Happy Birthday Mrs Freemont

'Dammit, where is that place?'

Those words came from my friend Andy, who was driving the car we were in. I was in the back seat, feeling a bit off since I had been out partying the night before. Sitting in the front passenger seat was Greg, completing the trio that was in the car that day. My name is John, and the three of us were on our way to a birthday party. But not just any birthday party.

Andy, Greg and I are in a band together. At the time of this story, we had been playing for about a year and a half, and things were just starting to pick up for us. We had done some pretty good gigs in the right venues for the right people, and by now we had some interesting offers from various record labels to consider. But today was not about one of those gigs that you do for fame or fortune. This gig had been planned for some time, since back when those interesting offers hadn't surfaced yet, and it was of a more personal sort.

Paul, our rhythm guitar player and the fourth member who completed the quartet that made up our band, was not in the car with us. He was already at the party, waiting for us to arrive with the car and all the instruments and gear which was loaded up in the trunk. The birthday party was for Paul's mother, and since she had apparently been quite a fan of our music since the early demo recordings, we had decided to give her a small, laid-back, acoustic session at the party as a present from the band. Well, to tell the truth, the present was mostly from Paul. We didn't know his family very well, and Andy, Greg and I hadn't really been that keen on doing this gig. It was out of our way, it didn't pay any money, and the likelihood that any important people from the entertainment business would be at the party was practically zero. But, we had agreed to do it anyway, mostly because we didn't want any conflicts within the band now that things were beginning to happen for us.

'This is pointless, where IS that place!?'

Andy said with an irritated voice.

We had been driving for 45 minutes to get to the party, and the road directions that Paul had given us the day before had turned out to be pretty vague to say the least. The party was at Paul's childhood home, where his parents had moved in a few years before he was born. None of us had ever been there before, and the place was out in the countryside, surrounded by acres and acres of pineforest. We had located the town, if you could even call it that, but we couldn't find the house. As far as we knew, there was going to be quite a lot of guests at the party, so we drove around looking for a house with a lot of cars parked outside. But we had no luck. Andy was trying to reach Paul on his cell phone, but out here in the woods he had real problems getting a connection.

'Damned phone, it's just typical that it won't work when you really need it!'

Andy's irritation was growing. Greg, who was in the front seat, tried to calm him down a bit, saying that the phone would probably work if we tried again in a few minutes or so. That was Greg's role in the band, besides being the drummer; he was always the calm one, who never got irritated with anyone or anything. Whenever there was an argument over something, like someone being late for rehersals, it was always Greg who stepped in and calmed things down. Now he was doing it with Andy, who was cursing over Paul's lousy directions.

In the meantime, I sat pretty quiet in the back seat. I was cooped up there with a big guitar amplifier that we didn't have room for in the trunk. The old car was hot, the atmosphere was not the best thanks to Andy's anger, and my head was heavy with a hangover from the night before. I had been out with a couple of old friends, and we had ended up downing quite a few beers together. The last couple of weeks, I had spent so much time with the guys in the band that I had really appreciated a night off from them. Perhaps I had gone just a little too far in my drinking because of that, and today I was really regretting that last pint of lager... My attitude to this whole thing was pretty simple. I was going to do my job, and then try to get away from the party as quickly as possible, as I had no real interest in staying once our 'birthday gig' was over. After all, I didn't know anyone there except for Andy, Greg and Paul, and I was honestly in no mood or condition to start making new friends that day.

'Finally!'

, Andy suddenly exclaimed when his cell phone connected to the network. Paul answered on the other end, and got quite a mouthful from Andy about his poor road directions. Andy went on like that for a minute or so, before he got around to the important thing; finding out exactly where we were going. Then he hung up the phone, murmured a few chosen words about Paul, and started the car again. Without telling me and Greg anything about what Paul had said, he started following the new directions which he had obviously been given. It turned out that there was this small dirt road that we had missed – and that Paul had never mentioned in his original directions – which after a few minutes drive led us up to our destination.

