A Mother's Love

By slimv and Victor G.

 

Part 9

I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone, thought Carol as the front door of Olivia Wilson’s house closed behind her. The sounds of birds mixed with the clicks of her boots as she walked down the driveway, fishing the car keys from her purse. That was so odd, she thought as she glanced back at Olivia’s house as she opened the car door and slipped in behind the wheel.

She debated her senses as she started the car and backed it down the driveway. Olivia looks more like Danny than I do, she thought. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I'd just seen my own son in a dress. But smoking and kissing a teacher? Carol shook her head. No. I don't think so.

With her foot hugging the brake, she looked back at the house, still questioning what she'd seen and heard. Olivia had challenged Danny’s sexuality and that had really disturbed her. Just how well do I know my son?

With a frown, she killed the car engine and got out of the car, sneaking around to the side of the house. She had to know for sure.

*****

“Hey gorgeous,” said Norman as he wrapped “Olivia” up in his arms, “I missed you.” He pulled the disguised boy close and buried his tongue in Danny’s mouth.

Initially, Danny struggled against the kiss. It was too soon after the encounter with his mother. It wasn't safe yet for this; she could still come back. So could Jimmy, and spoil the romantic mood. It wasn't right, but the kiss felt so good, so… perfect. Danny felt his heart melt at Norman’s tender, loving touch. He gave in to his emotions and wrapped his slender arms tightly around Norman's waist. He pulled the teacher closer, absorbing the pleasures of their passionate kiss.

After a blissful moment, he broke away and nuzzled his face gently against Norman’s wide chest while maintaining the hug. They rocked gently in their lovers embrace. The close call with his mother and the possible return of his best friend didn't seem to matter as much as it did a moment earlier.

“You just saw me last night,” Danny said playfully, looking up into Norman's eyes, gently caressing the teacher’s cheek with his false nails, “You couldn't have missed me that much.”

“I did. More than you know,” said Norman as he bent down and kissed the boy on the forehead. “Happy New Year’s.”

Danny felt the hardness of Norman's crotch as it pushed against his stomach.

“Happy New Year to you too, darling,” he whispered. He kissed Norman on the lips and returned his face to the man's chest and melted into the hug.

He felt himself getting excited beneath his feminine body padding. He couldn't deny the effect Norman was starting to have on him. He gently slipped out of the embrace, worried that Norman might sense something.

“Would you like a drink?” he asked. “I think we still have some of that Cabernet you brought over for Christmas.”

Norman looked at “her” with a sly smile. “A little early for that, isn't it?”

Danny felt foolish. He'd forgotten it was morning, still flustered from the meeting with his mother. “Oh yes…I suppose so.”

Norman looked at him. “Are you okay?” he asked, concern in his voice. “Did something happen with that Carol woman?”

“Oh no, honey.  She’s perfectly wonderful. I'm just a little concerned about her son, Jimmy's friend.”

“Danny.”

“Yes.”

Norman walked over and hugged him. “It’s okay. I know it’s hard, keeping a secret like that from his mother. But you're just trying to help him. Danny will tell his mother whenever he’s ready.”

Danny nodded, wondering if he ever would tell his mother his secret.

*****

Carol winced as the rough, tangled bushes protecting Olivia’s home bit at her exposed arms and hands. She frowned, hoping the thorns weren't messing up one of her best outfits.

Good lord, how does he cut through here, she wondered.  I feel like Indiana Jones going through all this crap. I need a machete or something.

A spider web confronted her as she ducked under a small branch. “Oh my god!” she hissed as she raked the webbing from her hair, hoping no one inside the home heard her. She thought about turning back, but no. She had to take another look at Olivia, just to reassure herself. All that mattered was getting an unsuspecting peek inside the house.

*****

Norman sat on the couch and pulled “Olivia” gently down into his lap.  The disguised boy fell upon him, giggling like a schoolgirl.

The older man felt like a teenager, stealing a quick kiss and copping a feel (over what he didn't know were artificial breasts) while the parents of his girlfriend watched TV upstairs.

“So where's Jimmy?” asked Norman.

