Mark adjusted the collar on his shirt, ran his fingers through his hair, and stepped out of the car. It was good to be home, he thought. His first year of college had been fun, but people were still wary of Covid and that made many things awkward. Especially finding open dives to meet girls.
Much of his first semester had been online from this very location. With vaccines, the restrictions were finally lifted and he had sped away filled with dreams of concerts, coeds, and a lot of empty condom boxes. Too bad they were just those - dreams.
"Sweetie" rose and filled the air. Flying around the corner in a blur of brown hair and white sweats, his mother nearly tackled him and gave him a bone crunching hug. He reached down to kiss her cheek and noticed it was moist with tears.
"Mom?", he asked, "are you OK?"
"Can't a mother miss her son?" She tweaked his chin and said, "let's get these things upstairs." As the two moved everything up to the small apartment Mark had grown up in, anyone passing by would have never taken them for mother and son. They looked like twins, even on close inspection.
Mark maneuvered his suitcase and trunk into the bedroom he had known as a child. His body was starting to develop nicely, making it easy to carry the heavy items. His first year on the rugby team had left him with muscles upon muscle, along with an ass that drove the freshman girls nuts.
His mother was a bit startled by the view and had to stifle her astonishment with a cough. "My little boy is all grown up". He turned and gave her the hug this time. She was dwarfed by his chest and arms. Fortunately, it wasn't the same bear hug she had given him or he would have crushed her.
Looking down, he noticed she was still having difficulty fighting off the tears. "Are you sure you are OK?" He asked again.
"I'll be fine", she said. "We've been through so much. Allow an old mother a chance to be proud of her son growing up."
"Old?" He looked at her strangely. She did the same. Then they broke out laughing.
Miranda had Mark when she was a very young woman. A not legal age woman. She had wanted to keep him, so she put up with the jeers and snickers as she carried him through school. Juggling classes and a new baby proved easy, but getting a job afterwards was difficult. The women treated her like dirt, while the men all seemed to think it was going to give them free license to get laid. She had worked as a dancer, and even an escort. That was something she hoped Mark never learned. It kept him fed and clothed. Most of the time she considered it a sacrifice.
Sometimes, she really enjoyed it.
One day she decided to put it all behind her and move out of the city. A local college gave her a scholarship and she was now a nurse in the local retirement home. It was a modest living, but she was proud to have done it.
They jumped down the steps two at a time and ran into the kitchen. Mark never questioned why his mother was only 15 years his senior, but he didn't act like it bothered him in the slightest. They acted more like brother and sister with each other anyway.
Some awkward moments did arise, but Miranda decided it was best to be very open about sexuality as she was his only parent. She did insist on a strict rule of privacy, but there wasn't much they felt awkward talking about.
Just before he left for college he seemed to nearly triple his consumption of lotion. She chalked it off as being stuck inside from Covid while being able to meet his new classmates online. She was sure he had some attractive young ladies lined up.
"How about some dinner", she asked, and removed her sweat top, tossing it on the stool. She was wearing a white tee with a visible red bra underneath. She saw him catch a glimpse from across the counter. Did he just check her out? She tossed him a knife and a cutting board for the vegetables.
He did it again. She decided to say something. "Have the girls not been good to you sweetie? You can't seem to stop peeking at my chest."
"Aww mom, you know are so much hotter than those barely developed girls in school". He suddenly turned beet red. They had teased each other often, but he had never spoken about her body in that kind of language before.
"And that is quite enough. You know I want you to feel free with any of your questions or concerns about sex. That may be especially important this year. But we also have an understanding, remember? Privacy?"
"I'm sorry mom".
He looked like a hurt little boy. She added, "Besides, I didn't want to come across anything sticky in my vegetables later."
"Oh gross". He pretended to vomit. They finished dinner without a hitch and then it was off to a night of video games. He preferred shooters on the PlayStation. She occasionally would do some old single player RPGs, but tonight had some work to catch up on. She was taking a week off to be with him more, but that meant some work from home.
He came in later and kissed her good night. "Can I ask you something, mom?"
"Of course".
"The freshmen are all invited to bring their parents to visit the school in a big get together this summer. I'm happy to go if you want, but I figured you might not want to."
"Do I embarrass you?"
"No, exactly the opposite! I just know the other parents can be so mean. I heard some of them in High School. You didn't think I did but I did."
Her little kid was growing up. "That's kind of you sweetie, but not necessary. I've dealt with them far too long to let it bother me. Besides, I want to see what ladies are lined up for you."
"There aren't any, Mom. People are still too worried about Covid to go out."
"Stop lying to me or I'll give you a noogie."
"It's true".
Like a cat she pounced and had his head in her arm. With her other hand she rubbed, nearly raising a welt. "Hey! He yelped and tried to pin her down. She was too fast and limber, however. He had never been as agile as she was. They rolled around a bit and then finally rolled away from each other, laughing and exhausted.
Her sweatpants had come off. The white cutoffs she had on to match her tee had been completely pulled up in her crack. A beautiful cheek hung out, slightly covered by red panties. She made no attempt to cover herself.
He was pulling his own tee back down. She had nearly torn it off. His chest was completely ripped and her eyes were defying her own privacy rule. He was staring at her legs intently and it was then that she noticed the extra breeziness over her buttocks.
She noticed he had a rock hard erection.
She didn't avoid the subject or look away. "I guess you really have been through a dry spell. Why don't you take a bath and take care of that?"
"Mom, I don't do that".
"The next noogie cracks your skull."
"OK, OK, care to join me?" He almost looked hopeful.
"Sorry pal. You had a whole semester to try and get some. If any girls were interested at all, they won't be next year if they think you took baths with your old mother all summer."
"Stop with the old talk, he said. You know that you aren't."