Arriving at the house, we could see that the party had already begun. The house itself was pretty big, with two floors, but still with an air of a timber-log cabin. It was painted red, as was the big barn that we could see about forty feet behind the house. The garden was big and mostly made up of a plain grass lawn with very little trees or bushes. The property was fenced in by a three-foot high hedge, and I noticed a couple of apple trees at some distance from the house, but apart from that the garden looked kind of like a big playing field, perfectly suited for summertime games. Today, however, that field was being used for other purposes. Paul's family had put up a number of tents all over the lawn. In the tents there were long tables which seated all the party guests. And there were quite a few of them, I'd say probably 150-200 people.

Well, we finally pulled up at the gravel driveway and started to unload all the stuff from the trunk. It didn't take long before Paul noticed that we had arrived, and he came up to us to help out. He apologised for having given us so poor directions, and Greg and I had no problem forgiving him. Andy however, didn't seem to drop the matter completely. He told Paul that it was ok, but I could tell that he still held a small grudge on him.

Before we started setting our stuff up, Paul wanted to introduce us to his family, and especially of course to his mother who was the centre of attention this day. So, we headed off into the crowd to find them. The first ones we ran across were Paul's sister and brother, Carla and Tom. She was two years younger than Paul, and Tom was three years older. We introduced ourselves to them, and the Paul asked his brother:

'Where's mom and dad?'

'I don't know'

, his brother replied.

'I don't think they're together at least. They had one of their fights again just a few minutes ago, in the kitchen. I saw dad storming out off the house, and I think mom stayed inside to see to it that the dessert was being prepared properly.'

'Oh, that's just great'

, said Paul, obviously pretty used to his parents quarreling.

Just then he spotted his dad across the lawn, and yelled out for him.

'Dad! Come over here, I want you to meet the guys from the band!'

His dad came over and introduced himself, but it was pretty clear that he was trying to hide how upset he was. His name was Gary, and was 52 years old. He didn't look bad, but you could see that age was starting to have some claim on his appearance, with some thinning hair on top. But he seemed like a nice guy, and it felt like he was glad to have us at the party after all.

'Hi guys, so nice to finally meet you. I like what I've heard on the recordings that Paul has brought home, so you'd better give us a good show today'

, he said with a dry smile.

'Why don't you help yourselves to some food first, and then you can begin whenever you're ready.'

'We'll try our best'

, Paul replied with a small laugh.

'I just want to introduce the boys to mom before we do anything else. Where is she?'

'Somewhere inside'

, Paul's dad said with an irritated tone and turned back into the crowd of guests again, obviously not caring very much where his wife was.

Paul showed us in through the back entrance from the patio, which led directly into the kitchen. There he spotted his mom, who was busy telling the caterers just how and when she wanted the dessert to be served. She had her back turned to us, but once she heard Paul's call for her she turned around and approached us.

I couldn't believe my eyes! Paul's mother was a total knock-out! This was her 45th birthday, but you couldn't have guessed her at that age. She could easily have passed herself off as at least 35. Her hair was a chestnut brown, made up in a beautiful way for the party. It looked like it would reach her to her shoulders or something like that, but now it was put up to reveal her neck. Her eyes were deep brown, and framed with a wonderful set of long, dark eyelashes. The nose was pretty small and pointed slightly upwards at the tip, which helped to highlight the curves of her lips, which were made up with a dark red lipstick. Her skin was beautifully tanned, and her whole figure was both slender and full of curves. She was wearing a white pearl necklace, which fell halfway down her chest, and curved upwards to the clasp in the back of her neck. It complimented her soft, tanned skin perfectly, and looked like a string of satin beads that had been chosen to match her black and white dress which emphasised the form of her breasts and hips. On her right wrist was a matching bracelet; two strings of white pearls held together by a gold clasp. The dress ended just above her knees, but a long slit ran up her left thigh and clearly showed her sexy pair of legs. Holding the dress in place were two thin, white straps, carefully aligned on her shoulder in an attempt to disguise the straps of her bra. I guess they had slipped out of place without her having noticed it, because I could just get a glimpse of the ivory-white lingerie against her skin.

