The Son Who Loved Me

For Janine, it was the family business all the time. She sighed. She should have known it would be like this all time. Since her husband knew how to run the business, it was up to her run the sales and marketing. At first it was fun. Janine found herself traveling to a lot of large cities. Even after her boys were born, Janine found a nanny and flew to the next stop of her husband's endless client list. However, the fun stopped when Janine ran into Mr. Crumb. He was the head of a huge distribution center and her husband wanted his products in Mr. Crumb's warehouses.

"Sorry, Janine," said Mr. Crumb, "I don't need your husband's products."

"Why not?" asked Janine, "We're willing to make concessions."

"What concessions?" asked Mr. Crumb, "What can I possibly want from you when I already have the same prices I want from your competition?"

"There's got to be something else you want," said Janine.

"I already have an ironclad ten-year contract from each one of your competitors," said Mr. Crumb.

For the first time, Janine felt lost. Usually she could sweet talk her husband's potential customers into at least trying the products. In the case of Mr. Crumb, Janine started to run out of options.

"So, who's the guy following you around?" asked Mr. Crumb with a devilish smile.

"That's my son, Donnie," said Janine.

"Really?" asked Mr. Crumb.

Suddenly, Janine felt uncomfortable with Mr. Crumb's knowing grin. The portly man seemed to enjoy putting Janine on the spot. His eyes seemed to stare right into her mind. At times, Janine would encounter clients who wanted her to bestow sexual favors on them to land a lucrative deal, but Janine knew that was all in the past. True, Janine had worked hard to keep in shape and stay out of the sun, but Janine knew she was no supermodel. In high school, Janine found herself being called "Plain Jane". Only her husband thought she was sexy and that was the main reason why she married him. Over the years, her husband's age caught up with him and he was plagued with medical problems. Thus, sex was something Janine rarely thought about.

On the other hand, Mr. Crumb was implying an impropriety on her part. Janine blushed. It was rare that anyone ever called her virtue into question. Sure, many people thought that Janine had married her husband for his future stake in the company, but that was a long time ago.

"What are you trying to say?" asked Janine.

"Relax," said Mr. Crumb, "I have a heart condition."

"I wouldn't do it anyway," said Janine proudly.

"I don't doubt it," said Mr. Crumb, "But I'm wondering about that strapping young guy you have following your around."

"That's my son," said Janine.

Mr. Crumb shrugged his shoulders. He didn't seem to believe her.

"I don't care what you say he is," said Mr. Crumb, "Does your husband know about him?"

Janine blushed. She didn't know what to think. Was he implying that she was having a young lover on the side?

"Don't play coy with me," said Mr. Crumb, "I read your file."

"What file?" asked Janine.

"I have files on everyone that walks into my office," said Mr. Crumb.

"Why do you have a file on me?" asked Janine.

"That boy who travels with you stays in your hotel room," said Mr. Crumb, "And he is not a company employee."

"He's my son," said Janine, "What makes you think he is not my son?"

Mr. Crumb shrugged his shoulders. Even though he displayed an innocent expression, Janine knew that the man was insinuating something lurid. She frowned, knowing that Mr. Crumb was wanting to know everything tawdry about her life. Slowly, the corpulent man puffed on his ever-present cigar. He watched every expression on Janine's face with great delight.

"What do want from me?" asked Janine.

"I assure you that I don't want anything from you except for the truth," said Mr. Crumb.

"I am telling you the truth," said Janine.

"You do have a son," said Mr. Crumb, "And my employees have called on him before."

"Yes," said Janine, "David Jr. works at the main office with my husband."

"Exactly," said Mr. Crumb, "He works in the mailroom."

"How did you know he worked in the mailroom?" asked Janine.

"Like I said," said Mr. Crumb, "We keep tabs on all of our competitors and on all of our potential suppliers."

"How long have you been talking to David Jr.?" asked Janine.

Mr. Crumb shrugged his shoulders innocently. The man seemed to relish his successful acquisition of a corporate spy.

"Have you been spying on us?" asked Janine.

"Actually," said Mr. Crumb, "He contacted us."

"Why would he contact you?" asked Janine.

Her head was spinning. Did her husband know that his own son was revealing sensitive company information? There was hell to pay, thought Janine.

"Before you go and crucify your only son," said Mr. Crumb, "I would like to point out that David Junior is still working in the mailroom after graduating from college."

