Hi, my name is Paul. In 1972 I was in my last year of high school when I turned 18. My buddies and I were more interested in having fun our senior year than taking our studies seriously. When we werenât chasing girls, we were hanging out at my house. We had a finished basement with a pool table and it was a rather liberal atmosphere for us. My father worked nights at the auto assembly plant doing 12 hour shifts with overtime. No one would see my father except for a few hours during the day. My mother was one of those âcoolâ moms that all my buddies wish their moms were more like her.
Kerri-Ann is my mother. She was 39 when I was in my last year of high school. She was attractive for her age and my buddies always commented on her looks. She was slim, about 5â8â, long slender legs, blond hair, pale blue eyes, and wore a bit too much mascara. My mother was very friendly and always talking where my father has the quiet one. She hung out with us at the house, talking, shooting pool, etc..
I think what my buddies admired was that she acted young. She knew what we were talking about, liked the music we listened to, dressed in current fashion, and was open minded. Not to say that she would approve of pot smoking but she didnât have a problem with us being up or out late, smoking cigarettes, having an occasional beer, or about sex. She was OK with Playboy magazines around the house, talked about sex being wonderful, and joked about sex. To my buddies she was the cool mom but to me, she was just my mother. She enjoyed being with my friends and I think that was because she was somewhat lonely. She was on a different schedule than my father with his work hours and most of her friends had moved to other cities.
There were three friends and I who were together the most. Since the first friend could drive, we were always together on weekends, doing stuff in the evening, staying overnight at my house, and having some of the best times in my teenage years. As wegot into our senior year, we werenât being together as often. One friend got into a serious relationship with a girl and we hardly saw him. The rest of us were occasionally dating or working part time jobs which put us all on differing schedules. Despite the changes, we still would talk all the time either at school or on the phone. We still keep in contact with them to this day.
One Saturday night in March, my buddy Tony and I were shooting pool at my house. It was just the two of us that weekend and we were bored with no ideas for having fun that night. My mom came down and asked if she could join. She was always welcome and a real challenge as she was a real shark on the table. She cracked open a beer and proceeded to beat us three games in a row. It was always friendly and never competitive as the conversation with my mother over pool was fun and lively.
She was going on about this Tom Jones album that she had bought. She had a real fascination with him, listening to his music, watching his TV appearances, and one time she went to see his concert in a city that was 500 miles away. Tony and I really did not like his music but we were being nice to my mom and told her we liked his stuff. Kerri asked us if we were going out and since we had no plans, she offered us a beer. We took a break from the pool and sat around the card table drinking beer, smoking cigarettes, and chatting about everything under the sun.
It was getting around eleven, my mom told us that she was going to change and get to sleep soon. Tony and I resumed the pool game. After awhile, we decided to check the refrigerator in the kitchen as we were getting hungry. We walked upstairs to the kitchen where mom was doing some last minute clean up. She had changed into some white terry cloth shorts and a matching terry cloth top.
âYou boys hungry?â asked my mom
âYeah, just looking in the fridg, really not sure what sounds goodâ I said.
âHow about the left over pizza? Letâs heat it up! You want some, Kerri? Asked Tony
âOK â said Kerri, âIâll heat up the oven. It will be about ten minutes before you can put the pizza inâ
âThatâs fineâ I said, âanything on TV tonight?â
âOh, I flipped through the channels but there really is nothing interesting on this lateâ said Kerri as she adjusted the oven to 400 degrees. âYou think a beer would go good with that pizza?â
âI think Iâll passâ I said.
âIâm not shy, Iâll have one with youâ said Tony.
The oven was soon ready and Kerri put the left over pizza on a cookie sheet and popped it in the oven. I grabbed a Pepsi from the fridg and sat at the kitchen table with Tony and my mom.
Tony said âIt too quiet with no TV going, letâs put something on the stereo. How about the Allman Brothers?
âHey about Tom Jones!â exclaimed my mom, âItâs my house and my stereoâ
âOK, how about thisâ I argued, âAllman Brothers with the pizza and then we listen to Tom Jones with you.â Everyone seemed in agreement. I went into our living room and
pulled out my favorite album of the Allman Bothers. Our TV and stereo was in one big
wooden cabinet. I slid aside the wooden top and placed the album on the turntable. Turning up the volume, I went back to the kitchen. Soon our pizza was hot and we drank, ate pizza, and listened to the music until the A side of the album was done.
âMy turnâ shouted Kerri. We cleaned up in the kitchen and went into the living room.
I was starting to get tired and sat in the lazyboy. Tony was relaxing on the couch while my mother was putting her Tom Jones album on the turntable. Tom was starting to sing while we talked and laughed. During the second song, my mother got up to use the bathroom. While she was in the bathroom, Tony and I walked over to the stereo and just looked at the record spin round. We both looked at each other and started to laugh.
âBoy, the stuff we do to make your mother happyâ said Tony
âYeah, I donât know how much more of this Tom Jones music I can handle tonightâ I said. âWhat is the next song?â
Tony glanced on the record jacket and said âItâs a live version of Its Not Unusual. Isnât that your momâs favorite song of his? Hey, letâs have some fun! When your mom comes back, Iâm going to dance and kinda strip to the music. Either we will all have a laugh or your mom will go to bed and this music will stopâ
âSounds like a planâ I said. I paused the album, turned off the lights except for one green globe one over the stereo. As soon as I heard the toilet flush, I turned the record back on, flew into the lazyboy and Tony stood by the stereo. Just as Its Not Unusual started to play, my mother walked in. Tony started to dance to the music and imitate Tom Jones and actually he was not doing to bad of a job.