Anna shook her head at the reflection in the mirror. Here she was carefully applying make-up to go out. She planned to use her favorite glossy lipstick. She'd thought about it in advance. She had on her white thin blouse, the one she thought made her look sexy. The cleavage was visible where the second button was left undone.
What was she thinking, she asked herself again, for what must have been the third time, at least.
Yes, it was Friday night. Yes, she wanted to look good whenever she went out. Yes, there would be others at the bar and restaurant where she planned on meeting Jason. But, Jason was her son. Her adult son recently out of college. She instinctively knew that she should not be primping like this for a night out that included her son.
A part of her wanted to say that this wasn't for Jason at all. She would have been putting herself together carefully anyway. This was true last Friday or maybe the time before. However, the last two Fridays, she didn't meet anyone else while out with Jason, and the truth was that she wasn't planning on trying to meet anyone this Friday either. She was just going out to have fun with Jason.
Anna and Jason had fallen into this casual routine of getting together and hanging out Fridays. They'd laugh, talk and relax. They both liked it. It seemed to work for them both. It was like they had gone from one kind of relating to each other to another lately. With his graduation, he seemed alot more mature and they got along like good friends.
Anna reflected on how the time she had taken after her divorce from Jason's father had stretched from the 'few months' she didn't think she'd date to now two years. She didn't relish the idea of getting back into dating. Meeting strangers and going through all of the motions of getting to know someone just seemed like alot of work to her. She knew this was a bad attitude. She couldn't help it. By the time the weekend came, she didn't want stress or to do things she wasn't really wanting to do. This especially included the kind of games that alot of guys played.
This recent routine of getting together with Jaosn also seemed good for him. He had stopped seeing a girlfriend he'd had for a while, and he wasn't eager to meet anyone else right now he'd said. So, here they were. It was like they didn't want to go to any trouble, abut they also wanted to get out and do something. Anna treasured their time together. The truth of the matter was that Anna was pleasantly surprised Jason wanted to spend the time with her.
Once Jason graduated from high school, he developed into quite the handsome and athletic guy. He shed his self-consciousness for some self-assuredness, and that wound up making him popular with girls and resulting in his having no shortage of dating prosects. Anna raised this with him at after dinner Friday.
"You know, I've liked our hanging-out these last few Fridays," she started.
"Yeah? Well, me too." He sounded enthusiastic.
She looked at him with some puzzlement. "Yeah? That amazes me. I mean, the idea of you wanting to get together like this. There's gotta be many girls you could move on with."
He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess." He took a drink from a beer and he smiled to her. "Who says I'm not moving on with someone?" He smirked.
Anna was taken back. She gave a surprised look. "Really, who is she? How did you meet her?" Anna was suddenly curious about this mystery girl.
"What?" Jason asked.
"This girl you're moving on with---I didn't know you'd met anyone."
"Ohhh," he realized she didn't get what he was saying the first time, "hey, I've been moving on with you."
Anna tilted her head a little at first as she tried to get what he meant. She gave an uncertain smile. "Well, that's sweet of you. I thought you meant that you'd met someone. That you'd started seeing someone. I wasn't referring to me."
"But, I was." Jason leaned in toward her and looked her straight in the eyes. "Referring to you, I mean. No, I haven't met anyone, but it's like the time we've spent lately has been different. You seem a little different. I don't know; maybe I do, too. It's just that we relate to each other differently, you know?"
Anna returned his look and her mind tried to sort through what he was describing. "Well sure," she started. "We get along so well. I love you so much. I like us being able to hang-out."
"Good." He smiled at her. "Me too."
"I thought it sounded like you were interested in someone, that's all." She tried to clarify.
"Well," Jason searched for words and looked a little perplexed. "How do I say this?" He looked like he was trying to decide the easiest way to break some news to her.
"Hey, don't worry. Just tell me, honey."
"Okay, are you sure?" He looked so concerned.
"Yeah," she smiled reassuring him.
"I like seeing you."
He kept looking at her after he'd said it, and Anna paused wondering what else he was trying to say.
"I like seeing you, too." She said nonchalantly.
Jason slowly spoke like he was adding particular meaning. "I want to think of this as us really seeing each other."
Anna looked at him, and her mind was going blank. She furrowed her brow as she showed him she didn't understand.
He took a breath and explained. "These times getting together lately... they've been great. I feel comfortable with you. I look forward to seeing you." He paused. "I want to 'see you' see you."
Anna's mouth opened slightly as she pondered what he might be saying. She grinned disbelieving. "See me?"
