Truth and Reconciliation Ch. 07

Clearly, Jason's words took a few seconds to register with his sister because, as they did, her expression changed several times in rapid succession.

Her initial shock turned to confusion, then to anger. "Apartment?" she asked angrily. "God damn it! I knew it! You lied to me, Jason. You looked me right in the face and lied to me."

Jason wasn't taken entirely off guard by Beth's outburst. In fact, one of the reasons he wanted to tell her face to face about the apartment was to have this conversation.

"No, I did not!" Jason said forcefully.

"You told me that you weren't just looking to leave, that you weren't going to abandon Evelin, and that you weren't going to abandon this family. Now, just two weeks later, you've got one foot out the door."

"Beth, I'm sorry, but you need to calm the fuck down!" he exclaimed.

When they were kids, Jason and Beth were often at each other's throats, but she could not remember Jason ever speaking to her like that. It shocked her into silence, and Jason quickly took advantage.

"Everything I told you was true," he continued. "I am not abandoning Evie. In fact, it was her idea. She went apartment hunting WITH me. And... It's her name on the lease."

Hearing that caused Beth's anger to evaporate as she stared at Jason in confusion.

"Furthermore," he added, "I'm not abandoning the family. This is part of my plan to FIX this fucked up mess we call a family."

"Fix it?" was all Beth could manage.

"I don't know if you've noticed... or cared... but Mom has kept me locked up for the past ten years like I'm fucking Darby the house elf.

"That's. Not. Normal, Beth.

"Like, you get that, right? You get that me being your god damn servant isn't how a family is supposed to work." At first, Jason was feigning anger, but as he spoke, his emotions took over, and he lashed out at his big sister.

"So, don't you DARE lecture me about family. I have sacrificed everything for this fucking family. Friends. Dating. School. I didn't get to have those things, Beth.

"Instead, I got cooking and cleaning and doing your fucking laundry.

"Yeah, when I should have been playing football, or going on dates, or working a part-time job at the mother fucking Burger King, I was trapped here, at home, trying to get the stains out of YOUR god damn panties.

"I've done my part for this family," Jason finished, breathing heavy and staring at his sister with a fierce intensity.

"Jason... I'm sorry... I tried...," Beth looked completely ashamed and defeated as she attempted to stammer out an apology.

Jason didn't care, and he didn't wait before he started talking again. Though, this time he was calm and in control.

"So, dear sister, after waiting ten years for you or Mom, or someone to fix this shit, I've finally realized I'm going to have to do it myself.

"Yes, I'm going to fix this family. And, step one is getting Mom to reengage with reality. Part of that is this apartment. Whether I use it as a threat or I go through with moving out, either way, Mom is going to realize that it's been ten years. Her kids have grown up. The world has changed. And she needs to get with the program."

For several long moments, the two siblings just stared at each other. Jason's face and posture reflected his self-assurance. Beth's betrayed the jumble of emotions she was working through.

"Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you...," Jason began.

He hadn't planned this next part, per se, but he had been giving a lot of thought to Beth's potential programming. A flash of inspiration told him that what he said next may prime the pump for getting Beth on his side.

"...I just get really worked up about this. I mean, the way I've been treated isn't just unfair. It's wrong. It's unjust." Jason emphasized the last word.

"So it's not only that I was wronged," he continued, "it's the principle of it all."

He paused for a moment seeming to Beth like he was processing his thoughts when he actually knew exactly what he wanted to say.

"It is my intention to fix this family, Beth. But it's also my intention to heal this family. Before healing, though, I think there has to be some sort of penance paid.

"How could we ever reconnect as a true family when I have the anger and resentment of ten years of unjust servitude and, presumably, you," Jason made a sweeping gesture indicating he meant the women of the house, "have the guilt of perpetrating it?"

Jason could tell his words were impacting Beth, and he wanted to continue before she had time to challenge him.

"I mean," Jason began dismissively as if he hadn't spent time thinking about it, "I have no idea what that penance might look like or what sort of reparations might be necessary.

"I just think that to protect this family and for it to truly heal, real justice must be seen? Don't you agree, Beth? That when a wrong has been committed, justice must be served?"

