In the first chapter, Adam, a 20 years old college student, told the story of how he ended up having intimate relationship with his mother. His father suffered a horrific car accident and became paralyzed from the neck down. Multiple attempts to convince Ruby, the mother, to start seeing other men were not successful, and eventually, with the encouragement of her husband, she gave herself to her son.
...
In the weeks that followed, the bond between Mom and I strengthened. Dad's happy eyes and cheerful demeanor were a testament to his sincere wish to see his wife happy. Of course, he cared about me too, but he knew there was no reason I wouldn't enjoy the new arrangement.
Every breakfast I was at home from school, we sat the 3 of us together, and talked about trivial stuff: My studies, politics, sports. When we were done, Mom would kiss both of us on the mouth, sigh, and mumble, "My 2 wonderful men. Can anybody be happier?"
One day, Mom was away on one of her errands, and Dad called me. I sat on his bed, and he said, "Adam, your vacation is coming soon. I appreciate you and Mom trying to stay with me and cheer me up, but I want you two to go somewhere, get fresh air, and have fun without being limited by a disabled person around you all the time. I thought about it long and hard. It's better to take a break from my presence once in a while, otherwise life will fly by you. Both you and Mom are young and agile. Travel somewhere nice and show her good time."
I hesitated, "It is a good idea to take a trip with Mom, but I think she'll resist, feeling uncomfortable leaving you behind."
He grinned, "I know what you are saying. Tell her I stopped loving her, and insisted you 2 leave me alone, so I can cheat on her with a nicer lady."
I smiled, "She'll be entertained by your joke, but I doubt it will be enough to convince her..."
"It may succeed if we gang on her and both of us tell her it's an order."
"Dad, I am willing to try."
An hour later Mom entered the front door looking upset.
"Ruby, what happened?"
"I was driving back home when a crazy old lady stopped in the middle of the road for no reason. I honked, but her car didn't move. I exited my car and went to check what was her problem. I couldn't believe it - She lowered her mirror and calmly smeared lipstick on! I was furious, 'Lady, if your lipstick is that important, park on the side of the street instead of blocking everybody!' She smiled at me, 'Young lady, I learned we all need to take it easy. Unless you are in an ambulance, enjoy the sunny day.' I had no idea how to answer. I just knew if my stare could kill, she would be dead by now. After 15 minutes, she drove away, but even then, it was at a snail's pace. I am exhausted physically and mentally."
Dad took the opportunity and said sweetly, "Honey, you and Adam need a break. Go on a vacation trip for several days somewhere nice and warm."
Mom laughed, "Frank, are you trying to get rid of me already?"
He muttered, "Sorry, Ruby. When you were away, a beauty by the name of Esmeralda visited me. I couldn't resist her, and we had wild sex for hours. She left 10 minutes ago and promised to visit me again when you and Adam are not around."
Mom glanced at him, "Frank, what have you and Adam concocted this time?"
"Dad thinks it's a good idea if you and I go somewhere for a while."
"I agree to a trip, except that I want to do it with him too. There are travels that are tailored to people with special needs."
Dad gazed at her lovingly, "Honey. When you are not at work, you are here with me all the time. A few days of being away won't kill me and will be good for both of you."
Mom had tears in her eyes, "You know if I do it, I'll think about you every day and have a guilt trip..."
"Ruby, get over it! I think Adam will have the time of his life with you. Don't you love him enough to give him exclusivity with you for a couple of days?"
"Frank, you are such a jerk! You always knew how to play on my emotions and achieve your goal."
He smiled, "You are right darling. So accept it and do what I say without arguing with me."
She sighed, turned to me, and said, "Adam, if you feel like your father, and you want to spend a few days alone with your mother, choose a destination, and we'll go there. But please, a nice and warm place; I've had enough of ugly weather and snow."
...
The day before our flight Mom couldn't sleep. Leaving Dad for a full week was a huge burden, despite Dad's claim he was happy without her constantly watching eyes telling him what to eat and how to dress up.
I tried talking some sense to her, "Mom, he is not a baby, and he has somebody with him 24/7. It's OK. We have a long flight ahead of us. Get some sleep." Her answer: "If I am tired, I'll sleep on the plane."
A day later we were on our plane, heading to Hawaii's Big Island. In the first hour, we watched TV and got our meal. Later, Mom's eyes began to close but she couldn't find a comfortable position. Since we were in a 3-seat row with nobody else with us, I suggested she lift the wedges between the seats, put her head on my lap, and go to sleep.