My Son My Conqueror Pt. 01

I reached out and grasped his strong, chiseled chin in one hand. "I'll be fine. You need to decide what you want in life and grab it! You're young with your whole life ahead of you! I want you to be happy! That's what makes me happy."

"And what if that's what makes me happy, mom? Making you happy?"

I sighed and let his chin go. "Baby, I've lived a lifetime already. I've loved, lost, and then had you. My life's goals are complete. You on the other hand have only just begun to live your life. I want you to be happy!"

Desmond's face shifted, and I recognised the look. The honest, sincere, and serious man that dwelled inside his head and made rare appearances and usually only to me. I knew every expression on his face and how his mind worked. He would say one thing and I would know what he really meant. "I'm happiest when I'm with you, mom. Why would I ever leave that?"

I had no words to say. He was being sincere. He rose and poured a second cup of coffee and disappeared around the corner to bring Leanne her cup.

I fought off the tears. I was ruining my son's life. Trapping him in a false utopia. I was a horrible selfish mother.

A little while later, Desmond and Leanne appeared together. She had showered and looked fresh. I heated up the meat and started to make pancakes as soon as I first heard the shower shut off and when they entered the kitchen, I had the first pancakes off the griddle.

Leanne smiled at me and wished me a good morning. I watched her sit at the table and saw the slight wince on her face as she sat. I smiled to myself, proud of my son.

I served breakfast and sat with them as they ate.

Leanne kept looking at me. "Aren't you going to eat, Miss Smith?"

"Call me Jessica, please. No. I never eat in the morning."

Desmond nodded while chewing. "It's true. Never. Makes me eat though."

"The way to a man's heart is through their stomach," I quoted and then realised what that truly meant and blushed.

Leanne looked at me and then Desmond. She kept eating putting away a remarkable amount of food for someone so slim. She must have noticed me staring because she stopped eating.

"I'm sorry, I never get breakfast at home. Not like this! Usually my mom just gets pop-tarts."

"Oh dear," I said. "Well eat up! There's lots. Desmond can eat a whole pound of bacon by himself."

"Pig," mumbled Leanne around a mouthful of pancakes.

Desmond smiled and stole a piece of bacon off her plate and shoved it into his mouth, grinning and flashing his greasy teeth at her.

"Oh, you're gonna get it!" she said, her eyes aglow.

"Promises, promises," muttered Desmond, swallowing.

"Next time you want a blow job see where that gets you!" she cackled and then threw a hand over her mouth and snapped her head to stare at me in shock. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"

Desmond had his mouth open in surprise and then turned his head slowly to look at me.

I laughed. "See? I always told you there were consequences, Desmond." My mind filled with the images of Leanne sucking my son's penis.

Leanne looked sideways at Desmond and then back to me.

"Relax, you two. I was your age once. Based on last night I would suspect its nothing new between you."

Right away I was mortified. I shouldn't have said anything. Now they knew I had heard them last night. With Leanne pretending to be me with my son. I faked a smile and sipped my barely warm coffee.

Desmond and she shared a look. I pretended not to notice and rose to get more coffee. My hands were shaking.

"You heard us last night, mom?" asked Desmond quietly to my back.

I refilled my cup and turned around, calming my face. I sipped the coffee. "I got a glass of water. I could kind of hear you. Don't worry about it. Like I said, I was your age once. Just use protection, okay? I don't want grandchildren."

Leanne and Desmond shared another look before Desmond spoke again. "I'm sorry, mom. I hope you didn't hear anything you didn't want to hear."

"Nope."

"Okay. Sorry. We'll be quieter."

"Thanks."

I could see through the kitchen table that Leanne was gripping Desmond's thigh tightly, her knuckles white. People always forgot the table was see through. She was warning him.

"You kids have any plans today?"

They shook their heads.

"I'm going into the market, I think. I want to pick up some tomatoes to make sauces. Can I trust you two alone? Leanne, your mother was quite concerned with you sleeping over at a boy's place, as she put it. It was only having me around that relaxed her. Can I trust you two?"

Leanne let go of Desmond's leg. "Yeah, sure Miss Smith."

"Jessica, please."

"Jessica, sorry. You're pretty cool, Jessica. Thank you."

"My pleasure. Desmond, can you clean up?"

He nodded.

* * *

An hour later, I pulled into the market, finding a parking spot up close. I grabbed my shopping bag and locked up my car out of habit. In small towns like these you don't need to lock anything up other than the stores.

