Passion In James County XIX: Family Affairs
Chapter eleven
Ricky called Matt Sunday morning to see what he planned to do that day and, when he learned his friend was home alone, he invited him to spend the day at his house.
Matt was delighted to accept his friend's invitation. He enjoyed hanging around with Rick, and the fact that he'd get to spend time near Mrs. Forrester was an added bonus.
After he finished his call to Matt, Ricky called Dianna and asked her if she'd like to go out again that night. He wasn't sure why he was breaking his rule about consecutive dates with the same girl, but it seemed like a good idea. It never occurred to him he should have planned something that would have involved Matt, too.
"I'd love to go to the movies," Dianna said in answer to Ricky's question. Thinking about what happened the last time they were together made her feel tingly all over.
"Great, I'll pick you up around seven," Ricky said.
While Matt prepared to spend the day at the Forrester house, he was feeling more than a little excitement at the prospect of spending a whole day near his fantasy woman.
Mary, too, was delighted about Matt's visit, more than she usually was, although she didn't understand why. She began going over possibilities for lunch. She wanted to make something special for their guest.
Matt arrived at the Forrester home around eleven. He and Ricky went down to the recreation room in the basement to play pool. Although Matt had no aptitude for most sports, he was very good at pool, a fact that bugged Ricky no end. He was determined that, one day, he'd beat Matt. So far, that hadn't happened, despite his best efforts.
"Want to go out tonight?" Rick asked as Matt lined up a shot.
"I don't know," Matt said. "With who?"
"I got a date with Dianna Hillman," Ricky said. "You think you could call someone?"
Matt's heart skipped a beat. Dianna Hillman was the first date he'd had since he entered high school. Since the only girl he felt comfortable asking was spoken for and he didn't think anyone else would be likely to go out with him, he said, "I...I guess I'll pass, Rick. I...I really don't feel like going out tonight, what with my grandmother sick and all."
Mary had come down the stairs to tell the boys lunch was ready. She heard Ricky's question, saw the pained look on Matt's face, and heard his reply. Her heart went out to the young man.
"Well, Matt, if Ricky's going to run off and leave you alone," she said cheerfully, "I guess you and I will have to find something to do this evening, won't we?"
"Yeah...OK," Matt replied, blushing furiously. He was so disconcerted by Mary's comment that he missed an easy shot and Ricky won the game.
"Hey, Mom," Ricky said, "you can come down any time you want when we're playing pool. That's the first time I ever beat Den."
"It's time to take a break," Mary said. "Lunch is ready."
They went upstairs and ate. After lunch, Ricky said there was a basketball game on TV he wanted to watch and disappeared into the den. Matt stayed to help Mary with the dishes.
"Matt, you don't have to help with the dishes," she told him. "Why don't you go on in and watch the game with Rick?"
"I don't like basketball that much," Matt said. "Unless it's our team, with Rick playing."
"Maybe I'm sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong," Mary said, "but why didn't you want to double-date with Ricky?"
Matt didn't know how to respond. He was ashamed to admit he didn't know any girls to ask or, worse yet, that he was afraid to ask someone. "Ah...I...I don't know," he said. "I guess I didn't, you know, feel like it."
Mary finished putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher, added detergent, then closed the machine and turned it on.
"Isn't there someone you could have asked?" she inquired.
"I...not really," Matt admitted, staring at his feet.
Mary felt a rush of sympathy for the young man. Impulsively, she walked over and put her arms around him, intending to comfort him with a hug, the way she sometimes did with Ricky. She wasn't ready for the feelings that swept through her when her body came in contact with the teenager's.
Matt's reaction to Mary's gesture was no less intense. His arms slid around her and he pulled her against him. His insides were in turmoil, and he felt his penis begin to swell. He broke his embrace and stepped back, his face red.
Mary was also having a little trouble breathing when the embrace ended. Had she felt something hard pressing against her? Was he...? Why did she feel like this? She shouldn't. Matt was her son's best friend and was almost like one of the family.
"I...I, uh, have to do some laundry," she stammered. She didn't know why she said that. Laundry was the last thing on her mind.
"Yeah...well...I guess I'll go and...and watch...ah...TV with...with Rick," Matt stammered, finding it very difficult to talk. He turned and walked into the den.
Mary did do laundry. She had to do something to keep her mind off the powerful forces that were coming dangerously close to taking charge of her body. "What is the matter with me?" she thought as she stuffed dirty clothes into the washer. "I'm a grown woman! This is crazy! It's almost incestuous to think things like this!"
Matt never did know what happened in the basketball game he stared at that afternoon. He heard Rick make comments about some of the plays, but wasn't even sure which teams were playing. He had no idea how dejected he had looked when Mary came down into the rec room, so he had no idea she was aware of his pain. Her hug had really shaken him. His parents weren't "touchy" people, and Mrs. Forrester's gesture had left him both turned on and confused.
After the basketball game, Ricky got interested in a sports program that pitted TV personalities against sports stars in made-up athletic contests. He was completely oblivious to the distress his friend was feeling. Even if he had been aware of it, he probably wouldn't have understood.