She looked at him for a moment before finally responding, "Yes, I guess. I mean, I never thought about it from your perspective. I knew it wasn't fair, but... but, I was... I guess I was just focused on my own life."

"Well, I haven't had that luxury to focus on my own life. And now I'm still not focusing on my own life; I'm trying to right a wrong and heal this family."

Jason took a deep breath, sighed, and looked his older sister in the eyes. "I'm hoping you want to heal this family too."

"Of course I do, I just...," Beth started, but Jason cut her off.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude, Beth, but I've got some work I need to finish up before seeing Mom. Would you excuse me, please?"

Looking confused and a bit overwhelmed, Beth simply replied, "Sure," before turning and leaving Jason alone.

'That went pretty well,' Jason thought to himself. He may be taking a one-dimensional view of his sister by playing up the whole "justice" angle, but according to Evie, it was a driving force in Beth's life.

Pulling the feed from Janice's phone back up, Jason thought he heard her shower running. Janice often showered after work, so maybe that's all this was. She wanted to talk to Jason but was still sticking with her regular routine.

He'd have to wait another forty minutes to find out.

---

"Mom," Jason knocked on Janice's bedroom door, "you wanted to see me?"

Jason's mom didn't respond right away, but he heard movement in the room. Finally, after several long heartbeats, she replied, "Yes, sweetie, please come in."

As Jason pushed open the bedroom door, he was immediately confused.

"Quickly, Jason, and close the door behind you."

Complying, Jason walked into his mother's room and took in the view. It was dark. Coming from the hallway's light, Jason could hardly see anything except the candles.

Janice had lit two candles. One on her dresser and one on a small table in the corner of the room. While pleasant and alluring, their light was too dim to illuminate the room--at least to Jason's night blind eyes.

Sitting at the head of her bed, Janice was bathed in shadow such that Jason could barely make out her silhouette.

Indeed, the darkness made Jason's eye's mostly useless for the time being. His nose, however, was working just fine, and Jason could smell his mother's perfume.

The scent of it, sweet with a hint of vanilla, immediately brought him back to the "dream" he'd had a couple months ago. The dream where the mystery woman had snuck into his room at night.

Jason didn't know what sort of mood his mother was hoping to create, but intended or not, this whole scene was starting to turn him on.

Years of angry outbursts from his mother had conditioned Jason to wait for her to speak first. And, while he didn't feel compelled to adhere to their standard "rules of engagement," he, nonetheless, decided to wait for her to address him.

"Jason," she finally began after what seemed like an eternity, "thank you for coming."

Hmm, thanking him... that was new.

"We need to talk," she continued. "I've got a lot to say, and I need you to listen to me, please. Can you do that, Son?"

There was something about her tone. The usual harsh, authoritarian, drill sergeant cadence was gone. Instead, her voice was soft, submissive, almost sad. Jason had to fight the urge to reach down and adjust his swelling member in his pants.

"Sure, Mom."

"These past couple weeks have been... confusing, Son," she said. "It's been like a fog has lifted, err no, more like I'm wearing glasses for the first time. Things which have been very... blurry," she said, trying to continue the metaphor, "started coming into focus.

"One of those things, Jason, maybe the biggest, is you.

"I suddenly began to realize that... well, that you've become a man. My little man has grown up. That realization startled me. Even scared me.

"It's true. After we talked about your business last week, I was terrified.

"Jason, there is nothing more important to me than this family. It destroyed me when your father died; we lost such a big... such a huge part of this family.

"I can't go through that again, Jason. Son, I'll do anything to keep this family together.

"That's why I've been so strict with you; I just needed you to be home, to be safe. You were my little man, and I couldn't lose you."

"I'm not a little man anymore, Mom. I've grown up," Jason said. He wanted to snap at her, but he kept his tone neutral.

"I know, I know. Jason, please, let me talk."

When he didn't respond, she took a deep breath, sighed, and continued.

"Last week, I finally began to realize that. You have grown up. You're a man. You own a business. And, you've been taking care of us girls. All the chores... When I actually sat down to think about it, I couldn't figure out how you could do all you do AND run a business.

