Chapter One: A Harmless Evening Out
"But it's Wednesday," Owen said with a groan, and a roll of his eyes.
"I don't care! It's not every day that my young man turns Twenty-One. I'm taking you out on your birthday to buy you your first drink!" Taryn, Owen's mother, said firmly.
Taryn looked at her son with a confident look on her face that told him that she wouldn't be moved. She was determined to have an outing with her son, Owen. The two of them seemed to be drifting a part; they were not as close as they once were. Even her daughter, Rosina was far too caught up with school, to go shopping with her, like they used to. Both of Taryn's children were in College, and school dominated their lives. Now that they were growing up and didn't need her care, she felt useless all of a sudden. She had devoted her life to raising her children. Her crisis hit her once Rosina, her youngest, had started College last fall. It was since then that her feel that she had outlived her usefulness grew. This evening would be the start of a new and closer relationship between her son and herself, Taryn told herself.
Owen looked at his mother and shook his head. He had just spent the last ten minutes trying to argue with his mother that he didn't have the time to go out tonight. Sure it was his birthday but it was a Wednesday, and everyone was busy. The family gathering would be on Saturday, like it always was. Rosina was frantically studying for a mid-term on Friday. His father was still at work, prepping for yet-another big case. What Twenty-One year old wanted to be seen partying it up with is mother! Besides, it wouldn't be his first drink anyways, Owen was in College, and alcohol wasn't exactly hard to get a hold of on campus. He glanced back at her and was about to say no, but the sad look in her eye, rather than the firm look on her face, convinced him to agree to it. He had been studying really hard these past few weeks and an evening out might be fun, even with his mother.
"Fine," Owen sighed, relenting to his mother's demands.
"Goodie! Where do you want to go, 'birthday boy?" Taryn said with giddy excitement that she couldn't contain. She threw her arms around her son in glee and shook him from side to side.
"Alright, Alright! I said I was going, already!" Owen grumbled. The grin on his face betrayed his gruff faΓ§ade that he was trying to keep up. "Birthday man, thank you very much!" he said with a chuckle and a light scowl.
"Fine, 'birthday man', where are we going?" Taryn asked with a victorious smirk on her face.
Owen thought for a moment, after all, it was a good question. Where do you go to "party it up" with your mother? Nowhere that anyone could recognize you, that was for sure! After a moment of thought, and picked a bar that was on the other side of town, yet away from the College that he and Rosina attended. The evening was set and the pair went to their rooms to get ready to go out for Owen's Twenty-First birthday.
Owen dragged his feet a bit in order to get dressed for the evening out. Even though he agreed to it, he wasn't looking forward to being seen in a bar with his mother! He only hoped that nobody he knew would ever hear of this night! With a groan of regret he walked out of his room and down toward the front door.
Owen was surprised to see that his mother was already ready and waiting for him by the front door. She hadn't seen him approach as she was taking the essentials out of her purse and slipping them into her jeans. She was clearly excited about this evening, you almost thought it was her birthday outing, not his. When Taryn bent over to pick up her keys that she dropped, Owen took in a sharp breath.
Taryn, his mother of Forty-Three, looked like a woman almost half her age! Owen couldn't help but trace the shapely curves of her rear with his eyes. Her large breasts peeked out from the sides as she swiftly stood back up. He had to admit that his mother looked hot, even though she was not "supermodel material". Sure, she carried a few extra pounds on her shorter than average frame, but she carried it well. She had an hourglass figure, just a slightly larger one than most people expect. Her breasts were larger than most women's, yet still in proportion to her "generously proportioned" hourglass figure. Her red hair was thick and wavy as it cascaded down her back to her waist. A wave of red glinted in the hallway light as she flicked her hair once she stood back up. A gleam was in her green eyes when her eyes met his, as he descended the stairs.