'Hi boys, I'm so glad you could come today!'

, Paul's mom began.

'I'm Mrs. Freemont, but I'd really prefer it if you all just called me Amy. Paul has told me so much about all of you that it feels like I almost know you already'

, she continued with an amazing smile.

Andy, Greg and I introduced ourselves, and I could tell that the others were as struck by her beauty as I was. Mrs. Freemont went on telling us how much she liked the recordings that she had heard, and that she was really looking forward to seeing us play later. We all stood there in the kitchen, small talking, before she suddenly noticed something that the caterers were doing wrong behind us.

'No, no, that's not right at all!'

she suddenly cried out.

'I told you: first the ice cream scoops, THEN the diced melons!'

She turned to us briefly just to excuse herself, before she again focussed her attention on the kitchen workers. As we left the kitchen, I couldn't help but keep my eyes on her beautiful body. Passing through the back door, I thought I saw her turning her eyes in my direction for just a short moment...

As we came out on the patio, Paul showed us to some tables were the food buffet was set. We all helped ourselves to some food, and then began setting up our equipment on the patio, which was going to act as a small stage for our gig. All the while when we were rigging the amps and the drum kit, I couldn't get the image of Paul's mom out of my head. She had positively stunned me with her amazing looks, and I still couldn't get it through my head that this was Paul's mom; a married 45-year-old who had given birth to three children.

But even with Mrs. Freemont's image fixed in my mind, it didn't take us long to set our stuff up. When we were finished, Paul grabbed the microphone and called for everyone's attention. He introduced himself as 'the birthday girl's youngest son', presented the rest of the band, and asked his mother to sit down in the centre front row of the chairs that had been placed while we rigged the stage. Mrs. Freemont didn't take long to follow that request, but I noticed that Paul's dad wasn't anywhere near her. Instead, I spotted him over by the barn, leaning towards the wall with a sour look on his face. Needless to say, a few pondering thoughts on why that was ran through my mind, but they quickly cleared as I heard Paul count the first song in.

For the next half hour or so, almost everyone at the party was listening to us playing our songs. The acoustic set was somewhat different in style than how we would normally perform, but it was fitting for the occasion and also a nice change for us in the band. Although I would have wanted to keep my eyes fixed on Mrs. Freemont all that time, I was of course aware of how strange that would have seemed. Still, I glanced at her from time to time, and she seemed to enjoy her birthday gift. She was smiling, and sometimes singing along, and for short moments she and I exchanged looks. I was just fascinated by her, not only by her amazing looks but also by the way she seemed to enjoy every minute of her birthday. I just couldn't understand how someone – let alone her husband – could be mad at her and not wanting to be around her. It was none of my business of course, but I couldn't stop wandering what was going on between Paul's parents.

Anyhow, our show was a complete success. We got lots of applauds from the guests, and Mrs. Freemont positively beamed of pride for her guitar-playing son. Once the gig was over though, the guests again began to mingle around, and the familiar murmur of a partying crowd soon returned. My original plan of leaving the party as soon as possible was still in my head – along with the image of Paul's mom – and I got my gear packed up quickly. While the other guys continued packing, I started to feel the need for a bathroom. So, I asked Paul where I could find one.

'Just head into the house, pass through the kitchen, and then turn right in the hall. It's the first door on the left'

, he said.

As I went through the kitchen, the caterers were just putting the finishing touches on all the dessert servings. They were working just as frantically as they had before, but I noticed that Mrs. Freemont wasn't around now. When I reached the bathroom, there was a pretty long line of people waiting by the door. I didn't bother to count them, but I guess there were about ten people ahead of me. Since I still had my mind set on getting out of there as quickly as possible, I decided to try and find another bathroom. So I headed upstairs, and started looking around. Heading down a hallway, I went through an open door on the far end and found myself in what appeared to be Paul's parents' bedroom. There was a double bed on the right end of the room, and a dresser facing it on the opposite end. Two windows were facing me, and they were covered by sets of light blue, sheer curtains. Just beside the dresser was a door, which I assumed lead into a bathroom, so I opened it. A small shock went through my body when I found Paul's mom in there, touching up her make-up. She too was a little startled, and jumped when I entered.

