Lisa's Mother Comes to Town

Lisa sat on the table, her cheeks bright red with embarrassment. Around the room were art students, busily sketching, looking up to analyze her naked body and then looking down to return to their work. She tried to cover herself with her arms. “Please be still,” spoke a stern female voice from her right. Lisa turned. It was her mother.

“Mom?” Lisa asked rhetorically and incredulously. Her beautiful mother was dressed in a black cocktail dress and black heels.

“Lisa,” her mother said reassuringly. “Don’t be ashamed. Everyone wants to see my girl.” She reached out and brushed Lisa’s black bangs with her hand.

Just then, one of the students whistled inappropriately at her. A second student joined her. Lisa looked around the room. The students were all whistling at her. She felt overwhelming shame and humiliation, but a slight rush of excitement. She turned back to her mother. “Mommy…”

Her mom was whistling, too. It was a symphony.

Unconsciousness slipped away. A fade to black. The whistling, however, continued. Slowly, Lisa entered consciousness. Her eyes opened and absorbed the morning rays of sunlight penetrating the breach between her white curtains.

What is that whistling? she thought for a split second. Ohhh… It was the birds, celebrating morning outside her apartment. Or maybe they were just whistling at her. It was springtime, after all. Mating season.

Lisa collected her thoughts as she looked around her room. That was a weird one, she thought. Lisa was near the end of her period. She always had weirdly visual dreams, often sexual, around the final day. But she could never remember one involving her mother before. Then she remembered: Her mother was coming to visit. Surely she had been on Lisa’s mind, as they had spoken just before bed.

Not wanting to analyze further, Lisa peeled back her covers and slipped her petite nude body into a bathrobe. She went to the bathroom to pee and check on the status of her period. It was all clear. She walked out.

Her roommate Alan’s door was closed. But she could hear giggling from within. He was with one of his “girlfriends.” Lisa rolled her eyes and shook her head.

It had been about a month since they had fucked. She didn’t normally think of sex in stark terms, but Alan had made very clear, through his actions, that that’s what it was: a fuck. Not to mention, Lisa had cheated on her boyfriend Jason in the process. So it had to be simply a fuck. Catching feelings for Alan was a waste of time. He was almost twice her 23 years, after all. And clearly he was still enjoying a freewheeling lifestyle. AND they were roommates. It would never work, she reasoned. But then, reason never seemed to work with emotions. Lisa was doing her best to compartmentalize whatever part of her soul was stirred by Alan.

Not only had they fucked, but she let him come inside of her, without a condom. That was something she wouldn’t even let her boyfriend do. For a few days, Lisa felt…not regret, but fear that he might have impregnated her. Fear, but on a much more primitive level, desire. If money and health care and weight gain and shame and all the other stuff were not factors, yeah, she would love to have his seed inside her. He was handsome and smart, and they would have a beautiful baby. But she was in grad school, finding her way in life, messing up and learning. Babies, however adorable, were not in her playbook. Above all else, she felt stupid for letting her hindbrain govern her actions in that moment of sexual frenzy.

After breakfast, Lisa heard Alan’s sleepover friend leave, and he came to the living room to join her. They exchanged pleasantries.

“My mom will be here in about ten minutes,” she told Alan, putting her phone down. “If you want to meet her.”

“That’s a big step,” Alan joked. There was an awkward pause. “Cool, I’ll shower now, and say hello.”

As he walked toward the bathroom, Lisa rolled her eyes and smiled a little. Such a dork.

While Alan showered, Lisa got dressed. She heard the buzzer ring. Her mom was earlier than anticipated. She buzzed her mom in and answered her ensuing knock on the door.

“Hi, Mommy!” Lisa exclaimed.

“My little princess!” her mom replied, and the two embraced. Her mother squeezed her hard, and Lisa squeezed back. They pulled back and enjoyed each other’s presence. Her mother had on a colorful sundress that complemented well the tawny skin of her neckline, face, and arms.

“Come on in. Alan is in the shower, but he wants to say hi.”

“Wonderful. Do you want to invite him to dinner with us tonight?” her mom asked.

Lisa thought about it for a moment. “Ummm, sure. I guess.”

Her mom squinted at her. “Everything okay?”

Lisa collected herself. “Yeah, fine. All goo–ood,” she sang slightly.

Just then the bathroom door opened and Alan emerged wearing a towel around his waist.

“Oh! I’m sorry,” he said. “I thought I had more time.” He looked at Lisa.

Lisa’s mother smiled glowingly at Alan’s half-naked presence. “That’s quite all right,” she said flirtatiously. “I’m Caterina. So nice to meet you.” She extended her hand; Alan shook it.

“Alan,” he smirked.

