Three Sons (Part 2)
Kathryn M. Burke
As Jenny prepared dinner for her three sons, she made a futile attempt to pretend that her encounter with James hadn't really happened.
As her two other sons, Peter and Daniel came home, things returned to the chaotic state that was all too customary for a household with three rambunctious young men. Usually, Jenny enjoyed watching and listening to her boys yakking away over dinnerâon sports, on the funny or annoying things that had happened at their workplaces, or whateverâwhile contributing little to the conversation herself. Today she was unusually quiet, although she did exchange significant glances with James from time to time.
Peter didn't notice his mother's change of temperament, but Daniel did. He stared at her repeatedly over dinner. At one point he even asked, "Are you okay, Mom?"
"I'm fine, dear," she said shortly.
Daniel continued to give her a keen glance. "You seem a little flush, Mom. Do you have a fever?" He was sitting close enough to her that he was able to reach out and place a hand on her forehead.
Jenny brushed the hand away peremptorily. "I'm
fine,
okay? I'm just a little overheated. That's what slaving over a hot stove during summertime will do to a woman."
This was just one of numerous veiled criticisms that Jenny was in the habit of making as a pointed suggestion that her boys should help more around the house. Daniel somehow sensed that there was more to it than that, but he didn't pursue the matter.
After dinner, James was keen on having a serious talk with Peter, so he barged into Peter's bedroom and told him to sit on the bed while he settled down in an easy chair. Peter was the runt of the familyâonly five foot sixâbut quite powerful and stocky. He could at times seem a little slow mentally, and he was pretty shy and nervous around strangers. James peered closely at him as Peter gazed back with an air of apprehension. He'd always been intimidated by his older brother, even though he was only a year younger than James.
"What's up, bro?" Peter said.
James remained silent for a time, not sure how to broach the delicate subject. Then he just decided to come out with it.
"I slept with Mom," he said.
Peter gave his brother a baffled look.
You took a nap with our mother?
James rolled his eyes. Could his brother really be so dense? Slowly and precisely he said: "I had sex with Mom, guy."
Peter's reaction was far more extreme than even James expected. He almost did a somersault on the bed, writhing around as if someone had stabbed him in the stomach.
"Man, you can't do that!" he cried. "She's our
mom,
for God's sake!"
"I know that, you dummy," James replied unkindly.
"Butâbut why? You're not supposed to do that! It's against the law, I think."
"Yeah, that may be. But I'm sure you've noticed that Mom hasn't been feeling so well after Dad left. She's been moping around as if the world's coming to an end."
"Yeah, I know." And Peter himself put on a glum face.
"So I was just trying to make her feel better." Suddenly James got real intense, coming over to his brother and glaring down at him. "Listen, guy, you don't really know much about girls, but I know that women of Mom's age need regular sex to feel right. If they don't get it, they start feeling crabby or irritable or depressed. I'm pretty sure that's what Mom's going through. Also, she turned forty a few weeks ago."
"I know that. So what's the big deal?"
"Maybe she's starting to feel old."
"She's not old! She looksâwell, she looks fabulous!"
"Sure, she does. But that milestoneâturning fortyâis a big deal for some people. Especially since Mom isn't going out on dates and doesn't have anyone to tell her how fabulous she is."
"We can do more of that."
"Yes, we canâand we can show it too. That's what I just did. And that's what you're going to do."
"Me?"
Peter squawked. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," James said almost menacingly, "that you're going to get into bed with her next."
"I don't know if I can. She's our
mom!"
"You don't have to keep saying that. Just think of her as a beautiful and desirable woman who wants your attention."
James paused abruptly and frowned at his brother. "You know how to make a girl happy?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Do you know"âagain he spoke slowly and preciselyâ"how to make a girl come?"
Peter blushed crimson. "Kind of."
"Kind of? Have you actually done it with a girl? Have you ever had sex with a girl at all?"
"Yeah."
"You have?" James said, surprised. "I've never seen you go out with anyone."
Peter was now looking at his hands. "It wasâit was at the hardware store."
"You had sex with a girl in the hardware store?"