I don't remember when she got so strict. Her uptight nature probably came when we moved away from my father to live in a different city.
The job required him to stay at the previous location pretty much all the time, except for casual leaves or holidays I didn't see much of him. We used to talk over the phone but that decreased a lot as well. Living with my Mom was to a most extent boring. We didn't have a TV or any means to enjoy our time at home, nor did I have any friends of my age around me to go play with. Being a scrawny kid, I used to get picked on, but that didn't stop me from doing countless mischief. I used to come home with injuries all over my body, sometimes my head, sometimes the knees. No matter what she used to scold me and often give me a proper beating for not being careful.
At that time I wasn't sure why she hated me so much. From what I could remember of my childhood, I was pampered by everyone, especially her. Maybe that was the reason I got so out of control and started my journey of being the notorious kid. Maybe she saw that I will become a spoiled brat if she didn't put a reign on me now.
As the years passed by and I grew up, I found a friend who helped me calm my monkeys and get better at academics and use my lean physique to ace sports.
My mom was a teacher, so having fun at home meant reading various kinds of books. I used to pass my time with that, eventually, my father gifted me a phone which became an accessory while reading. Music is the source of it.
However, when the monkeys of my mind calmed down they brought another drawback. I got too reserved. Didn't talk more than necessary, kept minding my own business, and got shy.
Even when forced to participate in curricular activities, I skipped them. Communication skills? Zero!
Mom was fair and maintained her body by doing regular yoga and exercise. Her shoulder-length dark brown hair and brown eyes could mesmerize anyone. She was slightly on the taller side by being 5'7 in height.
Since it was just the two of us, mom used to dress conservatively in cotton nightdresses, mostly round necks. She used to pick out saree now and then, but they were too plain for her.
Due to the nagging and disciplining, I started avoiding her. If she asked me about something I would reply in short sentences or get the job done silently.
By the time I hit my teenage years, she had stopped her nagging as well. She tried to connect back with me but I ignored her initiatives.
The relationship between us was not getting better. As sad as it may be, I eventually realized that this is not how you treat your mother. I remembered the days when she loved me unconditionally and decided to stop this nonsense of being an angsty kid.
I started sharing with her what I wanted to do in life, my dreams, and my plans. She probably noticed me taking steps to reconcile and was supportive of those. She even helped me convince my father to let me get into engineering instead of a normal degree. I found some hope to rebuild my relationship with her.
I was in the freshman year of my undergraduate course. I was sharing things with mom and getting better at communication by meeting new people at college. I was bonding with everyone pretty well. That's when I decided to take it to the next level with mom. She was reaching her 40th birthday but looked no less than a 27-year-old woman. I had also joined her in the daily exercise and had built a lean physique and stood tall at 6'.
I started working and earning money meant that I was free to do anything I wanted. My first thought was to split it into 3. I gave one half to dad, kept my own in savings, and gave another to mom.
We have been casual about everything these days but kept the boundary of mother and son intact. I knew better than to not cross that line. During the weekend, I decided to take Mom shopping. She came out wearing a basic grey cotton saree. Although she maintained a perfect figure she had no fashion sense at all. This was the perfect opportunity to do a makeover for her.
We went to the nearest mall and bought some jeans and sweaters for me and then moved into the ladies' section. I asked what she wanted to buy.
"Just the regular old saree and a Kurti maybe?" She replied.
I was expecting that kind of answer.
"I have a suggestion mom, I hope you won't mind," I said looking for any eavesdroppers.
"Go ahead," she said, looking at me intently.
"Now mom, you have been doing exercise and yoga for so many years but honestly you don't have any fashion sense," I said looking at her face to see if she gets upset at this.
Instead, she looked away and said "I know, but why do I need to have a dress up in the first place? I won't go anywhere except the school, right?"
She looked back at me for a reply.
"I agree, but you can still be a little fashionable whenever you go out. And if you are not comfortable just dress up at home. I can confidently say that it does change your mood when you groom yourself properly" I answered.
"Makes sense, what do you have in mind?" She asked me another question.
"First let's get some trendy skirts and jeans for you, and then some comfy house wear," I replied after some thought.
She agreed with me and we went into a nearby shop.
"Please show some bodycon dresses and skirts with sleeveless and backless blouses and tops in red, olive green, violet, and black please," I asked the lady behind the counter.
My mom pulled my sleeve and whispered in a sharp tone "What are you saying? Why would I wear those?"
"But I just said we will get you some trendy clothes, these are the ones I meant" I replied nonchalantly.
