Josh was not a typical young man. He worked hard on weekends and part time thru the week at a gym as a personal trainer. During the week he attended classes at the local college. He had lots of women interested in him. He was exceedingly handsome. His 6'2" frame was like a sculpture of a Greek god. His piercing blue eyes made women swoon when he looked at them directly. Josh had broad shoulders and a narrow hips and wash board abs. His muscles were very well defined. He had almost no body fat. Gorgeous, a hunk, beautiful specimen of a man were some of the ways the local woman would describe him. He had a silky smooth voice and he could sing like the crooners of yesteryear.
Josh lived at home with his mother. Mary was forty four years old. She was stunning with an hourglass figure and long jet black hair. She was diminutive in stature when compared to her handsome son. She only stood 5'4" tall unless she was wearing her four inch stilettos. Her hips were wide but she had a narrow waist and a medium bust. Her legs tapered beautifully from her thick yet firm rear to very elegant ankles and small pedicured feet. Her eyes were deep dark pools that a person could lose their soul in if they stared too long into their abyss. She was graceful in every sense of the word. Watching her walk could easily become a favorite pastime of any man that was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of her.
Josh and Mary weren't just mother and son they had become friends as Josh became a man. They relied on each other for financial and emotional support. They shared many interests. Their common love of music and live theater had them attending shows and singing duets together at a local karaoke bar often. On weekends mother and son would go out to a play or go to their favorite bar to throw darts and sing. They were a crowd favorite when they sang together. They spent more time together than most married couples do. To say the least, they truly enjoyed each other's company.
Occasionally Josh and Mary would try out for parts in locally produced plays. They had landed small parts at times but never on the same play. On a particularly sunny Saturday early spring afternoon Josh waited anxiously for his mother to get home from the grocery store. He had landed the lead in a musical love story and he couldn't wait to tell his best friend all about it.
Mary burst into the kitchen just bubbling with enthusiasm. Before Josh had the chance to tell his overexcited mother the good news, she blurted "I just got the part of Penelope in the new musical! I got the female lead! Can you believe it?"
Josh just laughed at his mother's excitement. Then he said, "Mom, I got the part of Patrick O'Shaughnessy. I got the male lead. We'll be in the play together." He was grinning from ear to ear.
Mary smiled proudly at her son as she hugged him tightly. "I am so excited we'll be in the same play together for the first time. This is going to be so much fun! I have always wanted to be in a play with you Josh."
The play was about a spring/winter love affair between an older woman and a much younger man. It was set in Ireland. The premise was forbidden love and the struggle for the lovers to overcome the obstacle of religious prejudice and age differences in Irish catholic southern Ireland. The character of Penelope Lange was English and protestant, while the character of Patrick O'Shaughnessy was Irish catholic. In the end their love prevails. The playwright was trying to make the statement that love conquers all. It was loaded with great songs and a real touchy feely dialogue. The play was a real tear jerker and well written.
The fact that mother and son would be playing the parts of lovers hadn't fully sunk in yet as the two celebrated their good fortune. Then almost simultaneously the two friends realized their predicament. Mary's hand went up to her mouth as she gasped in shock at the revelation that she would be required to play out the part of lover to her own son.
Josh picked up on the problem and his eyes grew wide. He offered, "If this is a problem mom, I can turn down the part and take a different role."
Mary waved her son's offer off and replied, "If anyone is going to give up their lead role in this it will be me son. If you think it would be too awkward to play the part of my lover, I will step aside and let them give the role to someone else. I don't want you to miss out on this opportunity."
"Mom, we can do this." Josh replied. "I would never forgive myself if because of me, you lost this chance to shine, like I know you will. Let's just do it. We got this mom. I know it will be a little awkward at first but it's just acting. The show must go on and all that, you know?"
"Right, it is just acting after all. We can and we will do this." Mary said trying to sound more convinced than she really was. In the back of her mind she harbored doubts about playing the part of lover to her exceedingly handsome son. She was also feeling butterflies in her stomach over the prospect.
Mary was from old money but had been disinherited when she became pregnant with Josh. Her entire family had turned their backs on her when she told them that she would be having a baby out of wedlock. Josh's father was as handsome as Josh if not more so. He split town when Mary told him of her predicament. She had moved away from all she ever knew. She settled in a small mid-western town and took a job as a cashier at a local grocery store where she still worked to this day. She had raised Josh entirely on her own and he was her whole world.