“I don't know.  He could be anywhere,” whispered Danny girlishly.  “And he could be back anytime, so keep that monster in your pants, mister,” he warned teasingly as he placed his small, manicured hand on the teacher's pants, over his raging hard-on.

Norman arched his back and moaned at her touch.  “Yes ma'am,” he said as he pulled her closer and pressed his lips to hers.

*****

A car drove by the Wilson house without slowing down as a brown-haired figure stood behind the hollies, her fingers gripped to the window ledge. She tried to control her labored breathing as she peered through the bay window.

“Jesus, I need to quit smoking,” Carol panted.  Or at least cut back, she thought.

Danny's mother watched as Olivia Wilson lovingly caressed Norman Dinsmore’s crotch and kissed him deeply.

I shouldn’t be doing this, Carol thought to herself. This isn’t right. I shouldn’t be spying on Olivia like this. I’m just being paranoid. There’s no way that’s Danny.

Carol’s suspicions were eased as she saw Olivia break the kiss and slide gently from Norman's lap. She watched as Jimmy's mother leaned forward to pick up her designer cigarette case from the coffee table.  She removed a cigarette from it and placed it between her painted lips. Norman took a lighter from his pocket and flicked it to life. Carol watched as Olivia steadied the lighter in the teacher's hand and looked adoringly into his eyes as she leaned her head toward the flame. Mr. Dinsmore returned the woman’s love struck gaze. Her cigarette lit, she leaned back and took a deep drag, never taking her eyes from the teacher the entire time. She turned her head to the side and exhaled gracefully, then smiled sweetly at the teacher.

Okay, there is no fucking way that’s Danny, Carol reassured herself. He hates cigarettes with a passion, and Olivia obviously enjoys smoking. Look at how effortlessly she holds her cigarette. Those casual, deep drags and thick exhales. Carol was absolutely convinced Olivia’s addiction had been honed by decades of heavy smoking, just as her own had been.

She then examined Olivia’s appearance through the window. It was humanly impossible for any male to forge the appearance of a woman that looked this good. Olivia oozed femininity, from her perfect makeup, hair, and nails down to the stylish outfit she wore.

How could I think that was Danny? He doesn't know the first thing about wearing makeup. And he sure doesn’t know how to dress and accessorize like that. The long charcoal gray wool skirt, the black leather high-heeled boots, the black wool cardigan sweater over the white cotton turtleneck top, the stylish gold jewelry... She dresses better than I do! And look at her body, those curves. No, that’s not my Danny.

Besides, my son isn’t gay. I know for a fact he likes girls and Olivia isn’t doing anything to discourage this man. Whatever is happening is completely consensual. If it were Danny, he’d definitely be fighting like hell to keep that pervert off of him.  Pervert?  No.  Mr. Dinsmore wasn’t a pervert.  He was just a man in love with Jimmy’s mom.

Carol rubbed her tired eyes. Jesus, I need to go home and get some sleep. I’m totally losing it. That plane ride really wiped me out.

Carol’s fingers fell from the windowsill and she stepped out from behind the prickly hollies, wincing quietly as she stumbled out onto the front yard.  She looked around the empty street. No one was watching her. It wouldn't have mattered if they were.  She would have made up an excuse to explain her nosing around. She'd seen a hurt rabbit duck under the bushes or perhaps she was looking for a lost cat.

She raised her scratched hands and forearms and examined them. That’s what I get for spying on that poor woman. After all she’s done for me. She’s practically been a second mother to Danny and this is how I repay her.

God I need a cigarette, she thought. She reached for her purse without realizing she had left it in the car. She unbuttoned her coat as she walked. The Georgia winter was a bit warmer than the one she'd left behind in Colorado.

She found her car, then started the engine and made her way down the street.

*****

Jimmy wandered around his neighborhood, killing time until he thought it was safe to return.

I shouldn’t have made him do this by his self.  I’m such a fucking chicken shit.  But what was I going to do?  What would I have told his mother when she asked where Danny was?  God, I hope he’s okay.

He walked aimlessly, trying in vain to think himself invisible on the open streets of the pristine subdivision.

So Mrs. Brown is back, he thought glumly. That means Danny is going home. And I’m losing my mom. Again.