I sauntered down the sidewalk, feeling cute in my floral summer dress, wide brimmed sun hat, large sunglasses, and simple sandals. I went past the nickel and dime store and into the large parking lot converted to an open market on the weekends. Most of the booths sold produce and preserves, but a few sold hand crafts and art. I made my way through the market slowly admiring the goods and then spotted a new stand run by a woman I had never seen before. She looked Asian and there weren't many Asian women in town. The only Asians I knew of were just the mother, father, and son who owned the Lucky Star Chinese takeout restaurant in town. I couldn't remember their names. But she was not them and she stood out like a light in the darkness.

She looked at me when I approached and smiled. "Hi!" she said. I was expecting an accent, but all I heard was plain old American.

"Hi! You're new to the market!"

"Yes I am. I just moved into town a month ago."

"Really? How exciting! Where are you living?" I watched her face enchanted by her exotic looks. She was gorgeous, and I had never been attracted to another woman before. A quick image of Leanne crossed my mind, unwanted. But this woman had a face I was sure I could stare at all day.

I gasped when she told me where she lived. "That's two houses down from me! You bought the Cooper place!"

"I did!"

"Wow, that house was on the market for over a year."

"It's a little run down. And I think vacant for over a year?"

"Sadly, yes. Old Man Cooper lived alone in that house. His wife passed a long time ago."

Her eyes grew larger, and I loved how that happened with her gorgeous, slanted eyes. Her pupils were dark brown and had a wonderful depth. "He didn't die in there, did he? Oh my God! I never thought to ask the realtor!"

I laughed a genuine laugh, and it felt good. "No! No! He died in town. Heart attack in the post office. Just dropped dead. No ghosts or anything! At least, I don't think."

"Whew!" laughed the woman. "That's a relief!"

"I'm Jessica, by the way. Jessica Smith."

She put out her hand to grasp mine. I felt a shock when she touched me. Her hand felt so small in mine, and I didn't want to let it go. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Jennifer Kimura."

I suddenly needed to see more of her. "I'll have to stop by your house. So I can welcome you better. You and your husband."

Jennifer laughed, and I loved the sound of it. Her face was so animated. "Single. No husband. Are you married?"

"No. Divorced. My husband left me twenty years ago." Inside I was so happy she was single. Why am I happy about that?

"Twenty? You look so young!" She was looking at me in an unexpected way. Closely. Intimately. The electricity I had felt in the air seemed more charged. Focused.

"Um, thanks," I said. She looked far younger than me. She looked to be in her early twenties. She was slim, extraordinarily so, but with breasts that seemed too large for her frame. Her hair was jet black, perfectly straight, and falling to the middle of her back and it shone in the morning sunshine. I had to admit she was beautiful. She was exotic looking to me and I felt plain in her presence. "But I'm forty. Don't tell anyone!" I laughed at my own stupid humor.

She laughed with me. "Well, I'm thirty-five." She leaned toward me and whispered. "Don't tell anyone!"

I laughed then, instantly warming completely to this woman. I looked down at her display, seeing it for the first time. It was mostly scarfs and small artwork. It looked like hand-painted silk. I asked, and she nodded.

"Yes, all pure silk. I hand-paint them. It's a hobby, really. I've been making them all my life. I sell quite a lot online. I have an Amazon store. I do pretty well."

"They're beautiful." I said and meant it. My eyes spotted something strange on her table, placed in the back corner. I picked one up and examined it. It looked like a twisted unicorn horn, except it had raised circles like tentacle suckers. It was squishy like rubber or silicone. "What's this?"

Jennifer grinned at me. "Are you sure you want to know?"

I looked at her confused. "Yes?"

She giggled. "It's called a Takoyaki. I make them, too. My biggest seller online."

"Taco? Taco yacky?"

"Takoyaki," she repeated and spelled it out. "It's a play on the word in Japanese for octopus balls, a food delicacy. The word plays on another use of tentacles."

"What's it for?"

"For stimulation."

"Stimulation?"

She looked at me and grinned wider. Her teeth were so white and perfect. God help me, but I wondered right then what it would be like to kiss her. To kiss a woman. A feeling so foreign to me I had no idea what to do with it. But there it was forefront in my head. I tore my eyes from her face and studied the strange object in my hand. And then it dawned on me. I looked up at Jennifer. "No way!"

She nodded, smiling, and laughing at the naughtiness of it.