"But then I remembered a conversation I had with your father. You were still very young, and there was a news report about an electrical worker... You know, one of those guys with the bucket trucks.

"Anyway, that man was electrocuted and died on the job. And the reporter said it was the third death that year.

"I couldn't believe it. I asked your father why on earth would someone go to a job knowing that there's a chance they would die.

"I remember the conversation because of how your father answered. He didn't hesitate, and when he replied, he said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 'When a man loves his family, he'll sacrifice anything to take care of them.'

"The more I thought about it, the more I realized that you have been sacrificing for this family," Janice paused as if waiting for her son's confirmation that she was correct.

Jason couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd done it because the woman sitting in front of him now had forced him to. She schemed and manipulated every situation to ensure that he could never leave.

She'd done everything she could to crush his will in order to keep him trapped. And now, she was acting like it was all some noble sacrifice.

Jason knew why she was framing it in this way. She was doing it; she had to do it, because to accept the truth, the full truth would be to accept that she was a monster. Most people can't do that, and apparently, Janice couldn't either.

Whatever. He could work with this.

"Yeah, Mom. I do love this family, and I am willing to sacrifice for us. But don't forget that you made me take on all these responsibilities. Sure, I could have left a long time ago," that part was a lie, "but I stuck with it for you guys.

But, a few months ago, I realized it was time for a change."

"I think I know why, Jason, but please tell me," Janice emplored her son.

'Oh my god,' Jason thought. 'She's walking right into this. Sweet!'

"Well, Mom, it's is kinda embarrassing," Jason said with mock bashfulness.

"It's a girl, isn't it?" Janice asked. She sounded defeated, and Jason knew he was so close to victory.

"Well... yes," Jason just let that hang in the air for a long moment before continuing.

"I met a girl at school a few months ago. We talked, we got lunch a couple times, it was nice. But, when she found out that I was twenty-three and still living at home, I could tell it was... well, it was a turn-off.

"It wasn't long before she was always 'busy,' and eventually, we stopped talking."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Janice interjected.

"It wasn't that big of a deal. I mean, I liked that girl, but she wasn't 'the one' or anything like that. But, being around her made me realize that I have certain... um... needs.

"That's really motivated me to... make some changes. I want to meet more girls. You know?" Jason finished.

"And that's why you got an apartment? So you can meet girls?" Janice asked, sounding genuinely interested.

"I mean, kinda... yeah," Jason said in a 'Sorry, not sorry' kind of way.

"I mean, a man's got needs," he added.

"And you're a man. You're the man of this house," Janice responded as if she was talking more to herself than to Jason.

"So, um... do you have a girlfriend now?" Janice asked, coming back to herself.

"No, I mean kinda. I've been talking to someone, but I didn't want to ask her out till I was set up in the new place," Jason lied.

"But you haven't... I mean, she's not...," Janice struggled to get it out.

"Meeting my needs?" asked Jason.

"Yes," replied Janice, a note of shame in her voice.

"No," was all Jason said.

Jason's eyes hadn't fully adjusted, it hadn't been long enough, but he was able to make out much more than he could when he first entered Janice's bedroom.

He could see now that his mother, seated on her bed, had done up her hair and was wearing what appeared to be a lacy wrap of some sort. He couldn't tell what was under that wrap, but generally, something like that was worn with lingerie.

"Jason, come sit next to me," his mother's voice quavered with nervousness.

As Jason approached and sat, even more details became clear.

In addition to her hair, Janice had also taken the time to do her makeup. And not like she did before going to work or to church. This was something different, something Jason had never seen on his mother before.

Her lips were dark, and her eyes deep and smoky with teased lashes. There was even makeup on her cheeks and nose. Jason couldn't really describe it, but it made her look incredibly sexy.

Beneath the wrap, Jason saw his mother wore some sort of satiny and lacy number (he had never been exposed to lingerie enough to know what it was called, a nightie perhaps).

Even in the dim light, Jason could tell that the nightie was a little tight around his mom's midsection. She likely hadn't worn it in ten years, and while she'd stayed in decent shape, she was a middle-aged woman, and ten years is ten years.

More noticeable was the way the material protruded around her nipples. Jason was no expert, but he didn't think they were hard; rather, they were just that big.

