The Son

Dan closed the door behind him and took five steps to reach the long table that took up a good portion of the wall space near the window. He could see the firetruck's lights flashing against his closed curtains as he placed his laptop on the table and plugged in the power cable.

"Oh, joy," he groaned as he spotted a small pile of clothes he'd forgotten to add to the laundry hamper.

With a rueful shake of his head, he picked up his phone and slipped it into his pocket before sliding on his dark work shoes. He took one last glance around his darkened room as he collected up the pile and headed for the door.

Once in the hallway, he heard something thump from his mother's bedroom. "You okay?" he called, but she didn't answer.

Two strides put him at the dark wood door that was open slightly. With a frown, he was about to call out again when he heard his mother's voice. "These stupid bras!" she all but screamed in frustration.

Dan blinked and reeled back from the door. His mother almost never got angry. He was about to knock on the door when the clothes in his left arm slipped and fell to the floor. "Blast," he grumbled. His mother hated curse words, and he'd grown up to respect that while he was in her house. Outside of the house was another matter.

As he scooped up the clothes, his head brushed the door, opening it a little wider. He looked up at the resistance against his hair only to freeze in place. His mother stood looking in the mirror across the room from him. Laura had her blouse open and a white bra in her hand. What shocked him was her stomach and cleavage were on display in the mirror. A hint of brown areola peeked out from the folds of her top.

Dan started back away from the door. He hadn't thought of his mother's naked breasts in years, not since the beginning of High School when he'd accidentally walked in on her getting out of the shower. It had been his first real exposure to the naked female body, and the image had haunted him for a while. Eventually, he forgot about it as his English teacher, Mrs. Rhodes, overwhelmed his puberty-filled mind until he graduated. Even that morning, he'd had a dream involving the center of his erotic fantasies.

Dan quickly strode over to the sliding doors that concealed their washer and dryer. He tried to open them without a sound, just in case his mother hadn't heard him coming out of his room. After dropping his clothes in the hamper beside the dryer, he took one last look toward his mother's door.