"Were you offering him a job?" asked Janine, "Is this what this is all about?"

"I didn't offer anyone a job," said Mr. Crumb, "I have plenty of people already. I don't need another wet-behind-the-ears college graduate."

"Now that I know this," said Janine, "I've got tell my husband."

"You must do what you feel is right," said Mr. Crumb.

"I didn't realize my son was such a mercenary," said Janine.

"So?" asked Mr. Crumb, "Why is David Junior still working in the mailroom?"

"I don't know," said Janine.

"Where is your other son?" asked Mr. Crumb.

"That's Donnie," said Janine, "He travels with me."

Mr. Crumb did not look convinced. He looked at Janine with suspicious eyes.

"How come Donnie does not show up in your annual Christmas card?" asked Mr. Crumb.

Janine swallowed hard. There had been a deep rift between her husband and Donnie. Unlike David Junior, Donnie was the quiet one. When her husband ordered him to work in the office, Donnie politely refused. After that, Donnie was essentially thrown out of the house. Her husband cut him out of his will and let him find an education and employment elsewhere. Despite her protests, Donnie went into the Army and no one heard from him for years. It was only in recent months that Janine took him in after his tour of duty.

"It's a long story," said Janine.

Mr. Crumb motioned for Janine to continue talking, but she didn't know where to start. She sighed. It was a story that cut Janine to the core. It was the stake that drove her further away from her husband.

Finally, Mr. Crumb set his cigar down on the giant ashtray on the corner of his mahogany desk. He seemed disappointed. He pressed a button on the side of his desk and founded his hands together.

"I need to know I can trust my suppliers," said Mr. Crumb quietly, "And I think you're not being honest with me."

At that, Janine was ushered out of Mr. Crumb's office. That was the end of her sales pitch. What in the world was Janine going to tell her husband?

Hours later, Janine and Donnie found themselves at the hotel restaurant. Luckily, the restaurant was quiet. Most of the diners had already left. It was getting late and Janine was finally free to have some dinner. Donnie noticed that his mother was very quiet. She did not even look up at the waiter when he came to ask for their order.

"If you don't mind," said Donnie to the waiter, "We'll both have salads."

Then Donnie questioned the waiter on the available wines. After a few minutes, Donnie settled on an inexpensive bottle from the local winery. Pleased, the waiter hurried to the kitchen. Finally, Janine looked up at her son. The quiet little boy was now a suave and debonair gentleman who knew his way around a wine list.

"You know your father would never pay for that," said Janine.

"I know," said Donnie, "So the dinner is on me."

Janine grabbed her son's hand. Even though she was thankful for his gesture, Janine felt obliged to pick up the tab.

"I can't ask you to do that," asked Janine.

She wondered where Donnie had acquired all of his newfound confidence. In fact, Janine felt a tinge of jealousy when Mr. Crumb's secretaries literally threw themselves at her son. She looked at the handsome man in front of him. Donnie had also acquired muscles that seemed to bulge out of his golf shirt. In fact, Janine noticed that women seemed to gravitate towards him like wolves to a lone sheep.

"I love you, mother," said Donnie, "Why won't you let me pamper you?"

"Because I feel guilty for letting you go," said Janine.

"You didn't let me go," said Donnie, "Dad threw me out."

"I tried to explain to him that you were not ready," said Janine.

"Is David ready?" asked Donnie.

"No," said Janine, "That's why he's still in the mailroom."

"So what is that I hear about him calling the competition?" asked Donnie.

"You don't miss a thing," said Janine.

"Are you sure Mr. Crumb wasn't just saying that to upset you?" asked Donnie.

"You're father didn't believe that either," said Janine.

"What do you think?" asked Donnie.

"I'm not paid to think," said Janine.

"You can tell me," said Donnie.

"I know," said Janine, "You won't set foot inside the company."

"I was thrown out the last time that happened," said Donnie.

"I remember that like it was yesterday," said Janine, "I wish I was there. I would have put a stop to all of this nonsense."

"I know, mom," said Donnie, "You've always been on my side."

"Your dad has been like this forever," said Janine, "I've just had to live with it."

"Why?" asked Donnie.

"Because I agreed to all of this before I even had babies," said Janine.

"Are you sure?" asked Donnie.

"It's all in writing, too," said Janine, "There's nothing I can do about it. It's your father's company and there's not a damn thing I can do about it."

"I'm sure David wants a piece of it some day," said Donnie.