He kicked away a pebble dejectedly. He knew it wasn’t really his mother; it was just his friend in an awesome disguise. He didn’t look or sound exactly like her, and he lacked her specific habits (aside from smoking) and mannerisms. But Danny was amazingly good at being a mother, there was no denying it. How weird was that? That his best friend, a 15-year-old boy, could so easily take on the identity of a 39-year-old woman and mother?

Jimmy liked having “Olivia” around, even if deep down it was really just his best friend in drag. Somehow, by taking on an adult woman's identity, Danny made him feel safe and loved. Something Danny could never do as a teenaged best friend. He felt guilty admitting it, but in his heart, Jimmy actually preferred Olivia over Danny.

*****

“You know, gorgeous,” Norman said slyly, “You took off last night before I could pay you back.”

“What do you mean?” Danny asked, unsure what Norman was referring to.

“Well...” Norman began, slowly creeping his hand up Danny’s thigh, “You made me feel so good, I should have done the same for you.”

Danny panicked. “Oh no, Norman. I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Not right now.”

Norman frowned. “Why not? I’m actually pretty good at this. Why won’t you let me make you feel as good as you made me feel last night?”

Danny took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled, trying to create a smoky curtain between himself and his amorous boyfriend. He had no idea what to say.

“Norman, please,” he said, gently pulling the teacher’s hand away from his leg, “Jimmy will be home soon. I don’t want him to see us like this.”

A look of disappointment flashed across Norman’s face as he pulled away with a slight frown. “Okay, but I won’t forget I owe you one.”

Danny looked at Norman and saw the understanding yet hungry look in the teacher’s eyes and felt a pang of regret. He couldn’t keep stalling. Sooner or later, Norman would expect something that Danny couldn’t give him. He’d want sex, sex with a real woman.

Reality set in and Danny felt the weight of its gravity. He couldn't keep up his masquerade anymore. Carol had returned, and he’d have to take up his real identity on a permanent basis again. Norman wanted to take their relationship further, much further. Jimmy was getting used to having a mother again.

Danny knew he couldn't keep doing this. It was going to hurt too many people. He knew what he had to do.

He took Norman's hand gently in his. Tears formed in his eyes as he smiled sadly at the teacher.

“Norman, we need to talk...”

*****

Carol drove through the neighborhood, looking around at the houses. Nice neighborhood, she thought. Olivia must make pretty decent money for a single mom.

She turned a corner and spied a teenage boy walking down the street. Carol turned the car around. She pulled up behind the boy and stopped. He turned to look at her car. It was Jimmy, wandering aimlessly, lost in thought.

“Jimmy?” Carol asked, getting out of the car, “Where’s Danny?”

Jimmy looked at her, his mind scrambling for a suitable lie. “Oh, hi Mrs. Brown. Danny’s... uh... he’s still at the mall.  He’s at the arcade playing video games.”

“Video games,” Carol replied suspiciously. “Really?”

“Oh sure,” Jimmy said, gaining confidence in his lie, “He’s about to get the high score on ‘Sniper Saga’.”

Carol folder her arms across her chest. “And you didn’t want to stick around to see it?”

Jimmy paused a moment before answering. “Um... no. I promised my mom I’d... clean up the garage.”

“The garage,” Carol said levelly.

“Yeah, it’s a real mess.”

Carol scowled at Jimmy. “Just send Danny home as soon as he gets back, okay?” She got back in the car and drove away, tempted to go to the mall and find her son.

*****

Jimmy let himself in the house and found Danny sitting back on the couch, smoking silently, apparently in a sad kind of daze. A half-empty glass of scotch on the rocks sat on the coffee table in front of him.

“Hey man. Are you drinking?” Jimmy accused. “You have to get your ass home. Your mom is waiting for you.”

“I know,” Danny replied sullenly in his own voice.

“Dude, then why are you hitting the booze?”

“I broke up with Norman,” Danny said, leaning forward and taking a sip from the glass.

“What? For good?”

Danny took a slow drag on the cigarette. “Maybe,” he replied, exhaling into the air above his head, “I don’t know. I have to think about it. I just know that we can’t take it any further. Besides, my mom is back.”

