I busied myself with washing the dishes as Kyle walked into the kitchen. He had turned twenty-one in January, and I loved him more than anything, and that's why we were going to have an important talk before he went out with his friends.
You see, I know all about his little female friend he has on the side. She's only twenty-one as well, and by the looks of her online...she's a wild one. She's a typical white girl in the face, a typical, lackadaisical tart with dyed-black hair, red streaks throughout it, nose piercing, tongue piercing...and I know she's been giving him oral. You can't fake an oral smile when your son comes home after a late night of 'hanging' with his friends. Even so, I was not going to stand in his way. He needed to have sexual encounters, because that's what every growing boy needs, but that was also why we needed to have this talk first.
Now me? I'm a single white mother, forty-two, and yes, if you do the math, I was only twenty-one when I had Kyle...but I certainly wasn't ready for sex at that time. That's why we were having this talk. I'd already instructed Kyle in the proper use of birth control, but this talk was going to be about the finer points of sex and dating. He needed to be reminded of a few things before he engaged in a relationship with that girl.
But first, a little description of myself is in order. My name is Lola, and I'm five-six, a little plump, but that comes with age, and I have black hair I have cut short, that hair curling at my shoulders. I have D-cup breasts and wider hips than I'd like, a round face with a button nose, brown eyes and full lips, and I get my fair share of gentlemen callers, though no one I know of uses that term anymore.
I like to imagine myself as an old soul, an old soul with an understanding of what the world needs when it comes to women, old-fashioned but new-aged, and I know this drives Kyle crazy sometimes, but...I think my attitude and personality may actually have come about as a defense mechanism from having him when I was so young. I need to feel mature, educated, and in control. It's just how I feel. Any other behavior is unacceptable to me.
Today I was wearing my cotton print dress, one that was white with small green print-daisies on it, and also my 'house shoes', dirty-white canvas shoes of mine that had seen better days. I had on my yellow latex dishwashing gloves, and I was doing the dishes the old-fashioned way, in the sink.
Now let me explain a little more about our life here. I managed to get government aid for almost everything before I obtained my career as a certified nurse's assistant. I struggled for years trying to earn my place in society, trying to earn any respect at all, and I like to think I have it now. My CNA position doesn't make a lot of money, but by cutting corners, saving, and getting assistance, I've managed to raise Kyle by myself, without the aid of a man. Other men in Kyle's life...have not worked out. Let's leave it at that.
Now Kyle...he's my pride and joy. He's six-foot one, has more of a tan than I do, and he's thin but not skinny, blue eyes like his dad (whom I have not seen or even spoken to in years), with thick black hair like mine. Currently, he had his short hair a little wild in the front, but this just accentuated his cute face and button nose, features which are actually a copy of mine, only in male form. Today Kyle was wearing his grey rain jacket, black-T, stonewashed jeans, and white sneakers with clean white socks. These were his 'going out' clothes, though he did not know that I knew that.
"It's almost ten, Mom," he said as he walked toward the kitchen door, our backdoor. "I'm going to be late for tennis practice."
"Not so fast, Mister," I said in my stern voice. "You're not going anywhere yet."
Yes, I was currently doing the dishes, and he thought I hadn't been paying attention, but I wasn't stupid. He wasn't even carrying his gym bag. That, and I'd stopped paying for those lessons a month ago.
"What?" asked Kyle in an exasperated voice. "I have to go. I'm going to be late."
I didn't even bother to turn to look at him. I simply kept on doing the dishes. Our kitchen was small, so Kyle had stopped in front of our small, square kitchen table and paused there in order to hear my response. Trust me...I knew exactly what he was doing without having to look at him.
"I stopped paying for your lessons a month ago," I said matter-of-factly. "There's no reason to lie anymore...I'm not angry, but I already know that you've been skipping them to hang out with your friends."
"Mom..." he began.
"Don't even go there," I said firmly. "I know you've been seeing that girl...That Tara girl. I know all about her."
He sucked in his breath and slowly released it. I'm pretty sure he knew what was coming. Yes, I had sheltered him, and yes, I was a little overprotective, but his grades were excellent in college, and he was going to make something of himself after he graduated. That's all I really wanted for him.
"It's time for a special talk," I said firmly.
"Mom, no," he argued. "I don't have time..."
"Yes, you do," I said just as firmly as before. "You'll make time for your mother."
"But, we have talks every single night," whined Kyle. "Can't it wait?"
"No...This time it's important," I said, and he knew I wasn't kidding by the tone of my voice.
I had started these talks on Kyle's twenty-first birthday, six months ago, in order to prepare him for the real world and what was expected of him within it. So far, he had no problem with our talks, and in fact, he rather enjoyed them. They put him at ease for a while, and a growing boy's mental health was an important thing to care for when you're a mother, especially a single mother.
"Mom, how long is this going to take?" he asked. "You...You're right. I have been skipping tennis, but...I have friends now, and I'm meeting them in an hour. I was going to stop at the gas station before meeting up with them to kill ti..."
He shut his mouth just before he could finish that sentence, but it was too late. I now had him right where I wanted him. No more excuses.
"You can kill time right now," I said matter-of-factly, "and the best part is, it won't be killing time. This is constructive."
"Mom, I really like this girl..." whined Kyle.
"I know," I replied. "I'm not standing in your way...but you need to remember the basics I taught you...Remember the four tenets...Serve, Improve, Mitigate, Persevere. You serve her needs first, you improve upon your own character for her, you mitigate any damage you may have accidentally caused by your thoughtlessness, and you persevere through her difficulties...She comes first."