The relationship between a loving mother and son is something very special. I love my mom. I always have. I grew up with three sisters, but I was the only boy. My mom and I always had a very close relationship, but it was never very physical. I would hug her goodnight before I went to bend, but that was about it. When I graduated and went away to college, I remember her crying as I got ready to board the airplane. We shared a long hug and then I left. Years later she confided in me that she always wished she had been more physically affectionate with me as a young boy. She told me that she had stopped kissing me when I was 3 or 4 years old and that by the time I left for college we wished that she could have kissed me on the lips. The sentiment was not sexual at all, far from it. She just wanted to connect with me on a more intimate level. Honestly when she told me that I was a little weirded out.
Fast forward almost twenty years. I am now in my late 30s and my mom is in her late 60s. My dad passed away a few years ago and I moved in with my mom to help take care of her and to help with the finances. We had been living together for about 6 months when I heard her crying from the other room. I slowly walked up to her bedroom door and listened closer. I could clearly hear her gently crying as she sat on her bed. I was torn between walking away to save her from embarrassment or investigating further and seeing if there was something I could help with. In the end I slowly pushed her door open and stepped inside.
She looked up at me in surprise and immediately began wiping her eyes. I sat down next to her on the bed and wrapped my arm around her. I knew she was probably thinking about my dad. She rested her head on my shoulder and began to cry again. We sat there like that for what seemed to be a long time, but I'm not sure exactly how long it was. Eventually, she stopped crying and seemed to come back to herself. She apologized and thanked me for sitting with her. I assured her that I loved her and would always be there for her, no matter what she needed from me.
As I got up and started to leave the room she called me back. I turned and stood looking at her as she sat on the bed. Our eyes met and she asked me if I remember the day I left for college. Of course I did and I told her that. She asked if I remember what she had later told me about that day. Again, I assured her that I did. She had told me that she wished she would have kissed me. She just nodded and kept looking at me. There was an awkward pause, as I didn't exactly know where she was going with this or what she expected of me. Finally, she stood up and crossed the floor to me. She was standing less than a step away and looking up into my eyes. She reached both hands up and put them on either side of my face and pulled me in for a kiss.
It was a soft, tender, and loving kiss that lasted longer than I expected, but I didn't pull away. Her lips were warm and slightly salty as we pulled apart. She smiled at me and then patted me on the cheek and turned back to her bed. I also turned around and walked out. That was the end of it, I thought. She was feeling sad and lonely and needing some human contact. Even better, she needed to feel loved by her family. I was happy to be able to help.
We didn't speak about it the next day. It was like it never happened. I saw her in the morning, we had breakfast together, and I said goodbye to her before I ran off to work. Honestly I kind of put it out of my mind. It was a long and busy day at the office. By the time I got home, I had completely forgot about the slightly strange, if sweet, encounter with my mom the night before. I got home later than usual and she was already in bed. I tried not to make too much noise as I quickly fixed myself some dinner, then cleaned up the kitchen and headed off to take a shower. I threw my clothes on the bed and climbed into the hot shower, letting the stress of the day melt away. My muscles felt relaxed and my mind cleared. After I dried off, I threw on a pair of boxers and a comfy old t-shirt and came out of the bathroom. I climbed into bed and turned out the lights.