'Oh, I'm so sorry, Mrs. Freemont!'

I blurted out.

'I didn't know you were here, I was just looking for a bathroom, and I...'

'Don't worry about it, John'

, she interrupted me.

'It's not as if you caught me in a very embarrassing situation, and I did see the line outside the bathroom downstairs, so I can't blame you for coming up here.'

'Still, I'm so, so sorry for barging in on you like this'

, I continued.

'I'll just head back downstairs and let you finish what you were doing, Mrs. Freemont.'

'Didn't I tell you to call me Amy?'

, she said with a smile.

'Mrs. Freemont is my mother-in-law, and being called that only makes me feel so old.'

'Alright – Amy'

, I said, feeling a bit more relaxed.

'But I wouldn't worry about age if I were you, you don't look that old.'

Just when I uttered those words I realised how they might have sounded. Slightly panicked by my unintentional little insult, I desperately tried to repair the damage as best as I could.

'Oh... I mean... Well, I didn't mean to imply that you ARE old, I meant to say that you don't look like 45. Or... Perhaps what I'm trying to say is that...'

She interrupted me with a coy laugh.

'That's alright, John, I think I know what you meant.'

She put down the lipstick that she had been fidgeting with as we spoke, and took a few steps towards me. Standing just before me, she suddenly stretched out her hand and gave me a stroke on the cheek. Her other hand reached for the door, closed it, and locked. All of a sudden her eyes had become more serious, and after a few seconds' silence she said:

'And don't apologise for coming up here. I'm actually kind of glad that you did. You know, when I met you downstairs earlier, I couldn't help but think that Paul has a very handsome friend in you.'

Completely taken by surprise, I didn't know how to respond to that. But I didn't have to. As Paul's mom started moving her lips towards mine, she continued:

'And I saw the way you looked at me too...'

Her lips landed on mine. Paul's mom was kissing me, and I didn't know how to react. Was she just teasing me, playing with me after seeing that I had been attracted to her? Our lips touched for just a moment, and she kept looking into my eyes. Then she placed her hands around my neck, and gave me another kiss. This time, I could just feel the tip of her tongue on my upper lip. That's when I knew, and I started kissing her back. The kiss started out carefully, but I soon had my hands on her hips, and the kiss grew more intense. But suddenly, there was a knock on the door. We both jumped at the knock and abruptly ended the kiss, just as if someone had walked in on us. Outside, I heard Paul's voice.

'Mom, are you in there? Are you alright?'

Mrs. Freemont took a few deep breaths, and then replied her son.

'Yes, Paul, I'm OK. I just felt a bit of a headache coming on, and came up her for an aspirin. I guess it's all the excitement of the party that's getting to me. But I'll be fine, I think I'm just going to lie down up here for a few minutes and relax. Don't mind telling the guests, I'll be down in a moment.'

She turned her eyes back on me and put a finger to my lips as we waited for Paul's reply.

'OK, I'll just head back down then.'

Thinking that Paul was leaving the room, Mrs. Freemont approached my lips to continue the kiss. But suddenly we heard Paul say:

'By the way, have you seen John anywhere?'

'No'

, she replied.

'Oh wait, I think I saw him waiting in line by the bathroom downstairs.'

'OK, thanks'

, was Paul's short reply.

We waited for a few seconds to make sure that he had really left the room, and then Mrs. Freemont again turned her full attention on me. We continued to kiss passionately, and her hands moved from my neck down my back, where I could feel her fingers exploring. I was just lost in the moment. But as I moved my hands from her hips, up her body, caressing her, I suddenly became aware that I was stroking her breast. Sure, I had been with a few girls before that, but at that point I became painstakingly aware of whom I was kissing and touching. Like a needle the thought shot through my head: This is Paul's mom! And I stepped back with a jerk.

'What's the matter?'

she said with a surprised look.