Jimmy walked over and gently took the drink from his friend's hand. “Dude, Danny. I know you’re bummed about Norman, but you can’t get drunk. Your mom caught me walking around the neighborhood. She knows something’s up. You’ve gotta get home.”

Danny looked at him with a slight sense of alarm. “What do you mean she knows something's up?”

“I don’t know, man. She was giving me the third degree and she was looking at me really weird the whole time. I tried to lie to her, I told her you were still at the mall playing video games. I don't know if she believed me or not, though.”

Danny took one last drag on the cigarette, then leaned forward and crushed it out in the ashtray. He stood up and smoothed out his skirt. “Well, I guess I'd better go get changed,” he said unenthusiastically.

Jimmy looked down at his feet dejectedly. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Danny walked over and lifted Jimmy's chin gently. He smiled reassuringly at his friend, and then spoke in his Olivia voice. “Hey, I've still got a little time before I have to go back. How about I make us some lunch? One last thing I can do for you before I go back?”

Jimmy knew that they shouldn’t, but he smiled in return and said “Okay, Mom.”

*****

“You should have been here. I had Carol completely fooled,” Danny said – still in his Olivia voice – as he made Jimmy a sandwich and some soup.

“I knew you could do it,” said Jimmy, trying to be supportive and get his friend’s mind off Norman.

“I didn’t know if I could. I gotta tell you though, it was weird, really weird- especially when Norman came over. Did I tell you he kissed me right in front of her?”

Jimmy nodded. “Yeah, you mentioned that. So what are you going to do about him? Are you really breaking up with him for good?”

“I don't know,” said Danny as he cut Jimmy’s sandwich in half diagonally – just the way his friend liked it.

Jimmy scowled. “We talked about this, dude. You can't keep doing this.  You gotta do something one way or another. You saw what happened today. He just showed up uninvited. What's going to happen if he shows up again and wants to talk to you and you're not here?”

“I know. I know,” said Danny impatiently as he set the bowls of soup on the table. “Before my mom came back, I thought I could date him part time. You know. I could come over here on the weekends and get dressed up like your mom and go out with him.”

“And you were going to do that for how long?” asked Jimmy as he took a bite of his sandwich. “You can't keep dragging it out. Have you thought about that sex change surgery idea? I told you I'd pay for it.”

Danny poked at his soup without taking a bite. For a moment, Jimmy's idea sounded extremely tempting. His stomach was in knots. “Look Jimmy, I don't know how to tell you this, so I'm just going to say it.”

Jimmy looked up from his meal. He had mustard on his chin. Danny smiled affectionately and wiped it away with his napkin.

“Sorry, you had mustard on your face,” said Danny.

“Forget about the mustard, what were you going to tell me?”

“It’s something my mom said when I was talking to her today. She said her and Ted are getting married.”

“Big deal,” said Jimmy. “So they get married and you move to Ted's house. You're almost 16. You can get your driver's license and then you can drive over here.”

“I don't think so,” said Danny. “My mom said Ted got a job in Colorado and we're moving there with him.”

“Shit, dude! That sucks!”

“For both of us,” said Danny.

Jimmy felt a sense of desperation rising. “Maybe you can talk your mom into letting you live here. It could work. She knows we’re like brothers and you said she likes my mom.”

Danny pushed his bowl away and lit a cigarette. “Already tried it,” he said. “She didn't go for it.”

“This is fucked up, dude,” replied Jimmy hollowly.

“Tell me about it,” said Danny as he filled his lungs with soothing smoke.

“I guess Norman's going to find out now,” said Jimmy. “If you move and I stay, he's going to figure things out eventually. He's going to see me everyday in class and you know he's going to keep asking about you.”

“Yeah, I know. I'm sorry.”

“Then we have to tell him,” said Jimmy. “Everything. There's nothing else we can do. And even then, I'm screwed.”

“I've been thinking,” said Danny. “We might not have to tell him. Maybe we could think of something else.”

“Like what?”

“Well maybe we could tell my mom the truth about your mom. We can tell her she's dead, and maybe you can move with us to Colorado.”

