For the last week and a half Dawn had positioned herself on the sidewalk waiting to take the opportunity to speak to Shawna Tyler. Each time the teen had just been a little bit too far away in the brief moment between her pausing on exiting the car to hoist her small rucksack onto her back and turning to go into the school building. However this time it seemed perfect. She watched as the dark skin teen opened the car door, saying something short to her pale skinned redhead Mom as she did so and watching her Mom reply equally perfunctorily back. Unlike with her friends Ellie and Amber there was no lingering kiss on the cheek or hidden looks of desire, but Dawn could still use her own experience to see the sexual tension was as strong between Shawna and Marcia as it was between Ellie and Amber, or come to that between Dawn and her own Mom.
The black teen stepped out of the car and as she did every day opened the back door to pick up her rucksack. As soon as she had closed it her Mom was indicating and away as Shawna started to swing the rucksack onto her shoulder.
She was near enough for Dawn to speak and know that none of the other students were so close they would hear, "Are you fucking her?" They were the same words she'd used with Ellie when she decided to approach the teen and she was expecting the same result, immediate denial -- perhaps with a hint of outrage or confusion, whichever would work the best, thrown in. It wouldn't matter, Dawn was absolutely confident that she had Shawna and her Mom read, they wanted to bang each other and the school counsellor saw it as her duty to help them.
Shawna gave a frightened yelp at the twentysomething's words and turned round, her face a mixture of horror and incredulity, "Yes -- oh God, how did you know?"
For a moment Dawn was almost thrown herself, she had been so expecting denial, that she hadn't planned for the teen not only admitting she wanted her Mom, but had already acted on it. Luckily it didn't alter the second part of her plan. She quickly handed Shawna an appointment card, "I've a free slot at ten-thirty. Show it to your class teacher and they'll excuse you, we can talk then."
"Yes, yes, of course," Shawna almost stammered, before slipping the card into the pocket of her jacket and almost knocking Dawn over such was her rush to get away and into the school building.
The counsellor followed her in, albeit at a more sedate pace, heading towards her office. That Shawna was already fucking her Mom was a surprise -- Dawn knew from experience how difficult it was to take that step [and how great it was once taken]. However, that just meant instead of persuading her to take the plunge and go for it the conversation would be about supporting her and whether she and her Mom wanted to meet the other Mom-daughter couples. In her office Dawn set about doing some work, talking to students seemed only a small part of the job compared to bureaucratic record keeping, though she would be careful what was recorded in her notes for her ten-thirty.
There was a knock on the door immediately on time, not that Dawn had expected the teen to be late. "Come in," she called and Shawna entered.
Unlike with many other Moms and daughters the family resemblance was not immediately apparent; mainly because Shawna was black, or rather mixed race, whilst her Mom was a pale redhead. According to the student file that Dawn had reread to remind herself of the teen's family background, Marcia had been divorced since Shawna had been small and, from the notes a previous counsellor had made, there was little contact between him and his ex and child. Also according to the notes Marcia was a high-performing mid-level executive who set demanding academic and personal targets for her youngest child, which Shawna felt she was struggling to meet. Dawn put the folder down, "Come in," she called.
The young woman entered timidly, like she was hoping that no-one would notice her enter, "You wanted to see me?"
"Yes," Dawn waved at a comfy seat opposite her and held up a bowl of mints, "Candy?"
The teen sat down and Dawn smiled welcomingly, "You're fucking your Mom. I'm fucking mine as well and did you know your friend Ellie is also fucking hers?"
Shawna opened her mouth, shut it, opened it again and then, deciding she was still speechless, closed it for a final time. Dawn grinned and opened her phone, handing it over to show the teen pictures of her and her own Mom, as well as a couple Ellie had sent her over of her and Amber. As Shawna scrolled through the pictures, Dawn gave her short potted histories of her own relationship and how Ellie and Amber had got together. Opposite her she could see the teen starting to relax as she realised that she was far from being in trouble. Taking the phone back Dawn slipped it her bag, "So what is the story about you and your Mom?"
