I
It had become something a tradition on a Friday afternoon for Simon to invite his best friend, Edward, over and the two would watch some B-grade action movie or another before heading out for a night of drinking and socializing in the many bars and clubs that dotted the town. Much to Simon's dismay, however, it had also become something of a tradition that his mother (a widow for two years now) would flirt outrageously with Edward, often to the embarrassment of Edward as much as to himself. Edward was a handsome young man, eighteen years old, athletic, with a strong build and dark hair, not unlike Simon; but Simon was gregarious and outgoing and Edward was shy and introverted. Simon didn't know for sure but he suspected that Edward was still a virgin and he suspected, perhaps, that his mother thought the same and she enjoyed to make the most of his shyness and often flirted in an overtly obvious manner knowing full well that Edward would be too shy to embrace or reject her advances.
For Edward these flirtations were quite nice, something to look forward to although they were often embarrassing for him as he didn't know how to take them, especially as his best friend, and this woman's son, was almost always with him when it happened. For Simon it was embarrassing because he knew how uncomfortable it made his friend and he didn't want his mother to get the reputation of a horny widow who would try to seduce anyone who might look upon her favorably. Simon knew that he would have to do something, it was becoming too much and as the man of the house he deemed it to be his responsibility to intervene.
The two watched movies and knocked back a few beers in peace for a couple of hours before Jessica, Simon's flirtatious mother, eventually returned home. Simon heard her key in the door before loud footsteps of her heels on the wooden floor announced her imminent approach. She opened the living room door and stepped cautiously inside, carrying an armful of shopping bags clutches tightly to her side.
She moved off towards the side of couch on which Edward and Simon were both sat and gave her standard greeting, "good afternoon boys."
"Afternoon, Mrs. Campbell," returned Edward, polite as ever.
"Please," she cooed, "you're eighteen now, you can call me Jessica."
Simon rolled his eyes, she had barely been home two minutes and already she had started.
"Oh yeah," said Edward, "I keep forgetting, it's a hard habit to break."
Jessica smiled at her son's friend, he was always so polite, a virtue which her son seemed to be losing. She walked in front of the couch and leant over and kissed Simon of the forehead, giving Edward a good view of her tight backside as it strained against the back of her dress as she moved. As she moved to stand up she looked back at Edward and caught him staring at her backside but didn't let on that she knew. "And how are you?" she asked, turning her attention to her Son.
"Fine," he replied, noncommittally, his eyes barely glancing away from the TV screen.
Jessica had grown used to his recent lack of enthusiasm and decided to ignore his mood and get on with what she like to do best on a Friday afternoon- flirt with Edward. She placed her shopping bags down on the coffee table and, ignoring the movie, began to speak excitedly about her purchases. "Look what I bought today," she exclaimed happily, eliciting little response from her son who glanced only briefly in her direction but getting the attention of Edward who was too polite to ignore her altogether.
She lifted a pair of black leather heels out of one of the shopping bags, "look" she said, smiling widely, "aren't they cute."
Her audience remained quiet but Edward nodded in apparent appreciation, he didn't know the first thing about shoes and to him they seemed to be exactly the same as the ones that Jessica was already wearing but he couldn't ignore her and he could see how excited she seemed to be with her latest purchase.
"Guess what else I got," she said, her voice still charged with excitement.
Simon turned slightly to see what else she had bought, while Edward shrugged, unable to even hazard a guess.
"Go on," Said Jessica, trying to get Edward to play along, "guess."
"I've no idea," he replied, "a dress?"
"No," returned Jessica, glad to have at least one of the young men joining her game, "think smaller."
"A skirt?" he offered, not really sure what else to guess.
"Smaller still."
Simon turned his full attention to his mother, knowing that she had probably bought this latest item just so she had an excuse to flirt with Edward who was still trying to think of something else to guess.
"Just tell us," said Simon, annoyed at his mother's behavior, "we'll be here all day otherwise."
Jessica pouted in mock annoyance before pulling a jade green bikini from her shopping bag.
"What do you think?" she asked, her face beaming with anticipation.
"It's... uh... very nice," replied Edward, feeling a little uncomfortable.
"It matches my eyes, see," she said, lifting it up to her face. The color was almost identical to that of her eyes and it complimented the strawberry tone of her hair perfectly. None of this was lost on either of the young men but Edward said no more out of sheer nervousness and Simon remained quiet out of annoyance of his mother's behavior.
Unperturbed by their silence she spoke again, this time with an air of finality on her voice, "well I'm going upstairs to try it on... don't go anywhere," she said, turning to Edward, "I need a man's opinion." Without waiting for a response she grabbed her bags and hopped back off up the stairs to her bedroom to get chanced into her latest purchase.
Simon and Edward watched the movie for a couple more minutes before Simon spoke, "sorry about that, I don't know what's up with her at the moment."
"It's okay," said Edward, cautious not to sound too accepting of her behavior.
"I think I'm going to stay in tonight," said Simon.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry to ask but do you mind leaving for today? I've got to sort this thing out with mom, she's really starting to take it too far."
"Sure," replied Edward, a little taken aback, "no problem, bro."
Simon led his friend to the front door, "sorry about this," he said, annoyed that he had been forced to ask his friend to leave in such an abrupt manner.
"No problem," replied Edward.
"I'll give you a call tomorrow," said Simon as he closed the door after his friend.
With his friend out of the way he returned to the living room and turned off the movie. He had been meaning to sort this thing with his mother out for weeks now but he had been waiting for the motivation to do it. Now, with his best friend forced to leave, he knew that it was time to take control, she had gone too far and he was not going to stand for it.