Her eyes came back to mine with a conspiratorial wink. “To have some fun. I was about to be a married woman. I didn’t want to go through life wondering if this was really what I wanted.”
I gaped at my mother, shocked that she had a wild side. “Mom, tell me you didn’t?—”
She nodded, blushing bright red. “It was only once, but he was so handsome.”
“Mom!” Lizzy gasped. “You cheated on Dad?”
“Oh, cheating is such a harsh word.”
“Uh…no, it’s not. Cheating is exactly the word you would use.”
“He knows about it,” she huffed. “I told him as soon as I got back.”
“And he didn’t care that you ran off and slept with another man?” I practically shouted.
“Oh, he cared, alright,” she blushed again.
Her words washed over me like pig sludge on a warm day. All those warm, fuzzy feelings I had after sex were washed away in the blink of an eye. “Ew!”
“It was the best thing that ever happened to your father and me. We worked out our differences the night I came home, and there’s never been another man who could turn my head.”
“So…you’re saying sleeping with another man saved your marriage before it ever began?” Lizzy asked, looking just as green as I felt.
“Honey, don’t pretend that just because I’m older that I never lived. I was young once, too. I had desires and needs just like every other woman, and I still do.”
I clapped my hands over my ears, not wanting to hear another word. “Nope, not listening. Sorry, but you are not supposed to have sex!”
“How do you think you were conceived?” she asked, ripping my hands from the sides of my head. “Did you think the stork brought you?”
“No, but I also don’t want to think about you and dad still doing it!”
“Yeah, I have to agree with Krista. No child needs to know about their parents…doing that.”
Huffing out a sigh, she got to her feet. “I just thought we could have an honest discussion. You know, it’s not like my girls ever come to me with anything they need to discuss, and it’s not right. I know what it’s like to have wants and needs.”
That might be true, but we never had that kind of relationship before. It wasn’t like I could just suddenly start talking about sex with her. She never even had the birds and the bees conversation with me.
Not that I needed it.
My brothers had talked about sex so much growing up that I had more knowledge than any sixth grader should have. You would have thought by the age of ten that they were all fully versed in how to please a woman.
“Mom, I appreciate you wanting to talk about things with us, but it’s not normal,” Lizzy said gently. “You’re our mother, not our friend. Not in that way, and frankly, I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Not your friend,” Mom whispered. “Well…”
“Mom,” I said, getting to my feet, but she was already out the door.
“That wasn’t how I meant it,” Lizzy sighed.
“I know. I’ll go after her.”
“No, just give her a minute. Besides, she sort of deserves it after she just gave us an info dump on her sex life. I don’t think I’ll ever be the same.”
I agreed with her on that point.
“Maybe you can let her have these conversations with her grandkid. She can scar someone other than us.”
She winced, shifting in the bed.