"Can you top me up, Alicia?" Debbie asked, her voice already giggly. I obliged and filled her glass with white wine, almost to the brim as she nodded her head encouragingly, laughing to myself at how wild these middle-aged ladies got when they had the opportunity to let their hair down.
It was the night of my Mom's cocktail party at our house. It usually happened every few months, with rotating hosts. Mom always got really excited about hosting. I had only been to the ones we had at our house, which was probably for the best, because while the nights usually started off fairly unremarkably, the debauchery tended to overwhelm things quickly.
They all loved their wine and, of course, there was always a signature cocktail to be had. They always got dolled up for the occasion, embodying the
why not?
attitude that dominated most of their social gatherings. Mom was dressed sensibly in jeans and a white blouse, but had spent a lot of time on her make-up and had her shoulder-length hair down, the dark streaked through with grey. Most of the ladies were divorced, including my Mom, and after they imbibed, they really knew how to let the colourful language fly. They didn't hold back, the volume steadily rising as they yelled about their sexual exploits, cackling with glee at the scandalous behaviour they routinely entwined themselves in.
I could tell from the cacophony booming from our kitchen that we were rapidly approaching that point of the night. I peeked my head around from the living room, spying my Mom with a few of her friends, hollering and laughing like they hadn't a care in the world. I actually did like seeing her this way; she was always a joyous person, but her spark seemed a bit dull lately.
Most weekend nights I'd be out with my friends, but seeing as how I lived at home in my early 20s still, and these events were important to Mom, I attended out of solidarity. I knew she loved having me around for them, and I unofficially fulfilled the role of drink-topper and, for those who
really
went for it, babysitter.
Mom saw me from the kitchen, beckoning for me to come join. I looked quickly around for my wine glass, taking a sip, steeling my nerve as I made my way over. I was fully prepared for her embarrassing actions; her friends always egged her on. I was more on the reserved side, perhaps taking after my Dad. She often mentioned how he had held her back, like he had shackled her and prevented her from being herself. She was definitely
un
shackled tonight.
She put her hands out in an enthusiastic welcome. "My baby! Come talk with us, sweetie," she said too loudly, her face flushed with alcohol and mirth. I hugged her quickly, turning to acknowledge the other ladies in the circle politely.
"Alicia, honey, you look so gorgeous tonight!" Kelly said, her cocktail nearly finished.
"She must have
all
the boys after her," Janelle said to my Mom, as if I wasn't even in the room.
"I think they're interested, but she doesn't let them get near! High standards for my princess," Mom said with a touch of pride in her voice.
"Mom..." I said, unable to let the comment slide.
"Oh it's ok, hon! You have to wait for the right guy. And if he's the right one, he'll be willing to beg for it," Penny said, giggling like a child.
"Don't you just love it when they're so desperate for it? They really can't think about anything else!" Mom exclaimed, setting off a round of laughs.
"Yeah but neither can you, Sheila!" Janelle teased, the ladies laughing.
Mom hit Janelle playfully, a mock-angry expression on her face, before melting into a grin. "Can you blame me? A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. And some of the men out there are just...mmm."
"I hear you, babe," Kelly agreed.
"Have your eye on anyone special, Alicia?" Penny asked, leering at me as if I had the juiciest gossip of the group.
"Um, no, not really. Nobody in particular," I admitted, trying to think of any excuse possible to escape this increasingly painful situation.
"She's an independent woman!" My mom said proudly, putting her arm around me, squeezing my shoulder tightly.
"Even independent women need a good fuck every now and then," Janelle said, draining the last of her cocktail.
"And if they can't get that, at least a glass of wine and a date with the shower head will do the trick!" Kelly howled, suddenly overcome with laughter.
I felt my face go red at that. "I'm...going to make sure everyone else is doing all right," I said, shifting away from my Mom's grasp.
"Aww, sweetie, it's ok, we're just joking around! Girls will be girls, you know?" Mom called after me as I finally exited the room, ironically in search of my own alcohol to wash away the absurd experience. I found my wine glass and drained it, looking around for an open bottle, stalking across the room when I spotted it. I filled up my glass again, taking another healthy sip, shaking my head to myself.
I engaged in small talk a few more times, restricting myself to the living room, until the guests slowly began to peter out. I made sure everyone had a designated driver to get them home; I was somewhat inebriated myself, but I had enough wits about me to fulfill the role properly.
My Mom eventually kissed her last guest goodbye, and she came over to the couch, dropping down dramatically next to me. The booze on her breath was apparent, and she was slightly glassy-eyed.
"That was a lot of fun, wasn't it hon?" she asked, nudging my arm with her elbow, trying to get a rise out of me.
"Yeah, seemed like a great turn-out, Mom. Everyone seemed to love your signature cocktail this time around," I agreed, somewhat sullen, taking in all the party debris surrounding us.
"Are you ok, darling?" she asked, her tone softening, her fingers playing with my hair, as she often affectionately did.
I shrugged my shoulders a bit. "Yeah, I'm fine Mom. Things always seem to get a little out of hand at these parties."
"You're not still upset about what the girls were saying, are you?"
"I was never
upset
, it's just that group, including you, just feeds off itself and says the most inappropriate things possible in a public space," I stated firmly.
"Oh, I'm sorry, love. We're just having fun. You know how I love getting together with my friends. But I love you the most, you know that, right? I didn't mean for anything to touch a nerve," she said, nestling in closer to me, appealing to my forgiving nature.
"Private things should just be private," I said softly.
"Aww, honey, they were just being silly. And drunk. Like I am," she giggled. "Besides, can you honestly say you
haven't
been wanting to be with a guy? It's been a long time since I've seen you go on a date."
"Mom, ugh, seriously? I mean, yeah, I'd love to date a nice guy, but it'll just happen when it happens, all right? I've told you this a million times," I said indignantly. She tried to placate me by rubbing my arm, but I carried on. "That wasn't the part that really bothered me, though."
She looked at me quizzically, then recognition dawned on her face, manifesting as a slow grin. "Ohhh, I see. Don't want everyone to know you're dating your showerhead?"
"My god Mom, honestly. You're being ridiculous right now."
"What?? There's nothing wrong with a little self-love!
Especially
if it's been a while since you've had the real thing. Lord knows I'm guilty of that," she muttered to herself, blatantly ignoring any attempt at decorum.
I looked at her incredulously. "I get that Mom, honestly, I do. It's just not the kind of thing I want to discuss with you and all your horny friends."
"Ohhh, I see how it is. Sweetie, I can tell you this with nothing but truth in my dear old heart. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Masturbation is a normal part of life. It's even better than sex a lot of the time!"
"I can't have this conversation right now," I said, pointedly looking away from her.
"Honey, don't be like that. Come on. Talk to your Mom," she began, misreading every social cue I was throwing at her. "Is it something you don't do very often? Or you're not good at?"
"I just - I can't - ugh. This is insane. We should not be talking about this right now."
"Sweetheart, I know you're a grown woman now. We can talk honestly about this kind of thing! I love you, and I would never judge you for any of it. I swear," she said, slurring the word
swear
.
"If you
must
know, which is very bold of you, it's never been my favourite thing. It just doesn't...feel that great for me," I said, following up this admission with a large sip from my wine glass, scarcely believing we were talking about this.
"Oh, really?" she asked, sitting up, suddenly more interested. "Maybe you're not doing it properly?"
"Mom, I think I know how to do it -"
"Well how do you do it?" she cut across me.
I stared at her unblinkingly. "You seriously want to know?"