“Lisa’s told me a bit about you,” Caterina remarked. Oh God, Lisa thought. She certainly hadn’t told her mother that they’d had sex. Hopefully Alan wouldn’t think she had.

“Nothing but good stuff, I hope,” Alan joked.

“Well,” said Caterina, “I think maybe she’s been holding back on me.” She smiled fiendishly.

“Mom,” Lisa said. “We should get going.”

“Right,” Caterina laughed. “Alan, I’m in town for a couple of days for a conference, and am staying at the Marriott downtown. We’ll be going out to dinner nearby tonight. Not sure where yet. Would you like to join us?”

Alan looked at Lisa, who smiled. “Uhhh, sure, I think so. Sure. Lisa, just text me the details.”

Lisa nodded. “No problem. Come on, mom. It’s a beautiful day. Let’s go see some sights,” she said. The two headed for the door.

Once in the hallway, Caterina whispered to Lisa, “Why, he’s gorgeous. Aren’t you lucky. How old is he?”

“MOM,” Lisa retorted. There was a pause. “Almost as old as you.”

The two spent the day together. Lisa showed her around campus, and they toured some local museums. In an art museum, Lisa saw some nudes and remembered her dream, giggling to herself. They got lunch on a terrace by the lake, where sailboats floated lazily in the April breeze, and ducks fed on tossed bread crumbs. When the waitress came to take their order, Caterina charmingly complimented her pants, and the young woman sheepishly thanked her. As the waitress walked away, Caterina turned to her daughter and remarked, “What an ass on that one, no?”

“Jesus Mom, can you go five minutes without flirting with someone?” Lisa said.

“Oh relax, honey, I’m just being nice,” she said. She ALWAYS said this: Just being nice. To the boys Lisa wanted to date in high school. To her teachers. To her boyfriend Jason. To her female classmates. To the waitstaff. It wasn’t so much that Caterina acted this way that bothered Lisa. It was that Lisa herself couldn’t be as effortlessly coquettish as her mother. Caterina, 47 years old, always had a mischievously young personality and aura about her. She was of Cuban descent, and her long dark hair, caramel skin, and ample breasts had always attracted attention, male or female. Lisa had inherited the dark hair and large bosom, but she had her dad’s milky white skin, and kept her hair cropped. While her mom dressed in provocative clothing – she could make sweatpants look provocative – Lisa was too self-conscious and wore clothing that was anything but revealing. Her mom had for years tried to get her to make better use of her body, not in so many words, but she tried buying Lisa “sexier” clothing, complimenting her body, and such. It was all for naught; Lisa felt she would never have the sexual confidence of her mother…a confidence on full display since her recent divorce from Lisa’s dad.

So yes, what Lisa felt was annoyance, but it was annoyance at herself and her comparatively pixie persona, directed outward. Though sometimes she wished her mom would dial it down.

“Sure you are, mom,” replied Lisa sarcastically.

Her mom gave her a look. “What? So what if I have a little harmless fun. You only live once, cariño. And you’re such a beautiful young woman, you can have anyone you want, you know.” She paused for emphasis. “Anyone. I envy you.”

Lisa blushed. Caterina was saying “mom” things, yes, but she always sprinkled it with something that sounded provocative. All she could muster was a flattered “Gracias, mama.”

“Now,” her mother continued. “Tell me about Alan.”

Lisa facepalmed. “Mom…Jesus. No.”

Caterina was just joking around, but a full accounting of Alan wasn’t necessary. Lisa could tell her mom had picked up on Alan’s vibes all on her own. She wasn’t sure if it was obvious that she and Alan had had sexual experiences together, and that Lisa had cheated on her long distance boyfriend, Jason. She knew she could tell her mom anything, but she didn’t feel like going there right now.

In any case, that night at the upscale Asian fusion restaurant, Alan joined them for dinner and Caterina was in her usual form. She wore a dress that showed off her shoulders and cleavage, and that so accentuated her hourglass form that heads of all genders were swiveling when she walked by. Lisa was dressed more modestly, in black pants and a red sweater, though it was tight enough to also leave just enough to the imagination. Alan looked dapper as ever in his sportcoat, t-shirt and jeans.

Caterina came at Alan from different angles, complimenting him, winking when she spoke, saying innocently suggestive things. “I’ll bet you’re breaking a lot of hearts.” Lisa had heard the lines a million times. Alan was receptive but confident, and careful not to get too roped in out of respect to Lisa. He played along innocently, and Lisa couldn’t help but sigh at his effortlessly gentlemanly ways.

As dinner concluded, Caterina got bolder. “We’re going to be at the Marriott,” she said. “if you want to join us for a nightcap.” Lisa’s jaw hit the floor. Is my mom inviting my roommate back to the hotel?