"Still haven't figured anything out for the fundraiser?"
Alison sighed, annoyed by the question despite it being the root of why she'd called Brenna in the first place. "Nothing yet. I suppose I could just hop around in my Wonder Woman costume. Shake the goods a bit. Jeff hates the idea, but it's basically his fault I'm in this position anyway."
She was multitasking, talking to Brenna on speakerphone while cooking breakfast. Her husband, Jeff, had been called across the country for work, and it was just her and her son, Robbie, at the house.
"Didn't Jeff throw a fit the first year the fundraiser ran after you did that?" asked Brenna. "I seem to recall a heated and awkward argument outside in the parking lot."
"You only recall that because I told you about it. It's not like we made a scene. He just... doesn't like it if he's not in the picture, I guess. It's why we shifted to doing the mock wrestling bout for the fundraiser."
"It's not like he can blame you for a bit of flaunting on stage if he's going to be gone the entire month, anyway," said Brenna. "You certainly have the goods for it, Ali."
"Maybe ten years ago I did."
"You're so full of it."
Alison smiled and pulled her robe closed. She was aware that she was harder on her body than it deserved. The attention she'd gotten from men certainly hadn't waned in the way she'd feared it might as she'd closed in on her fortieth birthday. If anything, it'd surged.
"Anyway, it would probably mean picking another fight with Jeff," said Alison. "I just don't think it would be worth it."
The mom's community fundraiser had grown into a Riverbrook tradition over the past decade. The first year it'd been an act of desperation after a mishap with the production of their tease calendar had forced them to come up with a new driver of donations for the local kids' sports teams and food kitchens.
The idea for the calendar had been "Moms in Costume." The fundraiser which replaced it had quickly established itself as a titillating variety show, one that appealed to its targeted audience of dads and brothers and curious friends far more than anyone had expected.
Most of the acts in the live show were outright strip teases performed by familiar mothers donning the outfits of popular cinema characters. Alison had, since the second year, always done a mock wrestling match with her husband, Jeff. Wonder Woman vs The Joker, a time-honored DC classic.
"You're one of the crowd favorites, Ali," said Brenna. "Whatever it comes to, just promise me you won't sit it out."
"It might not be up to me." Alison scowled as she spoke the words, annoyed at how passive they made her sound.
It wasn't as though she didn't understand where her husband was coming from. It wasn't mindless jealousy, not exactly. They'd been together for just over twenty years. She'd been wild, once upon a time.
Before she and Jeff had begun dating, a few of his old friends had
met her
first. He'd been extremely protective of her around them and any other man he deemed as a threat ever since the two of them had gotten serious about one another. The attitude had stuck with him even though they'd moved halfway across the country in the time since.
"Why not use Robbie?" asked Brenna.
"Use Robbie... as in, my son, Robbie?"
"Yeah. Jeff wore that mask instead of makeup last year. Why not just teach him the routine you guys used last year and have him fill in?"
"Life isn't a sitcom, Bren," said Alison. "At least one of Jeff's coworkers knows he'll be out of town and will be there. I can't just pretend that my son is my husband for a night and roll around with him. Fuck. Phrasing. You know what I mean."
"Then don't pretend," said Brenna. "Robbie looked like he was in fantastic shape the last time I saw him. He's taller than his father, too. God, imagine him shirtless like Jeff was last year. I bet he'd be sporting lean muscle instead of a beer gut."
"He's a swimmer," admitted Alison, pride leaking into her tone. "He also works out in the off season."
"More importantly, there's no way your husband could get riled over his own son taking care of his mom in his absence. Seriously. I know it sounds silly, but I think it might be your best bet."
"I don't know if Robbie would be up for it, though," said Alison. "It's the summer. He's out with his friends or chasing girls almost every night. We'd have to rehearse like crazy to be ready in time for this weekend."
"He's already bought a ticket for the show, so it's not like you have to worry about him being elsewhere for the night in question."
"...He did?" Alison wasn't involved in the ticket sales and felt a moment of surprise. Robbie was eighteen, so it wasn't as though there was anything stopping him. It still felt a bit odd to know that he'd been so keen on seeing a tease show starring his mother and her friends as to buy an early ticket.
"I've also seen how he looks at me sometimes," said Brenna, in a teasing voice. "Being in the show would mean also being backstage, where all the women are doing quick changes and getting excited from performing."
"Bren!"
"I'm not suggesting anything," laughed Brenna. "I just think he'd be far more open to the idea than you're assuming."
"Far more open to what?" Robbie came downstairs and into the conversation.
Alison smiled affectionately at him even as she felt a little annoyed at his timing. It seemed to steal the decision from her hands to have Brenna on the phone as it was tossed out there. Not that Alison was against it, necessarily. It was just a little weird imagining wrestling her son, even in a staged sense.
"We're discussing the
Moms in Costume
show," said Alison. "Your father is out of town this year and Brenna got the idea into her head that you'd be the perfect replacement."
"Absolutely." Robbie smiled as he came up to her at the stove. He kissed her on the cheek and snagged one of the cooked pieces of bacon from where it was degreasing on a paper towel. She jokingly swatted his hand away as he went for a second.
"Absolutely, as in... you'll do it?" asked Alison.
"Yeah," said Robbie. "Is your friend Brenna going to be there?"
"Her friend Brenna is on the line right now," said Brenna, in a teasing voice. "Not only will I be there, but I came up with a new act. Maybe if we rehearse together ahead of time, I'll let you see it early."
It wasn't the first time that Brenna's teasing of Robbie had, in Alison's opinion, veered a bit over the line. She was surprised by Robbie's speechless reaction. He was the leader among his group of little friends, popular with the girls his age, but he clearly harbored an intense crush on Brenna. It irritated Alison as often as it amused her.
"I didn't realize you, uh... were on the line," said Robbie.
"So you don't want to see my new act?" pouted Brenna.
"No!" laughed Robbie. "I mean, yes. Definitely. Whenever. Just, uh... let me get your number real quick and I'll..."