*
Several weeks before...
It was no surprise that the birthday meal wasn't on Shawna's actual birthday, but three days after it. It had meant that the teen was able to have a more enjoyable celebration with her friends, who didn't judge her fashion choices or complain the novel she was reading was trashy or to tell her she should be listening to something by a long dead German composer rather than something by a still living Canadian. It also meant that her Saturday evening was no longer her own.
Luckily her Mom had actually given her the presents on the correct day, even if a series of late evening meetings to get a large contract over the line meant that she wasn't going to be home for dinner [though she was so well organised that she had prepared and frozen meals for the teen's Wednesday, Thursday and Friday dinners]. Not that the presents were what she had been hoping for, she had hinted for a denim jacket she had seen in the store, instead of her Mom had got her a frock so out of fashion even the Math club wouldn't have worn it. The book she had unwrapped hadn't been a cheesy thriller or blockbuster comedy or even a piece of sexy chick-lit -- all of which she would have happily read -- but a biography of a long dead President. At least the vouchers would be some use -- they weren't of Amazon or anywhere she would shop -- but a classical music store downtown; however at least it meant her Mom's Christmas present would be cheap.
There was a knock on her door. Her Mom always knocked, never called, never entered -- both were ill-mannered. Shawna wanted to just call 'come in' but her Mom regarding that as equally rude as entering without invitation, so she got up and opened the door. Her Mom was wearing an even more than normal elegant dress, not that she was usually a jeans and T-shirt gal like her daughter, but what she was wearing was definitely an expensive evening dress, tight up to her necks and exposing her arms, before sweeping down to near her ankles. Marcia paused, her lips pursing a little, as she surveyed the denims that Shawna was wearing, before speaking, "I came to tell you dinner will be ready in five in case you feel you should change for your birthday meal."
"I'll be down," her daughter said, closing the door as her Mom turned away. She sighed and decided it was easier to take the hint than rebel and have her Mom make disapproving comments all over dinner. She opened her wardrobe and flicked through her dresses until she came to one that wasn't totally hideous, but also not so scandalous that her Mom would be up racing through her clothes rack to remove for trash any which had to low a cleavage.
After quickly changing she went down to the dining room. She had to admit her Mom had put in the effort. The table was set for the two of them, the expensive cutlery normally reserved for Christmas out on a white satin table cloth. The room was lit by eighteen candles, each in a silver plated holder, decorating the table and the sideboards. She took her seat as her Mom, came in with some wine. She poured herself a glass and then unusually poured a glass for Shawna as well, "You're eighteen now, you can have a drink at home" she explained in response to her daughter's questioning look. The teen wasn't going to complain, nor was she going to mention she had a false ID hidden away, so she could drink in bars as well.
Her Mom served the soup and sat down. At first the conversation was there normal small talk, how well Shawna was doing at school (and how she could do better), the importance of hard work in business and informed opinions on the economy and Government. Her Mom refilled the glasses and went to get the main meal, which happened to be Shawna's favourite. The conversation continued, moving onto further education and the colleges Shawna should be applying for. Her Mom refilled her glass again, drinking more than she normally did, perhaps even getting a tiny bit tipsy as she brought out the dessert.
"I will miss you when you go to college," her Mom suddenly said, so unexpectedly out of character that it almost made Shawna choke on her pudding.
"Er, you will? I thought you wanted me to go?"
"I do," her Mom took another sip of the wine and blushed, "But I can think that you should go and also miss my only daughter -- that's not unusual is it?"
"No, I guess not," Shawna replied. She paused, "You're just not normally so..."
She paused thinking of the right word, 'open?' 'talkative?' Luckily before Shawna could put her foot in it her Mom supplied one. "Emotional. If you can't be emotional when you're beautiful daughter has just turned eighteen and is thinking about leaving home, when can I be?"
