Oxford University. A place of prestige and higher education.
It was also where my mother had been teaching for the past few years. I've been to England a few times, but never to that campus, until she finally convinced me to come visit her there. It was my break from college, so I had the time.
She was eager to give me a grand tour of the university and show me all of the historical buildings. Sure, I was definitely interested. But I also wanted to see what kind of hot European women they had on campus too.
Once I got there I could easily see why mom was never really interested in coming back to America. Because in America, she was just another woman with a fancy degree and excess knowledge. But on the Oxford campus, she was quite the Renaissance Woman.
She did it all. She taught courses on European and Greek history, she helped with new student orientation, she gave tours, and she did various things with art. An intellectual Wonder Woman, she was.
The campus was extraordinary. It was filled with history and stunning design. It was like a museum unto itself.
Oh, and the best part of the tour, as it would later turn out, was when she took me to meet her mentor, an Italian woman named Giavanna. She was a senior lecturer and was a highly accomplished and respected member of the facility.
We had a brief introduction and she couldn't have been nicer. What made her special was her passion for history and her powerful intellect. I could see why mom was so fond of this lady.
***
Things became interesting in mom's apartment later that evening. She seemed elated after checking her phone and seeing a message from Giavanna.
"Interesting news," she said with the phone in her hand. "And I don't know how you'll take it."
Mom approached me while I was relaxing on her couch, enjoying the beautiful view she had of the city. She sat down next to me with her eyes still on the phone.
"What is it?"
She put the phone down and smiled at me. "Giavanna is a highly accomplished artist, as I've told you. Everything she paints is just gold. I mean, gosh, I can't put it into words. That woman is a goddess."
It was obvious that mom was at a loss for words over her admiration for Giavanna. As an art lover, mom was often left speechless over paintings and sculptures that were magnificent in her eyes.
Mom continued, "Anyway, after meeting us today, she was convinced that we'd be perfect for her next masterpiece."
"Hold on a minute," I interjected. "She wants me too? As in, I'd have to be part of the art."
"Yes, isn't it exciting?"
"Well, not really. I mean, art isn't my thing. I'd be fine if she wants to take a picture of us. She can do whatever she wants with that."
Mom flashed a no-nonsense look. "Whatever Giavanna wants, Giavanna gets. The woman is a unique talent in this world. Plus I owe her so much for everything she's done for me. She recommended that Oxford give me a full time position after I had only been teaching there for two semesters."
There was no quit in my mother. Whenever she had her sights on something, she'd find a way to make it happen. That's an attractive quality about her. It's also the reason why she could do whatever she wanted in life. She was fearless.
"What do I have to do?" I sighed.
A radiant smile beamed on mom's face. "Here, let me show you the message from Giavanna."
Mom held the phone out so I could read the email:
Helen,
It was so nice meeting your son today. He seems to be a charming fellow. I think you two have wonderful chemistry together. I would love to capture it if possible.
Would you two be interested?
The two of you seem to have a natural spark. I cannot begin to explain it. When I saw you together, I realized that the two of you be perfect for my rendition of Bernini's Pluto and Proserpina.
I've been interested in making a new version of that for years, but I could never find the right models for it. After meeting Stuart, I realized that I need both of you! A mother/son relationship would certainly add an interesting twist to this rendition, wouldn't you say?
If interested, I'll be free in my usual lecture hall at 3 pm. It will only take an hour for me to paint your bodies and expressions onto the canvas. This version will be raw and made to my usual taste. Then you two are free to leave.
Love
Gia
When I finished reading the message, mom took her phone back.
"It's a famous sculpture," mom explained. "If Giavanna wants us to pose for her painting version of it, then we can't refuse. It's a big honor."
"Fine. But I have to warn you, I've never posed for anything before. I don't know if I can hold still for an hour. There could be a slight chance that I might ruin her work by moving too much."
"Don't be a wuss," she joked. "Believe me, time passes by easier than you think. Posing is easy."
"So you've done this before?"
"Several times with Giavanna. We paint or sculpt each other when we have spurts of inspiration."
"That's interesting," I said.
"Why? Don't you think that I have the body for that kind of art?"
There was a proud look on her face as she kind of misinterpreted my question. Did she really just say that?
"You've posed nude before?" I had to ask.
She shrugged off my lewd question. "Art is art. The human body is one of the highest forms of art there is."
"Okay, you've
definitely
spent too much time around the academic elite. You're starting to sound like a snob."
She sneered and I laughed.
"It's what I love," she said. "Being part of Giavanna's collection is going to be a wonderful experience. Frankly, I'm glad she wanted you for something. You'll get to experience one of my favorite hobbies."
"Sitting around for an hour without moving?" I quipped.
"You'll see tomorrow. I've really learned a lot from her this past year. We've taken turns painting each other and she's given me a lot of tips."
I just had to ask. "Nude?"
"Of course. Is there a better way?"
Suddenly, my mind rushed with lewd thoughts of them naked together. Two mature beauties, standing around bare as they took turns painting each other.
How truly European.
Mom sensed my thoughts and added, "It's actually quite liberating. You should try it sometime. Without me there, of course."
"Mom," I said, shaking my head. "I'm a guy. It's different."
"What's that supposed to mean? That you'll get an erection if you posed for a woman?"
"Basically, yes."
"There are plenty of male models," she pointed out. "None of them have issues with their penises while posing."
"That's because they're professionals."
"Enough talk about penises for today. There'll be plenty of that for tomorrow."
"Huh?"
Mom waved her hand. "Oh, relax. You won't be getting naked. But the pose that Giavanna wants to make is based on a nude art. Knowing her, she'll carefully describe all the nude parts of the original."
"The Pluto something-something?"
"That's the one. And it's called
Pluto and Proserpina,
by Bernini. You should look it up later. It's a beautiful piece of work. I've always been fascinated by how Bernini managed to make the marble look exactly like her flesh."
Later that night, I took mom's advice and checked out that sculpture on the internet. We'll be posing for that? I thought. Clearly it was going to be an interesting process if we had to pose like that. Neither of us realized how life changing it would actually become.
***
The next day. I walked to campus and met with my mother after she finished teaching a class. We made some small talk and she gave me a few pointers on how to be a good model. I wasn't thrilled about doing this, but it did sound like it would be a fun experience.
When the time came, we went to the long lecture hall. Giavanna chose that space because it had these massive windows which would provide natural sunlight for the art.
We waited around while Giavanna meticulously prepared the posing area, her canvas, and her painting supplies. Then she quickly had us strike a few mock poses while she gazed at us intensely, figuring out the perfect position.
"Okay, I know what I want,"
Giavanna said with her thick and luscious Italian accent.
"Now become bare. Everything off."
I turned to my mother so fast that I nearly had whiplash. Mom's facial expression was obviously that of shock. She was caught totally off guard by this.
"Nude?" mom asked. "I assumed we'd be clothed for this, since I'm with my son this time."
"Wasn't I clear in the email?"
Giavanna asked.