"I want to take you out," Mark smiled at his mother as the two of them sat together on the couch. "You know, dinner, dancing, a night on the town."
Tammi leaned back, she didn't feel well. The constant feeling of nausea was so overwhelming it was all she could think about. Food and dancing was the last thing on her mind.
What started out as a horrible act had turned into a horrible life. She was allowing herself to be manipulated and bent in horrible ways. Everything she was brought up to know as right and wrong was gnawing at her with each day. She knew she was wrong, but she was helpless to stop.
"I don't know," Tammi squeezed his thigh, "I'm not feeling so well."
"How about next Friday then," Mark laughed, "that will give you plenty of time to rest up."
As much as Tammi protested, Mark wasn't going to take no for an answer. Was she going to feel better? Would she ever feel better? Any thought of being normal was slipping away. What did Mark want, the public to know about his mother?
"If Mindy comes," Tammi finally agreed.
Mark was taken aback. How could she come? How could he be on a date with his mother when his sister was there. His sister that was throwing herself on him. The though made him terribly uncomfortable.
"Are you sure?" Mark finally found a way to answer. "Not just us?"
"No, honey," Tammi smiled, "that wouldn't be right."
Finally, Tammi felt some sense of control.
By the time Friday had come Tammi had time to reflect and to feel guilty. Some of her was excited to go on a date, even if it was with her son. Some of her wanted to be wined, dined and taken dancing. To be shown off. She wanted to feel wanted again.
Ever since her husband died that strange and horrible death, she had felt the need to be wanted. Nothing could prepare her for the sudden change of life, from being a wife to being a widow. Why would someone kill someone? Why did it have to be her husband?
"You have to start living again," Mindy smiled as if reading her mind, "you haven't been out of the house in months."
Tammi thought about it. It had been months. Grocery delivery and a fear of talking to anyone had made her a hermit. It started clouding her mind letting her lose touch with reality. Letting her fall into the trap that her life had become. Maybe this would be her first step out.
"Maybe I should get gussied up," Tammi laughed, "and try to meet someone while I'm still young."
The thought of her mother meeting a man while on a date with Mark drove Mindy wild. He would go crazy with jealousy. Would he be able to contain himself? Would he crack? The power was driving her mad.
"I'll help," Mindy smiled, "my friends and I love to get dressed together. Want to?"
Tammi thought about it. Was she doing it for Mark or was she doing it to meet someone? She was carrying Mark's baby. She wanted to bad not to be. So bad to go back, but you can't go back. Maybe there could be a way. Maybe she could meet someone.
"Yes," Tammi smiled, "like girlfriends."
"Let's get started then," Mindy smiled and dragged her mother off to her bedroom.
Mindy's room was a mess, but not nearly as bad as most times. The clothes were in baskets spread around the room and her drawers mostly empty. A few odd scraps of paper lined the walls with various scrawls on them.
"Are you ever going to clean this room?" Tammi asked half jokingly.
"Nah," Mindy smiled grabbing a giant ball of clothes, "it'll just get messy again. Let's use your room, it's bigger."
Tammi was relieved. Not only was her room bigger, it was cleaner and it was "her" room. For some reason it was the only place she felt she could fall back to. Even if Mark violated her privacy far too often, it was still a place she felt in control of. A place were she felt some control.
Tammi watched as Mindy started undressing. The same girl who screamed at her relentlessly about her body throughout her teens slowly removing her shirt and pants, then her bra and panties. Tammi felt a flush run through her body. Her daughter was so beautiful. Her daughter was a woman now, not a teen.
"Mom," Mindy nodded and smiled, "we have to start with the foundation."