"Yes." He said with some relief, it seemed, that the idea was out there.
"Jason," she stammered at a loss for words for a moment, "I don't think you mean like... 'dating', do you?"
Jason studied her face for her reaction. He didn't say anything out loud, instead letting the realization of his silence answer for him. He didn't look away, deciding to stick with what he was saying.
Anna sat frozen. Her mind raced with what the appropriate response should be. "Jason, uhhh... I can't believe you said that. Ummm, you know, that's just not possible. I mean, that's very sweet, but... no, not possible."
"It's not?" He said it not like a question but like more of a gentle challenge.
She gave a quick shake of head not believing what he was saying. "Jason, first of all, that's just...wrong. You know what I mean? It worries me you'd even bring that up. That kind of thing can't happen. It doesn't happen. Where do you get those thoughts?"
He shook his head back to her. "Wait a second. I've thought about this. I'm a grown man, an adult. You're an adult. You're divorced. I'm single. Other than that, we can do what we want." She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head back at him. He went on. "Hear me out. We get together and enjoy being with each other don't we? We can talk and laugh? And," he took a breath, "you're very attractive."
She grinned against all better judgment. She could feel her face blush. "Jason, you're attractive, too. But... . Hey, you're my son. I'm your mother. That kind of thing is not right. That kind of thing wouldn't work. You know that."
"Wouldn't work? I don't know. Why not?" He asked her directly.
"Well," she started, "you know... ." Her voice trailed as she searched for more. "I mean, what in the world would others say?"
"We don't have to say anything to anyone. Do we?" He gave a broad grin. "There that's solved." He'd thought about this.
She gave him a look that conveyed surprise and disbelief, like maybe he was joking. "You sure know how to shock me, don't you?" She chuckled a little.
"Well, I wasn't trying to shock you. Not all. It's just that...well that's how I'm feeling, and I wanted to be honest." He looked at her earnestly.
She slowly nodded in response.
"Just think about it. Think about what I've said, that's all."
They started leaving the restaurant. The last several times he'd walked her to her car, and this time was no different. They were beside her car as she fished her keys from her purse.
"I hope I didn't offend you or scare you. I really wasn't trying to."
"Oh, I know, honey." She tried to make it sound comforting. "You're just going through a phase or something."
As if in response, he put his hands to her face and cupped her face to tilt it to him. He completely surprised her with this. He brought his lips to her's gently and kissed her. She didn't move. She felt his lips meet her's. She felt dazed as she he pressed sweetly to her, and just as suddenly his face pulled back. She felt a warmth go through her she never expected.
"Good night," he said in a low voice.
"Good night." She answered and got in her car. She felt herself a little shaky from the intensity of what had just happened as she started her car. On the way, she would play the events of the evening over and over, analyzing it. Unbelieveable, she thought.
-----
She was very intrigued. She had serious concerns. Serious apprehensions. But, the more she thought about it, the more she thought about how Jason had pointed out they were adults and how it was really up to them. She found herself nervously excited. She was distracted at times over the next several days. She told herself that it was nothing, a phase of his. She figured she'd let herself be flattered with his attention, and he'd come to his senses.
There were times when she caught herself thinking about it all. She would think about how the kiss felt and how long it'd been since being kissed like he kissed her. She had one date after her divorce, and absolutely nothing romantic had happened. It was a sour experience that left her reluctant to try again. Prior to that, it'd been a couple of years since she and her ex-husband had been physical. The more she thought about it, then the more she realized her last few years had been so dull.
At other times, she would chastise herself for even thinking about what Jason had suggested. She had to be the sane and moral one here, she thought. Jason was young, and he could act without regard for things. She couldn't. While Jason was still young, it struck her that he was grown and he had turned out very well. Smart, respectful, and thoughtful, he also was handsome and charming. Any woman would be intrigued by him, she figured. There were times when she smiled to herself while thinking of him those few days. She also had to admit they'd been relating differently---maybe more equally---the last few weeks.
At the beginning of the week, he called her, as he had done the previous few weeks. As they talked, she found herself feeling a little self-conscious, slightly blushing. The talk turned, as she wondered if it might, to Friday night.
"So, are we on for Friday?" He asked her, sounding like he was probably smiling.
"Yeah, sure." She listened for a response on his end, and when there wasn't an immediate one, she added a thought. "So long as you're gonna behave, that is." She was the one now smiling.
"Okay, it's a date then. See you Friday. Pembrook's at seven?"
