me you're the only one up," I said.
"No, David and Mom are. Jill hasn't come downstairs yet," she said.
"Thank god," I said.
"What? I had a cover story ready," she laughed.
"I figured you might, but still," I said.
"Quit worrying!! It's going to be okay," she kissed me on the lips.
"Stop. I need to brush my teeth," I said.
"I don't care. Fucking kiss me," she commanded. She reached for my neck and pulled me to her lips. I took her in my arms and kissed her ravenously.
"There, that's much better," she smiled. "I hate that we have to leave this morning, but I've had a wonderful time."
"So, have I, baby," I replied.
"Good," Kami said. "You should get ready. The boat is going to be here in 30 minutes."
"I will. I love you," I said.
"I love you more," she smiled. I gave her another quick kiss and left to go upstairs. After a brief shower, I grabbed my things and walked out into the hall. Mom was just coming out of her bedroom. She had her hands full and I offered to carry some of it for her.
"Sure, baby," she replied. She smiled at me as I reached for her suitcase. "Thank you."
"No problem, Mom," I replied.
We walked downstairs and found everyone else ready to go. David and I carried the luggage to the dock. Soon, we heard the boat approaching. The same boat captain that dropped us off picked us up. We loaded the luggage and were soon on our way. I looked back and watched the house and island slowly slip away. I couldn't wait to return. Kami moved to sit next to me. She wrapped her arm around my back and leaned against my shoulder.
The flight home was boring other than watching Mom and Angie continuing to hold hands and whispering to one another. I wondered what they'd talked about the previous night after I'd left them downstairs. Had Mom asked about what she'd seen Angie and David doing on the beach? There were so many things to ponder.
We said our goodbyes as the shuttle dropped Mom and me off at her car. There were hugs all around and plans made for dinner at Richard and Angie's house the next weekend. I put our things in the trunk of Mom's car and we left the airport to head home. She was quiet the entire drive, but placed her hand on top of mine just before we got home. The sudden contact caused me to jump slightly. I turned to see her smiling at me. She turned back to face forward, the smile never leaving her face.
After we made it home, she said she was going to take a nap as she hadn't slept well the night before. I asked why she hadn't.
"Strange beds, baby. I've never slept well in a bed that I wasn't used to. I think it's something to do with moving around a lot growing up," she replied.
"I understand," I said.
"Why don't you take a nap, too," she suggested. "I was thinking we could go out to dinner tonight."
"That sounds fun," I replied.
"Good. If I'm not up by 4, wake me up," she said.
"Okay, I will, Mom," I replied. She gave me a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. I hesitated, hoping for another little kiss on the lips, but it didn't come. She walked to her room and closed the door. I carried my bag to my room, where I kicked off my shoes and laid back on the bed. I tried to force myself to sleep, but I couldn't. Finally, I grabbed my tattered copy of
Red Storm Rising
and began to read. At some point, I must have fallen asleep. I woke up suddenly thinking I'd forgot to wake Mom. I glanced at my alarm clock and saw that it was just 3:55. Good, I thought, there was still time. I opened my travel bag and grabbed my toiletries before going to the bathroom to brush my teeth. After finishing, I walked down the hall to the living room. Mom didn't seem to be awake yet.
I approached her door and knocked, but there was no answer. Was she in the shower, I wondered? I turned to walk away but then I thought if I didn't wake her up, she might be upset because she might sleep too late for dinner. At least I could make sure she was in the shower. I opened the door slowly. I immediately saw her bathroom door was open and the light was out. I turned to the left toward her bed. Mom was lying there, still asleep. She was naked and had pushed the bedcovers off. I looked at her longingly and tried hard to swallow the sudden lump in my throat as my eyes wandered over her body. God, how sexy she looked. How I wanted to go to her and make love to her. My eyes trailed down her body to her womanhood. What had previously been trimmed was completely bare.
"Mom," I called. She didn't stir, which was not unusual since when she did actually sleep, it was like she was in a coma. I would probably need to go in there and physically wake her up. She was naked and I didn't want to do anything that would escalate matters before she was ready. I weighed my options and decided I better wake her up as it was already 4:20 by her bedside clock. I walked to her bed and stopped. I couldn't help but look at her again. I tried to memorize every detail of her before I reached for the sheet to cover her. I sat on the edge of the bed before I placed my hand on her bare shoulder and patted her lightly.
"Mom," I said softly. "It's after 4. You need to wake up." She seemed to stir but moved around in the bed and continued to try to sleep. I patted her a little more firmly. Suddenly, she sat up. The sheet fell away from her body.
"What? Who," she said in panic. Finally, she recognized me. "Oh, it's you, Bradley." She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me. I did the same.
"Who did you think it was, Mom," I asked. There was an almost electric feel as my hands rested on her bare back.
"I didn't know, baby. I must have been having a bad dream," she said nervously. "I have them from time to time."
"I'm sorry," I said. I began rubbing her back lightly with my hand.
"Thanks, baby," she said. "It happens." She rested her head on my shoulder as I continued to hold her. A long silence ensued as her hands began to rub my back as well. I moved my head and kissed her lightly on the side of her head. I leaned forward and put my head on her shoulder. I kissed the soft skin where her shoulder met her neck. Her hands stopped briefly on my back. When they started moving again, the motion was much slower. Sensing her approval, I kissed her again, a little further up her neck. I felt her shiver in my arms. A second much more insistent kiss on the soft skin of her neck brought an even greater reaction.
"Ohhh," she moaned. I wanted to say something, anything, but I couldn't think of anything. So, I kissed her neck again. Her hands rubbed my back more insistently. My hands moved from her back and along her sides. I was as patient as I could be, but I wanted to experience all of her body. I wanted to know every inch of her. As my hands moved along her sides up from her waist, I felt her shiver once again. I felt her head leave my shoulder and she pulled back from me.
"Baby, we need to talk," she said. I was instantly afraid I'd moved too far, too fast. I moved to pull my hands away from her. "Stop. You don't have to do that. I just said we need to talk."
"Okay," I replied.
"There have been a lot of things that have happened this summer. Things I never could have imagined," she said.