Good Mother

Dinner had been lovely, although having Tim out with Gary rather than eating with the family had made the house feel empty to Natalie. Not that she begrudged him maintaining his relationships. A man like Tim needed a lot of affection, and so being able to spend time with each of his girlfriends was important. That said, with so many girlfriends, he still needed to budget for his other friends. It had been far too long since Natalie had seen Tim spend any time with that ugly boy. It was an added bonus that he did it away from the house so that she didn’t have to look at him.

Tabby's mood hadn't helped the atmosphere either. The girl had been moping around, sullen face, shoulders slumped. After Terry cleared the dishes he asked their daughter if she was feeling alright, only to be snapped at.

“Go practice your lines, bitch,” she ordered, “You’re going live in an hour, and you’d better not screw up.”

Terry curtsied the way that Tabby had instructed him to when receiving an order, then scurried off upstairs to do as he was told. Natalie didn’t care too much if Tabby bosses her father around, although she did wish she'd watch her language. Long ago the matron had stopped thinking of Terry as a man. He was more akin to a pet than anything else. She loved him, in a way, cared for him, but not like she would love a human being. She remembered the dog she had adopted as a child, Fluffers. When Fluffers had died, it had been devastating. But the following weekend she went on a camping trip with her friends. Grief, yes, but life moved on. It would be the same with Terry.

“What is going on with you?” Natalie had asked her daughter once they were alone, “I want you to know that you can tell me anything.”

Tabby stared at her mother with doubtful eyes, then, “Nothing. I'm fine."

There was no explosion, no big tantrum. That wasn't Tabby's way. She just let out a deep sign and walked out of the room.

It wasn't as if Natalie had no clue as to what Tabby was going through. She remembered the week prior, the get-together with all of Tim's lovers, and how Tabby had somehow gotten sucked into the mad, lust-fueled melee. While she too had been too engaged in the frantic orgy to notice at first, when she came to her senses, it was quite upsetting for Natalie to see her son and daughter in an intimate embrace, acting far too sexually for siblings. Actions like that should be reserved for more appropriately carnal relationships, like the one she shared with her son.

And while Natalie still cringed when she thought of it, she could only imagine what Tabby was feeling. Yes, Tim was an incredibly attractive man, of that there was no doubt. Even her college friend, Tina, the first "out" lesbian Natalie had ever met, admitted that if Tim would ask her out, she'd have a hard time saying no. But to be so caught up in the sexual enthusiasm being shown by Tim's girlfriends, to throw herself at her own brother, that would be traumatic.

But if Tabby didn't want to talk, there was no way to make her. One thing Natalie had learned during her children's teenage years, was not to **** the conversation. Be available, open, non-judgemental, but not pushy. Her kids didn't respond to that very well. If Natalie was patient, Tabby would come around. She always had before, and she would again. Of that Natalie was sure.

And so, alone as she was, her thoughts changed to her other child, Tim. Her son. Her man. Her lover. He would be home in an hour or two. Of course she had no curfew, no expectations on him. How could she? If anyone was the head of the family, it was him. For Natalie to put demands on him, it would be perverse. But she did have hopes.

She hoped he wouldn't be too late.

She hoped that he wasn't too tired.

She hoped that he was in the mood.

Since she had no timelines but plenty of hope, Natalie grabbed her tablet from the charger in the kitchen and headed up to her room. She would take her time, shower, shave her legs, pick out her sexiest lingerie, and wait for her man to come home. She would keep herself chaste while she waited, watch Netflix, do some reading, but when he arrived, she would follow her rules of parenting and be a good mother to him. She would be available, open, non-judgemental, and... well, she might be just a little pushy. Natalie was pretty sure he wouldn't mind.