Growing up on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Graham had always looked forward to spending the summer at the beach with his family. The Jersey shore may mean big hair and Guidos everywhere else but for him it meant the boardwalk and miniature golf, pure family fun. Ocean City, Wildwood and Cape May were indelibly burnt into his childhood memories. However, this year it looked grim for any family fun.
Sitting on the couch, the evening news played in the background as he ran things over in his head. His father had told him over his winter break from college that he was divorcing his mother to shack up with his twenty-five year old secretary which put quite a damper on Christmas. It had hit his mother hard who still cried some nights over the ending of her marriage. He'd spent his time since the last semester ended bumming around the house while trying to cheer up his mother. But, it was his last summer to enjoy his freedom since he'd graduate next year and would need to become a responsible adult.
His mother walked in from the kitchen in her navy pajama pants and a simple white top with spaghetti straps. He'd always thought her gorgeous and the years hadn't changed his opinion. She kept herself in shape and indulged in all those feminine things like spa treatments, facials and pedicures. Her long, raven black hair was as luxurious as ever and the shirt she wore showed that her shapely C-cups hadn't sagged. Most of all, she carried herself with a quiet elegance he admired and wished he could find in a woman for himself.
"Mom," he asked, a stray thought coming to him. "Does Uncle Mike still have that house in Jersey?" Her brother Mike ran a successful construction business in Bucks County catering to rich people who wanted expensive houses.
"I think so," she mused, her voice warm despite the weariness in it. "Why?"
"Well, I was thinking. Why don't we take a weeks vacation down to the shore like we always use to."
"Oh, I don't know... it wouldn't be the same."
He was glad she hadn't added 'without your father but the sadness showed in her face anyway. "But this is my last summer for a while to go," Graham whined. "Besides, you could use a vacation too."
She looked at him for a moment without saying a word before walking over to the couch and throwing herself down next to her son. "It would be nice to spend some time with my Teddy Graham before he is a man and doesn't have time for his old mother." A grin was on her face as she wrapped an arm around Graham's back and hugged her son against her side.
Graham rolled his eyes at her nickname for him ever since he could remember but he felt elated to see her smiling. All through his childhood she'd had a smile on her face constantly and was a constant optimist. All of that had gone away since his dad had admitted his affair and filed for divorce. "Great, let me call Uncle Mike and see if we can use it and then we can get to planning things."
Not wanting to give his mother a chance to change her mind, he called his Uncle right away and, after chatting about life, found out he did indeed still have a place down in Margate City. Even better, it was right next to the beach and his family didn't have plans to go down for a month since he was wrapped up in securing a new deal on a property in Center City Philly. Hanging up, he discussed things with his mother and they decided she'd put in to have off next week from her job at an insurance company. And he would grab the keys from his Uncle by Friday so they could take off on Saturday morning for the Jersey shore.
Graham couldn't help noticing how upbeat his mother was the rest of the week. They spent a lot more time talking or simply sitting on the couch watching movies, and he didn't even balk once when she would put in a chick flick on occasion. Even with the time together, the week took an eternity to get over for Graham who'd been restless for a while.
Friday finally came and he grabbed the keys along with the alarm code for the beach house from his Uncle. He spent the rest of the day packing and loading the car up with his stuff and his mother's bags she'd packed during the week. When his mother finally got home, they had a nice dinner chatting about what they would do and he noted how she never mentioned going out on the beach. Sleeping that night was difficult as he always had trouble getting rest before a trip because of nervous energy.
After a fitful night of sleep, Graham got up, throwing on a pair of khaki shorts and a navy Henley, and began making breakfast. The coffee was essential but the whole wheat waffles were more for his mother, wanting to start her vacation right. They had been close when he was younger but he had let the rebellious teen stage push them apart, only realizing in college just how much she had done for him, how much she'd given of herself. Now, he wanted to give back to her, to see her happy like she'd done for him.
