Two

Roy entered the house through the kitchen door. He realized that trying to sneak in wasn't going to accomplish anything, so he didn't even try. He closed the door behind him and was startled by his mother's voice.

"Hi Roy," she said quietly.

Roy spun around and saw her sitting at the kitchen table, cradling a mug of tea with both hands. "Hi Mom," he replied, just as quietly, "I've been thinking about what happened and I wanted to apologize to you and to Sally."

"Thank you Roy. I appreciate that and I know Sally will too. Sit down. I think it's about time we have a little chat."

Roy grabbed a soda from the fridge and popped the tab after he had pulled out a chair across the table and sat down. He had known that he wasn't going to have it easy, but he had expected to be loaded instantly with a variety of punishments, starting with being grounded for life, as soon as his mother laid eyes on him. He had certainly not expected a quiet chat.

"Roy..." his mother started, and then she cleared her throat and started again, "Roy, I must also apologize to you. While I was shocked by what Sally told me you had done, I think I over-reacted more than a little, and I know I said a few things in the heat of the moment that I really shouldn't have. I haven't found it easy raising the two of you without having the other half of the team. Your father was so much better at understanding what it was that you needed and I discovered this morning that I am a little out of my depth. While you were gone, I did some serious thinking and I have realized that you aren't my little baby anymore; you're a young man already. I was just remembering that I had only recently noticed that you have suddenly grown taller than me. I think that we need to talk a little bit about what it means for the future."

"I'm not sure I understand exactly what you mean Mom," Roy answered with a frown.

"I mean you are getting to the age where you are going to start changing from my baby boy into a man. No, that's wrong, you aren't getting there, you are already a good way down the path towards that destination. What I'm trying to say is that I think that I will have to adjust the way I think about you and what I allow you to do. I suspect that girls are going to become a large part of your life and, as difficult as it will be for me, I need to start loosening the apron strings."

Roy could feel his cheeks and ears flushing red. Talking to his mother about girls was not something that he could have predicted while walking home from the forest, unless it was on the receiving end of a lecture about the appropriate way to treat them. Just as he thought this, his mother started talking again, and he realized that he wasn't completely wrong.

"You must understand though, Roy, that I expect you to treat girls with respect, and invading your sister's privacy, and belongings, the way you did does not meet my expectations of your behavior."

That was more like it; that was the mother that he knew. Roy felt almost comforted to have the conversation back on a more familiar footing.