“I hate to break it you man, but my mom isn't dead as far as your mom is concerned.  She met her today. Remember?”

“I'm not sure what else to do,” said Danny. “What about Brenda? If you sold the house and moved in with her, you could go to another school.”

“I don't know, man. I like Brenda and all, but it’s a two-way street. Do you think she'd go for it?

“We can talk to her.  She likes you, too.  It won't hurt to ask.”

“What if she says no?  What do we do then?”

Danny crushed out his cigarette in the ashtray. “I don't know, but we'll think of something. Let’s just try the Brenda thing first and see what happens. Right now I have to get changed.”

*****

Danny walked into Olivia's bedroom, sadly looking around at the mature, feminine, yet now wholly familiar decorations. He walked into the closet and fondly ran his fingers over her clothes. For a time, they were all his: the blouses and sweaters; the skirts and pants; the stylish jackets and outerwear; Olivia's shoes, sneakers and boots. He loved wearing any of her clothes, she had such great taste and her things made him feel so attractive, so adult and feminine.

For a moment, he felt a tinge of regret that he wouldn't get to try on any of her spring or summer clothes, although he had to admit that Olivia’s wardrobe could use some updating. The real Olivia had died three years before, and of course Jimmy hadn’t bought any new female clothes.

Maybe sometime he’d let me go on a clothes shopping spree with her credit card, Danny thought.

He shook his head, knowing that he probably wouldn’t get that shopping trip. He walked out of the closet and found his black leather purse lying on the bed. He rummaged through it until he found the elegant leather Louis Vuitton cigarette case, the one Norman had given him for Christmas. He pulled out a cigarette, put it to his mouth and pulled out his gold Calibri lighter, also a gift from Norman. As the cigarette dangled from his lips, he read the inscription on the lighter:

“To Olivia, With Love, Norman”.

“Oh Norman,” he said sadly as he lit the cigarette and took a deep drag.

He studied himself in the mirror, wishing he really could be Olivia – a real adult woman – for the teacher.  He reached down and touched his groin, feeling the outline of a firm penis where there should have been smooth fabric.  “I’m sorry Norman,” he said out loud.  “I’m sorry Jimmy.”

He walked over to the bed and sat. With the cigarette dangling from his lips, he unzipped his boots, and then gingerly pulled them from his feet, first the left then the right. He really liked wearing them; he loved how stylish they looked with his clothes.

He got up for a moment and walked around, letting his hosed feet breathe for a moment. He slipped out of his sweater and tossed it into the closet, into Olivia’s dirty clothes hamper. He then walked over to the vanity mirror and removed his jewelry piece by piece – bracelet, rings, watch, earrings – and then put them away in Olivia’s jewelry box.

He sat at the vanity and stared at his seemingly 39-year-old female reflection. A reflection he’d grown quite comfortable with over the past few weeks. He didn’t know when he’d see it again, if ever.

“Well, don’t keep your mom waiting,” he said, preparing himself for the transformation back into a teenage boy. He began by gently working his thumbs up beneath his hairline, prying his wig away from his scalp, pulling away “Olivia's” long auburn hair. He set the wig on its stryofoam head, and with a small, sad smile, studied his incongruous appearance: Olivia's adult, attractive, tastefully made-up face beneath Danny's short, boyish blonde hair.

He picked up a jar of makeup remover, applied some to a cotton ball, and began removing his makeup. As the makeup off came off with each swipe of the cotton ball, so did the years of Danny’s apparent age.

Once his own face greeted him in the mirror, he rose from the vanity and removed all of Olivia’s clothes, right down to his body padding. He scooped them all up and placed them in the hamper in the closet. He pulled his own clothes out and put them on, before leaving Olivia’s bedroom.

“Goodbye, Olivia,” he whispered as he closed the door behind him, “I loved being you. And I took good care of our son.”

*****

“You can’t leave yet, dude,” Jimmy said.

“What? Why not” Danny asked?

“Have you looked at your hands?”

Danny glanced down at his beautifully manicured acrylic nails. “Dude, I totally forgot about these. I’ve gotten so used to them. Can you find me a bottle of acetone and some cotton balls? And the aluminum foil. It's in the cupboard, on the top shelf.”

