Chapter 1: The Unspoken Desire

“Will I see you again tomorrow?” Pat asked sweetly.

“No, you will have to wait till next year,” Maria chuckled. “I want to spend Christmas and New Year’s with my son,” she added.

Pat laughed with her and leaned in for a kiss but ended up kissing on her cheeks as Maria turned as usual...

Pat had had enough of her refusal even for a simple kiss. “Maria, what’s going on?”

Maria knew she had to come clean. “It’s my son, Brian. He is still not okay with me dating again.”

Pat was not buying it. “We have acknowledged our feelings for each other, but you asked me to wait till Brian is eighteen. It’s been three months since then but you refused to date me until tonight. And now you are saying he still has not agreed?”

Maria sighed, “It’s complicated, Pat. Brian feels threatened by the idea of having someone else in our lives.”

Pat was not willing to let this matter rest. “Look, Maria. I know Peter’s passing was hard on you. I also understand Brian is very close to you. But it has been four years now. You need to move on.”

Maria stayed silent as she gazed into the distance.

Pat sighed in frustration. “For god’s sake, Maria, Brian is already eighteen. It’s not healthy for an adult man to cling to his mother.”

Maria took a deep breath. “I have been hiding something from you, Pat. Brian says he is in love with me. That is why he doesn’t want me to date. He even threatened to move out if I did.”

Pat blinked at her. “Oh, oh ... We have got a little Oedipus at our hands.”

They both remained silent for a while, thinking about this new revelation.

Pat looked at Maria with a probing gaze. “I know you, Maria. What are you not telling me?”

Maria met Pat’s gaze as she started with her side of the story...

Contrary to Maria’s beliefs, Brian wasn’t a momma’s boy, not at all. He always followed in his father, Peter’s footsteps. He dressed like him, acted like him, played soccer like him, and even tried to mimic his thoughts. Be it barbecue or fishing, he mirrored Peter’s passions. His father was his role model.

However, everything changed when he was fourteen. Peter started feeling weakness in his limbs and his health continued to deteriorate in the coming days. Brian watched a strong, healthy man wither away right before his eyes. This experience hit him hard. He stepped into his father’s shoes and started taking care of things Peter used to manage. Brian matured beyond his years in those few months.

Chemotherapy was not working for Peter. Preparing for the inevitable, he started with getting his finances in order. He called Brian to his hospital bed one day.

“Brian, I know your mother can be difficult to live with. But you are the man of the house now. Remember, a man never abandons his family. You will stick with her and support her when I’m gone. Promise me,” he asked.

“I promise Dad. I will always stand by Mom and protect her.” He said with resolve.

Peter passed away two days later. Brian watched as they lowered his father into the earth, but he did not cry. He stood by his sobbing mother as he accepted the condolences of friends and family.

Back at home, Brian pulled Maria into a tight hug as he let her cry.

“We only have each other now,” she whispered. “Just you and me against the world.”

Brian nodded into her shoulder. His resolve hardened with the acceptance. He would keep his promise to his father, no matter what it took. Maria was all he had left.

Peter had made some wise investments, and they were well off. Maria had no reason to work, but she was an independent woman. She channeled her grief into her career. It did not take her long to climb the corporate ladder with her amazing performance. She started spending more and more time at work.

Brian felt lonely as he missed his mother but didn’t complain. He started supporting her the best way he could. He learned how to cook to ease her burden and did all the household chores. Maria always had a warm meal and a clean home when she returned from long hours at work.

Brian would wait for Maria every evening. When she would return, tired from her busy work schedule, he would hurry to greet her. “Hi, Mom! How was your day?” He’d ask brightly, eager to get any scrap of attention from the woman he adored.

Maria would give him a cursory kiss on the cheek, her lips cool against his skin. “Fine, dear. Did you finish your homework?” She’d ask, already moving toward the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine.

He’d follow behind her like a lost puppy, wanting to be close.

Brian loved soccer. One day, he took a fall while playing soccer. His injuries scared Maria. “No more of this foolishness,” she snapped with worry and anger. “I want you to drop off that team immediately. I won’t have my son risking his life for some childish game.”