"And you just..." I moved it a little in my hand in up and down motions.

She laughed. "Yup."

"And people buy these?"

"Yes. A lot of people. My best seller. Those are the, um," she glanced around, but we were alone. The market wouldn't get busy for another hour. "Those are the smaller ones."

I stared the object and tried to imagine using it on myself. I couldn't. I just couldn't. "Oh my God." I looked up at Jennifer and suddenly I wanted to know more about her. This was the most exciting thing that had happened to me in years in this small town. "Oh, now you simply must come over to my place. I need to hear more."

Jennifer looked surprised. "Come over to your place?"

"Sure. Why not? Tonight. I have wine. Food. Music. Come over and we'll just talk. I can answer any weird questions you might have about this town. I've lived here my entire life. I know everyone. There are reasons to get to know me."

Jennifer hesitated and then nodded. "You know what? I think I would like that. What time?"

"Six? Seven? Come right from here if you want. It's just me and my son at home. He's an adult now."

Jennifer's eyes lit up. "Does he do repairs?"

"Oh yes. He's quite the handyman. He can do anything. What do you need?"

"The house is quite run down. I need a lot of work done. Walls, plumbing, everything. I had one of the men in town come round to look but he was more interested in looking at me, if you know what I mean."

"I do, sadly. The men around here aren't like in the city. They don't have boundaries. It's like going back in time about fifty years."

"Can I meet your son? And ask him to have a look?"

I reached out and took her hand. Her hand was so dainty. "Hon, I promise you, he'll love to help you out. I know my son. He loves helping people."

"I can pay him. Money's not a problem."

"You discuss it with him. He won't want anything though."

Jennifer and I chatted for a little while. I bought a small eight by eight-inch frame with a piece of silk inside it under glass. A beautiful Japanese dragonfly was painted on it. Jennifer explained to me dragonflies are the national emblem of Japan. I asked her if she was Japanese, finally getting the nerve to ask. She nodded but added her parents were born in America and so was she. I understood what she meant. She wasn't Japanese. She was American just like me. She wrapped up the frame behind the table and handed me the bag, smiling at me.

We parted, and I finished my chores and exited the market, looking for and waving goodbye to Jennifer. I stopped at the local Walmart since the local market didn't have any tomatoes yet and bought some frozen juices that Desmond enjoyed and a few more odds and ends and then headed home. Desmond's truck was gone, and I found the house empty.

I brought in my shopping and put the bag containing the dragonfly painting on the kitchen counter. I put away the produce and then looked for a suitable place to hang the dragonfly art. I immediately knew it had to go in the sunroom. The sun would highlight the beautiful pearlescent painting.

I reached into the bag to remove the painting when my hand closed on something I recognised at once. I pulled out one of the Takoyaki's. It was the one I had held. I smiled and then wondered what to make for dinner before remembering I had at least three pounds of roast beef in the fridge.

I busied myself around the house for a few hours. Mostly cleaning. My house was always clean. Desmond and I were fanatical about it. He had helped me since he was old enough to help and never complained and never waited to be told to help. We always worked that way. A team. A pair.

I stopped sweeping the floor as a thought struck me. Desmond was more of a best friend in many ways. We did everything together. Always as a team. Laughing at the same jokes. Finishing each other's sentences. I resumed sweeping. Probably just like every other mother and son team, I surmised. For a moment there it had meant something more to me, but I didn't know what.

As always, I cleaned the bedrooms. Mostly dusting and sweeping the hardwood floors. I entered Desmond's room and swept barely glancing around. I knew his room like my own. I always respected his privacy and when I cleaned here I never, ever, snooped. I had read horror stories about mother's finding crusty socks and what not. I was afraid to look under his mattress and find magazines with naked women. Nope. Nope. Nope. No need to see that.

As I was leaving, I noticed the teddy bear on his bookshelf. It contained a nanny camera. My husband had bought it so we could go out with a babysitter. I had refused to leave my son in the care of a stranger. Perhaps that had led to him leaving. I would never know. Desmond had liked it simply as a teddy bear and over the years it ended up on his shelf. A memory of his father attached to it, I supposed.

I took it down and checked it out. It ran off batteries and it was empty now. I think part of my brain was well ahead of the rest of me. The next thing I knew I had replaced the batteries, checked it still worked, and sat it back on the shelf. I hummed as I completed my cleaning routine in the kitchen.

Just then I heard a knock at my door, startling me.