Taryn looked at her son walking down the stairs toward her and pride filled her as she noted the man that he had become. He stood slightly taller than she did, and seemed to be the perfect height for hugging. His brown hair was short and cut in a side-part, just like his father's. His blue eyes could easily melt her resolve when he pleaded for this or that. He had a slender physique that his regular early-morning running routine had earned him. She was proud to have raised so handsome and respectable a son.
"So are you driving or am I?" Owen asked as he approached his mother.
"Are you kidding? Neither of us are driving tonight, we're drinking! The taxi is just outside," Taryn said with a queer look on her face as she pointed at the door.
They then left the house and soon were sitting in the back of the taxi as it sped them on their way for their evening out. Owen sat there and wondered what it would be like to see his mother drunk. Would he have to protect her, nurse her, "baby-sit" her? Never had he seen his mother so much as slightly tipsy and the thought of her drunk was an odd concept. He looked her over and for the first time he was curious to see what this evening would lead to. Just how "wild and crazy" would his conservative mother get? He had to stifle a chuckle as he thought of his mother, "pissed to the gills" standing on the speaker dancing and screaming.
They pulled in front of the bar in what was a seedier part of town. Taryn looked around and wondered why her son would want to go here, rather than a nicer bar, closer to home. She looked around her and saw: dirt, filth, decay and poverty all around her. She stood closer to her son and glanced up at him with a quizzical look.
"Are you sure this is the right place? Do you really want to go here for your birthday drink?" Taryn asked Owen with a quietly pleading look. It was a look of "let's get out of here."
"It'll be fine. I know it doesn't look like much on the outside, but it's much better on the inside, so I've been told. I've heard great things about it." Owen said with a convincing smile that he hoped his mother wouldn't see through.
Owen also didn't really want to be there and normally wouldn't go to this end of town. Again, that was the whole reason for going here, so that nobody would see him "out on the town" with his mother. I mean if anyone recognized him he would forever be trying to live down the "momma's boy" image!
"It'll be great." Owen said with a confident smile as he put his arm around his mother's waist and ushered them inside.
The inside of the bar was as run-down as the outside suggested. It was dimly-lit, even for a bar. There were an assortment of tables and booths scattered about everywhere there was space. There was a modest sized dance-floor off in one corner and the DJ booth was in the wall overlooking the dance-floor. The crowd seemed to be the rowdier and rougher type, though they stuck to themselves. It was the kind of place that people went to "not be seen", and everyone ignored everyone else. That at least was a plus as far as Owen was concerned. The service was fast if not terribly friendly, before long Owen and Taryn were holding a beer each.
"To my little boy who finally grew up!" Taryn said with a proud smile as she raised her beer.
"Thanks mom," Owen replied with clenched teeth behind his gracious grin.
They took a sip of their beer and Owen had to admit that it was odd drinking beer with his mother. Taryn smiled warmly at her son as she sipped her beer and reveled in the thought that the dingy bar forced them to cozy up to each other. She was enjoying her evening out with her son anyways, despite her surroundings. A song that Taryn liked started to play and with a squeal of glee, she grabbed her son by the arm and pulled him up to the dance-floor.
The evening wore on and more beer was consumed, and many more songs were danced to. Owen was uncomfortable dancing with his mother, but after a few songs he got used to the idea. Eventually the odd concept of being in a bar with is mother didn't seem so odd to him. He had to admit that she didn't look all that different to the other women in the place. She had jeans and a nice blouse on, just like the other women and in fact was one of the prettier women in the bar. There were a few women that Owen wouldn't have minded to make a move on, but you don't ditch your mother to hit on chicks.
Things took a strange turn, much later in the evening. Owen and Taryn were dancing to a fast tune that they both knew when it ended suddenly. Instead of another fast tune, a slow song started to play and everyone on the dance-floor started to pair up. Everyone that is, except Owen and Taryn; this fact was not lost on Owen. He looked around and saw all the "happy couples" dancing around him and the pain of being single hit him.