Present Day
"I have a question about Jacob and you."
Stephanie Bell looked up from her tablet. A few minutes before on lazy weekend day, she escaped into a world of fantasy, shape-shifters, and sex via the latest novel from one of her favorite writers. It was roughly two weeks after Michael informed her he knew about her illicit affair with her first-born son, Jacob. More than that, Michael had made it clear he would be all too thrilled about the idea of also engaging in sex with his mother. The knowledge had shaken the mother with some confusing dreams since.
"I thought I told you that subject was off limits," Stephanie said. And she had done so the next day, taking Michael aside and telling him that she didn't want to speak another word about Jacob and the affair. Further, she angrily told him that he was not to touch and gawk at her like she was a common whore. Michael didn't exactly agree to those terms, but she took his lack of arguing as a sign he would do as his mother told him.
That was until today. "Yeah, I'm tired of that," he said, moving to sit down next to her on the couch. Outside, his father, Nathan, was mowing the lawn - a nice escape from all of the pressures at work he faced every April. Lyssa, Michael's older sister, was working while Bella was laying in a nearby play-pen, enjoying the sounds and feel of the soft blocks with different textures that she was playing with.
"Too bad, son," the mother told him. Stephanie tried to find her place in the story once more, but Michael insisted on her attention.
"How did it start?" he asked. "How did you guys go from normal mother/son to him being a motherfucker."
She sharply slapped at his arm. "Watch your language, Michael!" She nodded Bella's way, though the child was far too young to remember such vulgar remarks. More, she just wanted Michael to leave well enough alone.
But he didn't. "Mom, you've essentially shot down my interest in you, but the least you could do for keeping your secret is answer a few of my questions. How did it start? How did this happen?"
When he said
this
, he gestured at Bella.
Stephanie sighed. Putting the tablet down, she looked outside and saw her husband. And then she started to explain to her son how she found out about Jacob and why his girlfriend suddenly broke up with him.
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Winter Break, Over a Year Ago
"What do you mean Paula's not coming?"
The cell phone sat on the counter as she chopped vegetables for the roast she was making for tonight's dinner. She had specially got a roast a bit bigger than usual to feed not just her son, returning for his winter break from college, but also his new girlfriend, Paula.
For a few years now, she wondered if Jacob was gay.
Not that there would be anything wrong with that!
In fact, Stephanie tried to play the role of a super progressive parent who only wanted her child to be happy. She changed her profile picture during Pride Month to a rainbow with the words, "LGBTQ Ally." She even openly argued on social media with her husband's brother, who was big into his church's Bible Study and felt gay people shouldn't be able to adopt children. It wasn't that she didn't already feel that LGBTQ individuals should be treated like everyone else. But part of the reason she made a show of it was to help her son know that she was there for him if he decided to come out of the closet.
But he never did. Nor did he ever have a real girlfriend. She read about how some people were asexual and wondered if her son just simply had no interest having a romantic relationship with another person. She was far more terrified that he simply lacked the confidence to reach out.
That's why she was so thrilled when he shyly admitted at Fall Break over a month before that he had been seeing this girl named Paula. Stephanie had to know everything.
Jacob and Paula met the previous spring in a class they shared. By sheer luck, they were part of a four-person group project and kept in touch throughout the summer, chatting on twitter and even texting from time-to-time. When school started back up, they hung out two or three times a week. And then it was nearly every day - even if it was just to catch lunch. Finally, probably tired that her hints weren't being picked up on, she told him that she liked him. He said that he liked her as well. And just like that, at the age of nearly 20, he had his first serious girlfriend.
The girl even befriended Stephanie on Facebook around Thanksgiving, which was about the same time Jacob expressed an interest in inviting Paula to stay with them for some of winter break.