Mary had never accepted promotion at her job because her time with her son was precious. She went to work at eight every morning and was off by three thirty every afternoon from Monday thru Friday. She made it a point to spend time with Josh everyday and she saw to his every need. Josh excelled in school and sports but his real passion was theater and singing. Mary encouraged him to pursue his dreams. She also taught him that he could do anything he wanted in life if he tried hard enough and never gave up.
Josh had picked up on what his mother taught him. He was very tenacious when it came to what he wanted out of life. He didn't even know how to give up on anything. Once Josh set a goal for himself he stayed with it until he either got it or something better. Working as a freelance personal trainer he could set his own hours. He charged more than the other trainers. He made good money at it too. Josh got results. He was tough on his clients, always pushing them beyond what they themselves thought they were capable of. He was voted best personal trainer four years in a row.
As soon as Josh was old enough to legally have a job, he did. Josh had been helping his mother pay bills ever since. He never griped about it. He just figured everyone in this world should pull their own weight if they could. Josh was kind to other people and he was very thoughtful of others. Almost everyone who knew him, liked him.
The first night of rehearsals was mostly about getting familiar with the script and getting to know each other. There was no one there that knew Mary or Josh so when the two leads were introduced they both stood up and shook hands as if meeting each other for the first time. Josh and Mary agreed the cast didn't need to know mother and son were playing lovers. It was Mary's idea to play it that way. She and Josh had talked about it at home. So even though they shared the same last name people would assume they were no relation. There were two others who shared the same last name as them. Smith is a quite common name.
With scripts in hand the actors disbanded and headed back to their perspective homes. Mary always read a script from front to back as soon as she could. She thought it best to know the whole story not just her parts. She was impressed with the writing. Then she got to the first love scene in act two. Her heart skipped a beat. It required partial nudity, but nothing too risqué. Mary thought to herself it won't be that awkward. She would have her breasts on display briefly. She continued reading, when she got to act four scene three she had to read it several times. It was almost pornographic in it's description. It was the scene where the two lovers are caught at it after promising other characters that they would stop. This required full nudity with no way to cover up.
Just then Mary heard a sharp knock on her bedroom door. She just about jumped out of her skin. Then she said with a trembling voice, "Yes Josh?"
Josh came in and sat down on the edge of his mother's bed with script in hand on the same page as Mary. "Is this going to be a problem for us mom? If it is, you just say the word and we won't do it."
"Is it for you Josh?" she asked back with a slight tremble still in her voice.
Josh tried to gauge his mother. He could usually tell how she felt about things. This time Josh had trouble reading her. He sensed that she was apprehensive about the scene, but there was something more there. At first he didn't recognize it, then he was taken aback by it when he realized it was excitement and sexual tension. His mother was turned on by the scene. That's when Josh saw his mother kind of for the first time all over again.
The first time he had seen her he was a newborn just learning to use his eyes. Then all he saw was mother. This time he was seeing Mary, the woman. A real flesh and blood woman, with real flesh and blood needs and desires. Josh had never seen his mother as anything but mother until that very moment. Now Josh felt awkward. He didn't know what to think or say. He decided to use his mother's wise advice she had often given him. "Let's sleep on it and see how we feel about it in the morning mom."
"Ok Josh. That sounds like a good idea. Good night sweetheart I'll see you in the morning." Mary said sweetly.
Josh leaned in and gave his mother a goodnight kiss on her cheek, and left for his room. On the way there he was examining his own feelings about the scene. By the time he was getting into bed he was forming a tent in his pajama bottoms. There was no doubt about it the prospect of performing the scene with his mother was turning him on too. What should he do about it? Was the question that would rob him of sleep most of the night.
Mary was doing no better. She read the rest of the play and loved it. It was a beautiful story that was well written and the song lyrics were brilliant. She so wanted to play the part, but that scene with her own son was going to be the deal breaker. How could she do that with her own son? She kept asking herself.
Sunday morning came with a vengeance. Both Mary and Josh were dragging butt by dawn. Josh made it to the kitchen first, so he made coffee and started the bacon. Mary came in and started helping. This was a dance the two had danced so many times together. Josh poured coffee for his mother and himself. Mary grabbed the creamer out if the refrigerator and added it to each cup. She returned the creamer and got the eggs. Josh stirred the coffee and turned the bacon. Mary turned on the other burner and got out the egg pan. Josh sprayed the pan with spray oil and Mary cracked the first egg into it. Breakfast prep continued like this until the toast popped up indicating it was time to eat. By then the two were both on their second cup and feeling a little better.