As his eyes traveled up and down her body, Jason noticed her legs shone in the candlelight. At first, he thought she might be wearing stockings, but quickly he realized that they were just super smooth. She must have just shaved before their meeting.

Jason's brief examination further revealed the necessity of Janice's wrap. While it was true that her lingerie was a little tight around her tummy, her wide, matronly hips--that Jason absolutely adored--were forcing the garment up off her things so that it bunched at the waist.

The way Janice sat, holding the wrap closed at her groin, was probably because without it, her panties (or crotch, Jason was excited to discover which) would be fully exposed.

Janice couldn't help but notice the way her son was checking her out, and she smiled to herself.

Scooting a little closer to Jason, she placed her hand on his knee, his sweatpants soft against her fingers as she slowly stroked her son's leg.

Her voice still unsteady but affecting a more sultry tone, Janice spoke, "Jason, you're right. I know a man has needs. And I know that you think by moving out you'll meet a girl and she'll satisfy those needs for you.

"Things don't always work out that way, Son. You've got to be careful." With each stroke, Janice's hand progressed higher and higher up Jason's thigh.

"Sure, there are lots of pretty little girls out there with their perky tits and tight little behinds, but they don't really know how to satisfy a man.

"I was like that," Janice paused her stroking, her voice taking on a mournful tone. "I didn't know how to satisfy your father.

"Jason, I know this is... different, but I see the way you're looking at me now. Stay here. Stay home with your family. And if you do," her hand slid even higher, coming to rest squarely over Jason's thickening manhood.

"I will satisfy your needs. All your needs, Jason. Please..." Seductive and pleading, Janice's words were clearly having an effect on Jason.

"...let me show you." With that, his mother slid off the bed kneeling in front of him. The implication was clear. Jason's forty-three-year-old mother was kneeling at his feet, offering to suck his cock. All he had to do was agree to stay.

Jason stood slowly, stepping close and towering over his prostrate mother.

He didn't say a word, but as she looked up at her son and saw the lust in his eyes, Janice reached out with trembling hands and carefully pulled his pants and boxers down around his ankles.

The events of the last couple of minutes were more than enough to get Jason rock hard. So as he stood there, his dick pointed straight out toward his mother's face, and every few seconds, it would bounce a little as Jason's involuntarily contracted his abdominal muscles.

Even though she had initiated this encounter, Janice could no longer look at her son, neither into his eyes and certainly not at his turgid member. Her gaze fell to the floor.

Looking down at her, Jason became so angry.

"Mother... look at me," Jason's voice was steady, but the anger was undeniable.

Janice looked up, meeting his eyes with hers.

"Let me get this straight," he continued. "You, my mother, are offering to 'meet my needs,' to satisfy me... sexually if I stay at home and don't move out?"

Janice's eyes again sunk to the floor, unable to maintain eye contact. "...Yes...," she whispered.

"My mother, the respected businesswoman, the moral church lady, would eagerly Suck My Dick... Right now, if I agree to stay?"

"Jason don't...," she started crossly, looking back up at her son. But his eyes flared at her sudden assertiveness, and she quickly cut off her rebuke and averted her gaze.

When his silence made it clear he was waiting for an answer, she finally responded, "...Yes..."

"There're two problems I see here, Janice," Jason began, addressing his mother by her name for the first time ever.

"One. You have kept me locked up in this house for the past ten years. You can call it, 'being strict,' but we both know what it actually was, forced servitude.

"Yes, I stuck in there. First, because I didn't have a choice, and later because I wanted to take care of this family." Again, that wasn't quite the truth, but Jason wanted his story to match his mother's narrative.

"Maybe you can imagine what ten years of that will do to a person. It's made me angry. It made me resentful. And it's left me repressed.

"So, when you talk about satisfying my needs, 'all my needs,' you better think long and hard about what that may entail.

"Two. I know something about you, Mother," Jason was about to take a considerable risk. Still, he suspected that if it didn't shatter his mother's psyche, it would give him everything he'd been hoping for.

"You see, Dad and I used to talk. Do you remember our long walks around the neighborhood? Our backyard sessions of playing catch? Our weekend camping 'man retreats?'"