Her husband asked to see a picture of her so Jacob navigated to one he particularly liked and handed over his phone. Nathan slapped Jacob on the back and told him how proud he was of his son for attracting such a "hottie." Both Stephanie and Jacob cringed at the term, though Nathan wasn't wrong. Paula had long, dark hair that often was pulled back in a ponytail or behind a hair clip. From the pics she shared on a variety of social media outlets, she carried a few extra pounds, but not in a bad way. She tweeted a lot about body positivity, which Stephanie respected. It helped that some of those extra pounds were located in a pair of large breasts - larger than Stephanie's at that age before three pregnancies helped increase them. And she had, as Nathan told her privately, an ass that just doesn't quit. That remark was in response to a picture from her Instagram. She was at a beach with friends and all five girls posed with their bodies turned away from the camera, but were looking back.
She elbowed her husband for his inappropriate remark and he laughed. "Seriously, look at that ass. Got two skinny, boney butts to both sides and then her thick and juicy behind in the middle. Guess our boy's an ass man like his pop."
That also earned an elbow.
But now, just a few hours before they were due back from college, Paula wasn't coming along?
"What happened, Jacob?"
He took a moment before responding, "We decided to take a break."
"What?" She had to put the knife down that she was using to chop up a few carrots. "Since when?"
"Since last night. We were hanging out and, well, things just went bad."
The mother rolled her eyes. "What did you do?"
"Nothing!" he appealed. "Things just spiraled out-of-control and I couldn't stop them from getting worse. So, she's not coming. I'm leaving right now, though."
The mother let the conversation die and wished her son a safe drive back. With that finished, she brought Paula up on her Facebook. Still friends there. The girl rarely used Facebook - more of a Instagram and Twitter person. Checking those apps, she noticed nothing had been said about the "break." She did mention how she couldn't wait to see some friends back home, but nothing else of relevance.
Stephanie pushed herself to stay out of it, but after a couple of days of seeing her son mope around the house, she made the decision to try to help. After all, she told herself, her son was new at this relationship stuff. Maybe Stephanie could bridge the gap and get her son to realize what he did wrong. Nathan pleaded for her to stay out of it, but seeing her introverted and sensitive boy upset was difficult for Stephanie.
She read the message she sent to Paula five times just to be sure she was conveying exactly what she meant to.
"Paula, I know my son is an adult and that I should stay out of this, but because you are really his first real girlfriend, I figured maybe he needed a little extra help. Is there anything that I can do? Jacob really likes you and I was looking so forward to meeting you. If he hasn't messed up too bad, maybe there is still hope here. Let me know if I can be of any assistance."
As soon as she sent it, she immediately wanted to take it back. She knew she overstepped her bounds and Jacob would be furious with her. But only a few seconds after the message was sent, it was read by Paula. A few chat bubbles popped up and Stephanie waited patiently, but no response followed. The bubbles disappeared and Stephanie was left worrying if she simply did more damage than anything.
She was Christmas shopping with the family at the mall later that week when Paula finally responded.
"Mrs. bell I looked forward to meeting u 2 but Im not sure theres any hope for Jacob and me. Tbh, not sure I want to talk 2 him ever again. Found out some shit abt him that threw me 4 a loop. He got some mommy issues bad. Thought it was just weird we look alike but theres more 2 it than that. U may not want to read this story Im sending you. But u deserve to know abt it. Its abt a dude and his mom. Sorry we wont be making cookies together as planned. Hope u have a great xmas. Bye."
Below the message was a icon for a document she could download. She saved it the cloud and went about the rest of her day.
With everything going on right before Christmas, the story became a distant thought for her until the night of her husband's office party.
"...what secrets I must know about a woman's body to get such a beautiful vixen to myself." Stephanie smiled at her husband's joke and curled up next to him as he drove them back. She felt warm - buzzed off the champagne. She rarely drank, but Nathan wanted her to let loose a little - "you deserve a night off!" - and offered to be the designated driver this time. And by her standards, she did let loose. She drank four times her usual one glass, danced with multiple people, and even let her husband feel her up in public.
She let her night of craziness continue as she snaked a hand between her husband's thighs.
"Steph?" he whispered in surprise.
