Anna arrived at the school and John was already waiting for her. She took a last minute glance at the car mirror making sure that she looked presentable. She was worried of any signs of love bite on her pale colored neck. Luckily there was none.
On the way home, John talked excitedly about the events at cadet camp but she was preoccupied with her own thoughts. After a while, John noticed his mother's quiet demeanor and turned his head to look at her.
"Something on your mind, mom," he said.
Anna realized that she had not really heard much of what her son was chatting about and she felt guilty.
"Ehh, sorry John, what did you say," she replied with a forced smile.
"You seem to be miles away," he answered.
"Emmm, it's this new article that they wanted me to do, it kept me awake most of the night," she lied unconvincingly.
"Tell me, how was your project," she tried to turn back to his conversation.
John continued felt that his mother was not really attentive to what he said. They reached the house and he carried his bag to his room while Anna went into hers.
Once inside, she took a deep breath, berating herself for being inconsiderate. She could have raised unnecessary suspicions that could lead to disastrous consequences.
Taking hold of herself, she went out and called out to John.
"I'll get you lunch, John," she said outside his door.
"Ok mom, I'll change first," he replied.
After they had lunch together, she informed John that she had to run to the news office to send in her article.
While Anna was away, John worked on his computer. He was completing his school assignment for the following day. John looked for a certain software disc when he realized that Anna had borrowed it for her work. He hoped that his mother had not taken it along with her as he walked to her room to locate it.
It was not on her worktable. He opened the drawers and saw the disc. He was about to leave when he noticed a crumpled tissue at the side of the table. He reached out to drop the tissue into the wastepaper basket. He was about to dispose it when he observed the tell tale piece that stuck out at the end.
At 20, John knew what it was. He was dumbstruck at the discovery. He was in two minds whether to proceed but curiosity got the better of him. Slowly he unfolded the offending tissue. His pulse rate multiplied as he viewed the used condom. His hands were shaking as he placed the item back to its original position.
John quickly left his mother's room and walked back into his. Unimaginable thoughts swirled in his head. Something happened over the weekend. There could only be one conclusion. His mother had a sexual relationship with someone. The evidence was conclusive.
John had never imagined his mother being involved with anyone since his father's death. There were no signs or evidence of any man in her life. He had never thought of Anna in any sexual capacity; she was just a mother as far as he was concerned. He could not come to terms with what he had just found out. As he sat deep in thought, he could not help but envisioned the image of his mother in bed with some stranger, taking liberties on her body. Anger and pangs of jealousy welled up within him.
When Anna came home, John pretended to be asleep when she came into his room. He could not bring himself to face her. He felt betrayed that she had not confined in him that she was seeing somebody. And the fact that they had been fucking in the house made it all the more sordid.
Dinner that night was a torture for him as he sat across her. Anna was in her night dress. John only looked at his mother when she got up and her back was towards him. He saw her differently, not as he always had. He could not help but the image of her being fucked by a faceless man made him choke of the piece of meat he was swallowing.
As he coughed repeatedly, Anna ran to him in motherly concern. She patted his back.
"Take your time to swallow, John," she told him, handing him a cup of water.
He drank it gratefully and resumed his dinner. He was shocked at his feelings when she stood next to him. Anna did not wear her bra in the confines of home and John's acute new awareness of his mother's womanly curves was a sudden and intense reality of sinful yearnings that coursed through him. He had sexual contacts with girls in school but this was something entirely different.
"Are you feeling ok," Anna asked her son, "you don't look too good."
"I'm fine mother," John replied.
Anna was taken aback. He had never addressed her as 'mother' as far as she could recall. It was always 'mom'. She looked at her son, trying to fathom his thoughts.
John finished his dinner and excused himself, telling her that he was tired and wanted an early sleep.
Anna kissed him and felt him pulling back, ever so slightly, but she felt his recoil. Walking back to her room, she was confused at her son's reaction. As she sat on her bed, she spied the piece of tissue containing the condom. Quickly she got up and immediately flushed it down the toilet. God, she said to herself, how she could be so careless, leaving it lying around. What if John had come in and seen it.
1 month later:
Anna and Mark had met twice in secrecy at a motel on the outskirts of town. It had been hurried affairs, because they were constantly aware of the possibilities of being discovered. But their wanton need for each other made them take the risks.
That weekend, John informed Anna that he would be late coming home as he was spending time at his friend's house.
Unable to help herself, knowing that John would be away for the day, Anna rang up her brother telling him that there were a few hours for them to spend together on the weekend.