"Your father will probably go public before letting David have any part of it," said Janine.

"Wouldn't that be a surprise to David," said Donnie.

"If David thinks he'll end up with the company," said Janine, "He's going to be really disappointed."

At that, a waitress came over to the table. Usually, Janine did not care to look at the waitress, but the young woman immediately smiled very broadly at her son. Of course, Donnie was polite and very gracious, but the women quickly forgot that Janine was even there. Unconsciously, the pretty waitress thrust her ample bosom as she put the salad plate in front of her son. Janine saw the waitress fiddle with a button on her blouse and rolled her eyes. With great indignation, Janine saw the size of the woman's breasts and glared at the young lady with envy.

"Do you need anything else?" chimed the lovely waitress at Janine's son.

Politely, Donnie turned to his mother and repeated the question. When his mother shook her head, the waitress giggled and slowly walked away. Janine blushed. She could feel herself getting angry at the open display of flirtatious behavior, but she could not pinpoint the reason why. That was when Donnie put a gentle hand on her knee.

Janine almost jumped. She had not expected that soft touch. It had been a long time since her husband had even touched her in private.

"I'm sorry, Mom," whispered Donnie, "I was wondering if you wanted me to pour you some wine. I know you've had a rough day."

Janine turned around and found Donnie's face only inches away from hers. Unlike her husband, Donnie did not bother with cologne or even aftershave. Unlike David Junior, Donnie was not big on ceremony. He didn't like posing for the camera or pretending to be anyone he was not. Janine smiled. That was why Janine had a soft spot for Donnie. When he was younger, Donnie loved nothing better than cuddling with his mother. He didn't want to be the center of attention except when it came to her. Of course, David Junior teased him mercilessly about being a "momma's boy", but Donnie didn't care. He always stopped what he was doing to care for her. Just like tonight, Donnie was still looking out for his mother.

"How did you know that?" asked Janine.

Donnie took the bottle and expertly popped the cork. He took a moment to sniff the cork and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's going to be sweet," said Donnie, "You might enjoy this."

Without asking for reaction, Donnie poured the wine for the two of them. Janine smiled. She was impressed at her son's self-confidence. Secretly, she wondered if her husband had seen this side of his son. Still, Donnie did not dare to set foot inside the company. He would drop her off at the front door and open the trunk, but Donnie steered clear of the employees. It was a sad situation, but Janine completely understood her son's hesitation.

Her son lifted up his wine glass for a toast. Janine lifted her glass, too.

"To the future," said Donnie.

"And to Donnie," said Janine, "I'm glad you're back."

At that, Janine leaned over to kiss her son on the cheek. Donnie leaned over, too. Accidentally, Donnie's lips met hers. They were soft and inviting. In the past, Donnie had always been affectionate with her. Unlike David Junior, Donnie had no problems kissing his mother on the mouth. Unfortunately, Janine immediately lost track of time. What should have only lasted a brief second turned into a marathon smooch of epic proportions. To make matters worse, Donnie placed a hand on Janine's knee. His touch sent dormant feelings up and down her legs. His soft touch ignited a sexual tension she had long been repressing. Finally, Donnie broke off the kiss. His face was flushed and he could not look at his mother in the face. Quickly, Donnie took a big gulp of the wine.

Janine tried to get her breathing back to normal. She found herself perspiring and swallowed a large amount of the wine. She blinked a few times. She wondered if it was really her son giving her a kiss to end all kisses. It was great smooch, but Janine felt embarrassed that she actually enjoyed it.

"I'm sorry about that," said Donnie, "I'm not sure what had gotten into me."

With thinking, Janine pushed her chair over until she was sitting right next to her son. She took his hand and looked deeply into his eyes. She could sense something was wrong, but she could not put her finger on real issue. Her curiosity was getting the best of her and she really wanted to know what her son was thinking.

"No, no, no," said Janine, "I'm your mother. You can kiss me anytime you want."

Donnie seemed happy that his mother was not angry, but he seemed to be embarrassed about something. Janine waited patiently for her son to answer her.

"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be kissing my mother that way," said Donnie.

"You've always kissed me on the lips," said Janine.

"I'm having those thoughts again," said Donnie.

"What are you talking about?" asked Janine.

"I'm having bad thoughts about you," said Donnie, "And I'm not supposed to be having these thoughts about you."

Janine giggled. She finally discovered that her youngest son actually had sexual thoughts. Donnie looked at his mother suspiciously.