While he understood her concern for his safety, he did not like it when she decided for him. Soccer was his happy place, his connection to memories of his father. He could have refused, but he recalled the promise to his father.

“Okay Mom, I’ll quit,” he sighed. He quit soccer and joined the swimming team.

Then Brian’s friends got busted while smoking pot. Maria was livid. She insisted he cut ties with his friends. “I don’t want you around those delinquents,” she said firmly. “They’ll only lead you astray.”

Brian was a sensible kid and knew what was right. He had never smoked or broken any rules, but he enjoyed the company of his friends. Still, he knew better than to argue. “Okay, Mom,” he agreed with a shrug.

Again, he could have refused, but he did not wish to burden her with worry. He felt the loss of his friends and the company he used to enjoy. Now, he had far fewer friends than he would have liked.

Brian reached the age of sixteen, and a neighborhood girl, Betty, asked him on a date. But Maria was possessive of her time with Brian and refused to allow him to date. “You’re not going anywhere with that floozy,” she declared.

Betty was a good girl, but Brian didn’t argue. “You are right, Mom. I will stay away from her,” he agreed, as always.

This time, he had no problem in agreeing with her. After all, he loved his limited time with his mother. It did not matter that he had never had a girlfriend. Spending time with the woman of his dreams was more important to him.

One day, Brian retaliated against a group of bullies and took quite a beating.

Maria sat him down and listened to the entire story. “Those little shits,” she hissed. “We will show them what happens when they mess with you.” The next day, she enrolled him in self-defense classes.

Brian loved some serious workouts after a long time. He channeled his longing in his classes to impress his mother. He soon gained proficiency in martial arts.

When he shared his results with his mother, she gave him a rare smile and a kiss on his cheeks. That was all the reward he needed, but that was not all. Maria asked him to settle his score with the boys. He took it as her command and beat the shit out of them.

When the matter reached the school authorities, Maria confronted them for ignoring the first incident when they bullied Brian. He had always known his mother had his back, but watching her in action took his admiration to the next level. He did not understand it then, but Brian fell in love with Maria, his mother, that day.

Then came the day when Brian scored poorly on his math test. “Honey, I know you tried your best,” Maria said gently as they reviewed the paper together. “But we need to work harder.”

Maria spent months tutoring him to improve his grades. Irrespective of her busy schedule, she always made time for him. It was inspiring to see her put in so much effort for his sake.

Brian never neglected his studies after that. He significantly improved in all his subjects with Maria’s help. But that wasn’t all he did.

He started stealing glances at her. Watching the frown on her face when he made a mistake, a slight twitch of her nose when he was doing something wrong, or a smile that cornered her lips when he got the answers right.

It was plain admiration of a strong woman. There was nothing sexual about it.

Over time, these feelings grew in intensity for him. Until they became an all-consuming desire to be close to her, to please her, to earn her love in return.

And then one day Brian heard Maria talking to someone named Pat Cummings. For the first time, he felt immense anger and jealousy.

Maria Lopez was a striking, intelligent woman, both physically and mentally strong. With her Latin American heritage, she had natural grace and an athletic build. Her dark olive complexion, deep brown eyes, and full lips gave her a sexy Latina look. She had soft feminine curves but maintained a healthy physique with her active lifestyle. Brian would watch her, drinking in every detail like a man dying of thirst.

Maria was a complete package of what a sexy, strong, career woman could be. Given her beauty and being a young widow at thirty-four years of age, she was the target of many admirers and suitors. Yet she focused on her career and did not bother looking for another relationship. She soon earned the name of “ice queen” among her colleagues.

She worked her way up from a sales executive as she continued to fend off any romantic interests coming her way. By the time she became Marketing head, her title also grew to be “frozen glacier.”

Maria had very few friends and what little free time she had, she spent it with Brian. The more Brian clung to her, the more she hated it. She did not want to push away her son, but she wanted him to stand up for himself. He was a responsible child, if only he could be a little firm and decisive.