Jimmy found the necessary items and brought them to Danny. He sat down at the table and watched as Danny tore the foil into strips.  His friend then soaked a cotton ball with acetone and placed it against his left thumbnail.

“Okay,” said Danny.  “I need you to wrap one of those foil squares over my thumb like a bandage.”

Jimmy did as he was told and repeated the process on the other nine nails.

“What now” asked Jimmy?

“We wait. It's supposed to take about 20 minutes and then I need to push the nails off with a wood pusher.

Jimmy wrinkled his nose.  “Is it going to hurt?”

“I don't know.  I've never done it before.”

Jimmy acknowledged his friend's answer with a nod.  “So what are you going to do about your eyebrows?”

“I don’t know,” said Danny. “Wear a hat and comb my hair forward to hide it, I guess.  Does it look bad?”

Jimmy shook his head. “Not really. They'll grow back, right?”

Danny shrugged. “I guess so. I mean I don't see why not. It’s just hair.”

“What are you going to tell your mom if she asks about them?”

“I'm going to say I was shaving them ‘cause they were growing together and I was getting one of those unibrows.  And then I'll say I slipped and cut too much off and I tried to even it out.  Think she'll go for it?”

“Sounds good to me,” said Jimmy.  “By the way, I got you something.”

“Oh yeah?” grinned Danny.  “I thought Christmas was over.”

Jimmy pulled out a small cellular phone and offered it forth. “I thought you could use it to keep in touch with Norman. You still can, just in case.  It's pre-paid, but I put a lot of money in your account so you won't have to worry about that for a while.”

“Really?” asked Danny. “Thanks.  That could really come in handy.  Think it will work in Colorado?”

“Sure,” said Jimmy. “It just counts minutes.  It doesn't matter whether it's local or long distance.”

“Thanks, man. That's really nice of you,” said Danny as he held one of his foil-covered hands up for examination.  “So are you going to be okay with me leaving and all?”

“You mean am I going to be okay about losing my mom again?”

“I didn't want to say it like that, but yeah.  Are you going to be all right?  I worry about you, you know?”

“It's not like I'm not going to miss you,” said Jimmy.  “But I did it before, you know.  I'll get used to it again.  I'm going to miss you as a friend too.  How ‘bout you?  Are you going to miss dressing like a girl and sucking guy's dicks?”

“Bastard!” shouted Danny as he stabbed a foil covered finger into his friend's shoulder.  But he knew his friend well enough to know he was just kidding.

“I told you,” said Danny.  “It's not like that.”

“Yeah, I know you did.  It only works with Norman then?”

“If you're talking about sex, then yeah.  It's not like I'm really even attracted to him.  It's more like we have this connection.”

“You're in love with him, aren't you?”

“Honestly? A part of me is, yeah,” said Danny. “It's hard to explain.  It's like I'm two different people. You know.  I'm me and then I'm your mom.  And when I'm your mom, I love Norman and I love you – as a son, that is. Does that make any sense?”

“It makes a lot of sense,” said Jimmy. “So do you think you'll get over it, you know, being my mom and loving Norman?”

“I hope so. They say time heals all wounds, so we’ll see.”

“Tell me about it. That's what I thought when my mom died. It's not true, dude.”

Danny sighed.  It was as he had feared.  Losing him as a mom would be tough on Jimmy.  And his friend was right.  In his own heart, he didn't see himself getting over Norman or any of the new feelings he'd discovered about himself.

*****

Back at her home, Carol sat down on the couch, lit a cigarette and dialed Ted from her cordless phone.

Ted picked up on the third ring.  “Hello?” he said into the phone.

“Hey honey.  Did you get yourself unpacked?”

“There's still some things to do,” said Ted, “but yeah, pretty much so.  How about you?  Did everything go okay with Danny?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen him yet.”

“What? Why not?”

“He wasn’t at Olivia’s. He’ll be home soon, though.”

“Is something wrong?” asked Ted.

“It's probably nothing,” said Carol, “But then again, I don't know.  It was something Olivia said when I went over there today.  He and Jimmy were at the mall, so it gave us a chance to get to know each other better.”