"Thank God," said Janine, "Your older brother kept telling me you were gay."

Donnie just rolled his eyes. He did a few hand motions signifying that his older brother was probably crazy.

"David just wants the company," said Donnie, "That was the thing that got me kicked out of the company."

"What are you talking about?" asked Janine.

"I told Dad that David was telling everyone to be nice to him because he would inherit the company when Dad died," said Donnie.

"Really?" asked Janine, "How come this is the first time I am hearing about this?"

"Dad said I was a liar and threw me out," said Donnie.

"Your Dad said that you did not want to work in the company," said Janine.

"I told Dad that I didn't want to work for David," said Donnie, "He was ordering me around like a tyrant. I can't stand it when he acts like some big shot asshole."

"Really?" asked Janine, "That makes more sense."

"When Dad showed up," said Donnie, "David started telling Dad all sorts of lies."

Janine nodded as she swallowed more of the wine. Donnie poured her some more when she emptied the glass.

"Now it all makes sense," said Janine, "Why didn't you tell me this?"

"I did try to tell you all of this," said Donnie, "But you were in St. Louis at the time."

There was a pause. They drank more wine as they started on their salads. Still, Janine was curious about Donnie's bad thoughts.

"Donnie, dear," said Janine, "What kind of bad thoughts are you having about your mother?"

Immediately, Donnie grew quiet. He quickly occupied himself with devouring his salad. Janine leaned over and playfully placed her head on his shoulder.

"Please tell me," said Janine, "Your father hasn't had any bad thoughts about me in a very long time."

"It's embarrassing," said Donnie.

"So why do you think these thoughts are bad?" asked Janine.

"My psychiatrist said so," said Donnie.

"I didn't know you were seeing a psychiatrist," said Janine, "How long has this been going on?"

"It started in the Army," said Donnie, "I have to get a new one."

"Do you have money to pay for one?" asked Janine, "Do you have insurance?"

"I'm working on it," said Donnie.

"If that's the case," said Janine, "I'll take the check."

"Are you sure?" asked Donnie.

"So are these thoughts sexual?" asked Janine.

She looked over at her son. His face was beet red. At first, Janine wanted laugh, but she had a feeling her son would not appreciate her reaction.

"It's perfectly natural for you to have sexual thoughts about your mother," said Janine, "I'm the first woman in your life. Everything has to start somewhere."

That was an outright lie, thought Janine. She knew that morbid curiosity was getting the best of her. It had been so long since someone had taken an interest in her sexually. Sure, there were powerful men who wanted to get into her pants, but she knew these men chased after anything that wore a skirt. Even Mr. Crumb wanted to know all about her non-existent sex life. No, Donnie was different. She had always wondered if Donnie had an Oedipal complex. Growing up, Donnie spent more time with her than boys his age. When she was home, Donnie followed her around like a wounded puppy.

"Are you mad at me?" asked Donnie.

"No," said Janine, "I'm not sure why this should be bothering you now. You're a grown man. You have young women literally throwing themselves at you."

"Really?" asked Donnie.

"That kooky waitress wanted to show you her boobs," said Janine.

Donnie seemed surprised at his mother's choice of words. Janine giggled. Obviously, Donnie had never heard his mother use this kind of language.

"I don't want to see her boobs," said Donnie.

"Did you want to see mine?" asked Janine jokingly.

Donnie blushed again. Janine felt the wine going straight to her head. Without thinking, Janine unbuttoned her blouse like the waitress. She leaned forward and let her son peer into her blouse. Since they had returned to the hotel, Janine had left her bra upstairs in their room. Janine pulled her son forward so much so that he was literally breathing down her blouse. She heard Donnie sigh.

Without thinking, Janine pressed her lips to Donnie's lips. Urgently, she pulled on his shirt to keep him near her body. To her surprise, Donnie did not resist. In fact, he scooted forward on his chair. One hand fell on her knee and the other on her back. His touch sent shivers up her spine. There was no explanation for the strange and happy sensations of having Donnie so close to her. She blamed her reaction on her husband's lack of attention. Her mind raced. Was she having sexual feelings towards her own son? They kissed for what seemed like an eternity.

"Do you two need a moment?" asked Mr. Crumb.

His deep voice interrupted their little moment of heaven. Janine gasped. Donnie still had his hand on her knee as she noticed who was speaking with them.