Soon, the flapping of leather on wood sounded in the hallway and he looked up at his mother, amazed at how gorgeous she could look in the simplest of outfits. She wore a teal sun dress that set off her tan skin and bared her fit shoulders and arms. The hem of the dress stopped just short of her knees so her shapely legs were on display down to her sandal covered feet. But the smile on her lips was what caught Graham's gaze, pleased to see it was becoming a permanent fixture again.
"Breakfast is ready," he said, setting a plate of waffles on the center island.
"You're going to spoil me," she retorted, grabbing a cup of coffee.
"Beautiful women should be spoiled." Graham smiled at her hoping his ego stroking wasn't over the top but she was in need of a boost.
"My son, the charmer. Or is it the player?"
They both snickered at her comment knowing he was never one to treat women like something to chalk up and prove himself. Eating quietly, they were soon on the road heading through a grey, ugly Philly before the green of the New Jersey countryside was passing by them. The weather was beautiful for the trip with plenty of blue sky and sun as they took the back roads not wanting to deal with traffic on the Garden State Parkway. It let them stop along the way as they wished.
As they got closer, music from the 80's blaring from the speakers, Graham glanced over at his mother. "I was thinking we could hit the beach when we get there and leave unpacking for later. A dip in the ocean sounds good right now."
She looked over at him hesitantly as the smile slipped from her lips. "You can do that," she started, her words low. "But I didn't bring a bathing suit as no one wants to see my old ass in one."
The tires squealed on pavement as Graham hit the brakes and turned sharply into a parking lot. He moved into the back of the lot before slamming the car into park, shifting in his seat to face his startled mother. "Don't talk like that," he said more vehemently than he meant. "You are beautiful and any man would be ecstatic to see you in a bikini. I wish I could find a woman as gorgeous and elegant as you are. Dad was an idiot to leave someone as hot as you are so stop putting yourself down."
"You're just saying that."
"No, I'm not. I'm being honest with you. I just don't go around saying you're hot because it's weird."
"No, it's not weird. And thank you."
Mother and son drove in silence for a little bit after that but they both had smiles on their faces, the little exchange touching both of them. Graham was surprised when his mother suggested they stop at a little boutique in Egg Harbor to look for a suit for her. It was near where they were heading so he headed that way hoping there were other stores in the area. He'd gone shopping with his mother before and it could take a while so he'd have to find something to keep him busy while she looked. Traffic was heavy but thankfully he'd avoided some of the worst going the back ways and pulled the car into a spot near the store she wanted.
He got out and looked up and down the strip mall, trying to figure out where he'd go, when his mother asked him to come in with him. His curious glare provoked a giggle before she said he had to help since he thought she would look hot in a swimsuit so she'd need some encouragement to pick one out. Snickering, he shrugged and headed into the store with her, the bell ringing as they walked inside to be surrounded by the perfumed air and racks of clothes.
They looked through the racks of swimsuits with Graham standing next to his mother, looking at everything she paused on. She kept quickly passing over the bikini's and going for the one piece suits as she slid the plastic hangers over the metal rack. When she finally held up a simple black and white one piece, Graham pursed his lips for a moment before reaching past her to pull out a bikini that was a light blue she liked. "How about this one," he asked.
She looked at him suspiciously for a moment before looking at the item again, a pained look on her face. "I can't wear that on the beach," she said, not willing to bring up the 'because no one wanted to see her in it' again.
"Well, you can wear it at the pool," he replied. "Uncle Mike said the place has a nice, secluded pool in the back. And it will save you the trouble of having to wash out one suit to use between the beach and the pool." He told himself it was just because he wanted to boost her body image that he pushed but Graham couldn't help finding a strange thrill at his mother in the suit just for him to admire.
Grabbing the bikini, she took it with the swim suit she picked out and headed back to the changing room with her son following. He took a seat outside while she disappeared behind the door. It was weird, he thought, sitting there facing the door that was open at the bottom and top. He could see his mother strip out of her dress and caught sight of the panties at her ankles just before she pulled them off. It stirred the excitement inside of him, feeling himself getting hard, before the guilt flooded him a short while later. He shouldn't be excited thinking about his mother that way.