“What does that have to do with Danny?”

“It’s just that Olivia seems to have some concerns about him.  She said a few things that made me think.  Can I run something by you, honey?  I'd appreciate your opinion.”

“Sure,” grunted Ted.  “Anything.”

“Olivia thinks Danny may be smoking.”

“Pot?” asked Ted.

“No, of course not.  It's nothing like that.  She thinks he may be smoking cigarettes.”

“He's your son, Carol.  I can talk to him if you want, but a lot of teenagers smoke.  It could always be worse.”

“That's funny,” said Carol.  “That's exactly what I said when I found out.  So it wouldn't bother you to have another smoker in the house?”

“I don't think one more smoker is going to make that much of a difference.”

“Thanks, Ted.  You're a doll.  I love you so much.  Oh, and before I forget, Olivia mentioned something else about Danny that I thought was rather odd.”

“Like what” asked Ted?

“Olivia seems to think Danny might be gay.”

“And you think Danny's being gay will make me love you less” asked Ted?

“I don't know,” said Carol. “I guess that's why I brought it up.  So you're saying it wouldn't bother you?”

“Don't take this the wrong way, Carol, but I've always thought there was something different about Danny.  He's a good kid and all, but he does seem to spend a lot of time with his friend Jimmy.  Think about it.  That would explain why he didn't want to come up when I asked him to.  He said he'd rather stay with his friend.  Most kids would have jumped at a chance to go skiing.”

“You're right,” said Carol.  “I suppose they would.”  She was relieved at how well the conversation was going and decided to try and close the vague deal.  “So you're saying you're okay with whatever this is, and you still want to marry me?”

“Of course I still want to marry you!  How could you even ask?  I love you, Carol. And Danny, too, believe it or not. I mean, he’s your son. How could I not?”

“That’s really sweet of you to say, honey. I love you too.  Call me later, okay?”

“Yes,” said Ted.  He kissed the receiver and hung up the phone.

Carol turned off her phone, inhaled from her cigarette, smiled warmly and melted into the couch.

*****

“Damn, these things are a bitch to get off,” said Danny as he pried the last nail from his hand with the wood pusher.

“How does it feel to have guy hands again?” asked Jimmy.

“It's weird.  It feels like my hands shrunk,” said Danny as he opened a piece of Nicorette gum and popped it in his mouth.  He bit down on the gum and made a face.

Jimmy snickered.  “What's wrong?  Taste bad?”

“No.  Not if you like chewing cardboard.  Seriously though.  This shit is gross!”

“Yeah, I guess so, but it's still better than your mom finding out.  Why don't you just wait until you go home?”

“I just thought I'd get a head start, you know.  Maybe if I start quitting now I won't feel so much like smoking when I wake up.”

“Maybe so.  How long has it been since your last cigarette?”

“Long enough,” said Danny without looking at the clock.  “I had no idea it would feel this bad. I wish I never started.”

Jimmy laughed. “That's what my mom used to say whenever she tried to quit.”

“Oh yeah?  Did your mom try to quit a lot?”

“Every night for eight hours.  And then she'd wake up.”

“Very funny,” growled Danny as he chomped on his gum.

“So, next time you’re over here, think you’ll be up for some ‘Omalion’?” chided Jimmy.

Danny held up his now short-nailed fingers.  “Sure man. I'll be able to give you a decent game now that my hands are back down to their fighting weight.”

They cleaned up their mess and put everything away. Danny retrieved his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

“I’ve gotta get going, dude. I know my mom’s waiting for me,” he said awkwardly.

“Yeah. I'll see ya later,” Jimmy said sullenly.

“I'll be back around. Maybe tomorrow. We can play 'Omalion' then,” Danny said trying to sound pleasant. He turned for the front door and placed his hand on the knob.

Suddenly, he spun back around and hugged his friend tightly. He kissed him gently on the cheek.

“Goodbye, honey,” Danny whispered into Jimmy's ear in his Olivia voice, “I'll be back again, too. As soon as I can, I promise.”

To Be Continued

 

  since 9/19/05