I should mention that Desmond had done a wonderful job over the years insulating the house. His effort greatly reduced the cost of heating and cooling the house. As a side benefit, the house was quiet. Nothing creaked or groaned. I looked at the clock on the microwave and saw it was a little past four thirty in the afternoon. The market closed at four and I knew who it was. Suddenly, I was nervous and excited. I wasn't sure what my interest in Jennifer was. I just knew I had to go down that road and see where it led.

I opened the door to find Jennifer standing there smiling up at me. I hadn't noticed at the market, but she could only be a little over five feet tall. She had a bottle of wine in her hand.

"Jennifer! I'm so glad you came! Come in! Come in! Leave your shoes on!"

Jennifer handed me the bottle of wine. "For you. Thank you for inviting me over. Your house looks so beautiful from the outside. All that stonework! It's like mine!"

"Come in, and thanks. It was my parent's house. My son has really fixed it up though. He's quite handy. You'll see. I said leave your shoes on!"

"I can't. I'm sorry. I have to remove them."

"Is this some cultural thing?" I asked, not knowing.

She laughed. "No. My feet are killing me after standing on them all day!"

I laughed then. "I'm sorry. I'll be honest. You're probably the first oriental woman I've ever spoken to. I'm probably going to say all sorts of horrible things."

Jennifer placed a hand on my arm. I could feel it there. I was completely aware of it. "Stop apologizing. It happens all the time. Ask away. Ask anything no matter how dumb it might sound. Better to clear the air right away, don't you agree?"

"I do," I said and warmed to her even more. She removed her hand, and I looked at the bottle to distract myself. "Oh, this looks nice. I don't think I've ever had this one..."

"It's good. I have a few cases at home."

"Levy and McClellan, Cabernet Sauvignon. Yum, I like Cab Sauvs."

"You'll like this one, I promise. So?"

"Follow me! I have a beautiful sunroom my son made for me. Come this way. Or would you rather have a tour of my house? It takes about one minute to see the whole place."

Jennifer laughed. "Another time. Let's sit and get to know each other. I do love the inside. So tasteful."

I grinned at her. "A girl after my own heart!"

Jennifer blinked rapidly and then smiled. "Cool."

She gushed at the sunroom extension and stared out past the large bay windows. "Oh my God! It's so perfect! You can see all around! And the couches, they're perfect! I could sit and read here all day! I am so jealous!"

"All my son's doing. I swear I only like mentioned in passing one day how much I would love a sunroom. I came home the next day, and he was tearing everything apart. I was so mad at him! And then look at this. He has a gift for this."

Jennifer was really admiring the work. "Have you heard of Feng Shui?" she asked me suddenly.

"No? What's that?"

"It's Chinese. It's the practice of arranging the pieces in a living space to create balance with the natural world. It is said to give people harmony between where you live and the world around you. This place just reeks of Feng Shui. You can feel it in the air!"

I had no idea what she was talking about. "I suppose. All I know is that I spend a lot of time out in this room." I rummaged through the utensil drawer and found the corkscrew thing. Normally my wine comes with twist tops. I started to use it, fumbling, and Jennifer took it from me.

"Let me," she said, and I happily gave it over to her.

She opened it with practiced precision, and I remarked on it.

"Lots of practice. Glasses?"

"Of course. I'm an idiot." I quickly grabbed two glasses and Jennifer poured a little into each glass.

"First we taste," she said and lifted her glass. I did the same and followed what she did. We smelled it, let the wine slide down the inside of the glass and watched what little clung to the glass, and then sipped it. I felt very special.

It tasted pretty good and said so.

"I hope so," she smiled and then filled our glasses.

I grabbed the board with meat and cheeses from the fridge, and we retired to the sunroom, stretched out on the large couches, our feet almost touching. I raised my glass.

"Here's to new friendships!" I toasted and Jennifer raised her glass.

"Your house is beautiful, Jessica. It feels very feminine but with a touch of masculinity. It feels like a home with much love."

"It is. My son and I, it's just been us two since he was one-year-old. His father left us and moved to California. He wasn't meant to be a father. He always paid his child support, though, he never missed a payment. He just missed all the birthdays and Christmases and everything in between. But Desmond is a good man. He understood early on just who and what his father was. I don't think it bothered him too much. He always said it meant he got me all to himself." I realised how that sounded and blushed. I hid it by taking a large sip of wine. "Say, this is getting much better."