"No, let's not get those" Mom shook her head.
"It's okay mom, if you feel uncomfortable wearing them outside, you can wear them in the house" that seemed to have calmed her down.
I came to know her body proportions as the lady tending to us asked mom. "It's 34 and my waist is 28" she replied slowly, to avoid my hearing.
We went through a series of collections and chose different styles with backless blouses and sleeveless ones with a deep cut to show a fair amount of cleavage.
"You have an excellent choice sir, your wife would look great in these" the lady said with a smile.
"Oh no he's not-" Mom started to speak but I interrupted with "Yeah you are right, she would kill this look".
Mom was hesitant throughout the whole ordeal but I insisted and ended up buying 4 sarees and 8 matching blouses. Then we moved on to buy some trendy-looking Kurtis.
"Let's get you some house wear now" I held her bag and looked at her.
She was looking away in a daze. I shook her shoulders and said, "Where are you lost?"
"Oh, I was just wondering if it is appropriate for me to even get these and why did you agree when she said I was your wife?" she replied, still looking away.
I turned her face towards me and said "It is perfectly fine, mom, I just want you to feel more confident in yourself. Plus what else would I have said? I'm here buying my mom sexy clothes. Wouldn't that be even more embarrassing?"
"You're right, but we didn't have to buy these clothes in the first place" she nurtured and walked ahead.
"Here mom" I pulled her hand and walked into another store.
I mostly had casual wear for women and I knew I wanted her to buy. We moved to a shirt section first. Got her a few checked shirts, and moving on to the crop top section we got two types. One which ended just with a thin line of waist showing, and the other with a significant one. We got some denim shorts and some skirts that ended just above the knee. We also got some tight-fitting jeans. In every section, she was resisting and I had to convince her. I knew it was hard to change so suddenly but I didn't realize I was going overboard with it. Maybe I was having fun spending time with her or maybe it was something else.
We returned home after a long day of shopping, completely exhausted. She made some dinner, and we ate and slept like logs.
I woke up early the next day. After getting cleaned up, I went to make some breakfast. I was just finished with the bread when mom walked in, tying her hair in a messy bun. I froze for a minute. She brought me back to earth by snapping her fingers.
"What's wrong?" She asked, tilting her head.
"Oh nothing, I was thinking of something else" I replied in a haste and took off the bread from the toaster.
We had our breakfast with some juice and with some hesitation asked "Hey mom, won't you show me how the dresses look? If some of them don't fit we can return those" I added the last part to not seem too eager.
She thought for a while and answered "I think they will all fit, I'll wear some after I finish my daily chores" I nodded my head, not trying to pry anymore.
Now until this day, I was only trying to fix my relationship with her. No ill intentions ever formed in my head but why did a simple gesture like tying the hair stop me today? I wondered for a while then moved on to watch some show on the TV. Mom finished her chores and went into the bathroom. I finished an episode of the show and was moving towards my room when she came down the stairs. My heart skipped a beat. I stopped in my tracks and was looking at mom who was wearing one of the longer crop tops and a black skirt. She was fixing up her ponytail. She noticed me standing at the base of the stairs,
"This is too much for me, I'm going to change," she said, turning back on the stairs towards her room.
"No! Don't" was all I could reply. She stood before me now.
"You look like a young girl mom, so youthful and so beautiful," I said without thinking.
She looked at me like I had said some really inappropriate stuff to her. "What? What did you just say?" She said
I tread a fine line now, I thought to hell with it. It's not like I will be kicked out of the house.
"Yeah mom, you look really cute," I said with a smirk.
She gasped and hit my arms a few times.
"How dare you say that to me? I'm your mother!" I blocked almost all attacks while laughing.
I also noticed a tint of red on mom's cheek. "Aww, are you blushing mom?"
She immediately stopped, staring at me with her eyes and mouth wide open. The red of her face was rapidly increasing in shade. I crossed my arms and leaned down to match her level
"You are blushing!" I said with a grin. She immediately turned and went to her room.
It was a lazy Sunday, so we stayed in our rooms till lunch. We sat at the table silently. I was worried that I had crossed a line and wanted to apologize. But by the time I gathered my courage, we had finished the meal and she went to wash the dishes. I was waiting for her in the living room. Putting on a romantic comedy. She lived to watch those and I also had picked up the habit of watching them. She came back and sat at the opposite end of the sofa. I tried to catch her eyes and decipher what she was thinking, but she kept her focus on the TV.
