Mother, Daughter, Neighbor
Kathryn M. Burke
Jenna Wright really didn't like living with her motherâbut what was the option?
Eighteen years old, she'd graduated from high school, but her mom, Doris, couldn't afford to send her to college. Her grades weren't good enough for her to get a scholarship, and she wasn't keen on racking up huge debts from college loans that she'd probably never be able to pay off.
Of course, if Mom and Dad had stayed together, that might have made a difference. But Jenna's dad (whoever he was) had bolted from the scene the moment he discovered that the nineteen-year-old Doris had gotten pregnant. Doris had poked along from one dead-end job to another ever since, and was currently struggling to make do on a waitress's salary. Luckily, the restaurant she was working at was a fairly swank one in Pasadena, and the customers tipped heavilyânot least because Doris, at thirty-seven, managed to look quite a bit younger than her age and made a point of flirting with the male guests, even when they were accompanied by wives or girlfriends who invariably glared at her in hostility and envy.
The funny thing, as Jenna knew all too well, was that Doris had developed a burning hatred for the race of males.
Over the years she'd tried to hook up with a seemingly endless succession of menâbut not many of them were eager to link their fates to a woman with few job prospects and a young daughter in tow. That kind of package deal didn't appeal to a lot of the twenty- or thirty-year-old single men whom Doris dated. After years and years of banging her head on the wall hoping some generous guy would take both her and her child under his wing, she'd pretty much given up. If men couldn't see what a tempting female she was, then they could all go to hell!
Jenna had of course not reached this level of cynicism regarding love and romance. She was still wide-eyed and innocent, hoping some Prince Charming would come along and sweep her off her feet. If that blessed event happened, Mom could shift for herself!
To give her credit, Doris tried to make sure that her daughter didn't end up where she had. Not only did she sternly urge Jenna not to get involved with men of any sort, but she went to the expense of enrolling her in a year-long course to train as a dental hygienist. Jenna didn't like the prospect of poking her fingers in people's mouths all day long, but she knew there was good money to be made at such an occupation, so she was sticking to it.
As for menâwell, she wasn't planning on keeping herself wrapped up in a cocoon forever. Looking at herself in the mirror, she saw a girlâsorry, young womanâwith a slender but curvy figure and a face that was clean and honest with straight blond hair framing it. What more could a guy want? She had to admit her mother was quite a looker too: a little taller than herself (five foot six as compared to five foot four), with an hourglass figure and an appealing faceâas long as she didn't frown or scowl too much! (That's a real turn-off to men, isn't it?)
Jenna wouldn't say she was anything like a coquette; in fact, she thought a lot of men liked the shy, naĂŻve type. And she had her eye on a guy right in their apartment complex.
He was named Harry (last name unknown), and he seemed to work irregular hours. Jenna had first run into him in the huge laundry room of the apartment complex they lived in: since her mom worked long hours, Jenna was tasked with a lot of the cooking and cleaning, and she'd encountered Harry one weekday afternoon when the room was practically empty. So what else could she do but introduce herself and get acquainted?
He looked to be about twenty-eight years oldâand Jenna was tickled at the thought that he was almost exactly between herself and her mom in age. He was really good-looking: not all that tall (maybe five foot eight), but with broad shoulders, a strong chest, and firm thighs and calves. And, of course, a good butt! Very important for a man to have a good butt, if he's going to make an impression on a female!
But Jenna was terrified at the prospect of her mom finding out about this "older man" making eyes at her, even though they'd not done much except exchange pleasantries now and then. When Harry asked her out one time, she had to explain that "Mom wouldn't approve," and he took that rebuff with proper understanding.
But as time went on, Jenna knew that this guy might beâwell, he might be the one!
So one day, she invited him to come over on a Saturday afternoon when she knew her mother would be out. Doris was always keen on keeping her two-bedroom apartment spruce and attractive (even though hardly anyone visited it); and that afternoon she had decided to go to a nursery in far-away Orange County to pick up some particularly choice potted plant for the living room. Jenna figured that would give her several hours of "alone time" with Harry, and so she'd asked him to come over then.
Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan.
Doris was getting by on a Volkswagen Rabbit that was well over a decade oldâand as she set out for the nursery, she got a reading from the dashboard computer saying (or demanding), "Service Now!" Now you have to understand that one of Doris's phobias was getting stranded in some remote location, where anyone under the sun might stop by and do horrible things to her while she was stuck in a broken-down vehicle. She knew the whole idea was ridiculous, but she just couldn't stop thinking of the exquisite tortures that some unscrupulous male might inflict upon her in that vulnerable position.
So Doris immediately turned right around and headed for home, vowing to take her car to her dealer at the first opportunity.
When she let herself into her apartment, she heard strange sounds issuing from her daughter's bedroom. For a two-bedroom apartment, it was pretty small, and it didn't take more than a few vigorous strides for Doris to make her way to the open door of Jenna's room. What she saw there made her gasp with astonishment and horror.
She actually couldn't see Jenna right awayâand that's because the first thing she saw was the long, muscular backside of a naked man reclining on his side on Jenna's bed. Amidst her outrage she had to admire the firm, trim outlines she was seeingânot to mention one of the finest posteriors she had ever seen on a man (not that she'd seen any lately). Only after some moments did she figure out that the man's shape was all but concealing her petite daughter, who was reclining on the other side of himâand a sharper glance showed that she'd stripped down to her bra and panties and was enjoying the kissing and stroking the man was giving her. Her only consolaton was that he actually hadn't invaded Jenna's bodyâyet.
"Who the hell are you!" Doris cried in fury. "What are you doing here? Get the fuck out of my apartment!"
It was only when those words were spoken that both occupants of the bed became aware of Doris's existence. She heard a sharp, high-pitched yelp from her daughter, who was now looking up at her in utter mortification. The man seemed startled too, but more in control of himself. With incredible audacity, he casually turned around, exposing his naked front to Doris.
And Doris gasped again.
To say he was well-endowed would be an understatement: from her wide (but not recent) experience, she estimated that his organâfully engorgedâmeasured about nine inches. Doris was so fixated on that member that she had trouble remembering to be angry. Instead, she just stood there stunned, her mouth hanging open.
But her daughter wasn't so silent.
"Jesus, Mom," Jenna cried, "what are you doing back home?"
When Doris didn't respond, Jenna blunderingly tried to explain.
"Um, this is Harry. He lives down the hall from us. He's a real nice guyâreally he is, Mom!"