Chapter 5

Although I was wronged, no one believed me. My mother held my head and bowed to apologize, and with the mediation of the police from the police station, the young woman finally agreed to reconcile.

After I came out of the police station, I thought my mother would beat me up, but after I got in the car, she just leaned on the steering wheel, looking very tired. If she had scolded me or beaten me, I could have accepted it, after all, I was used to it. But the way she was now, I felt a little guilty.

I gently placed my hand on my mother’s shoulder and whispered, “Mom, don’t be angry. Listen to my explanation.”

“Don’t touch me!” Mom yelled angrily and shook her shoulders hard, trying to shake off my hand.

I saw that she was very angry, so I didn’t dare to say anything more. I could only sit aside cautiously. After a long time, my mother finally raised her head and sighed: “ William, what do you think I should do with you?”

I said aggrievedly, “Mom, I am really wronged. I am really framed.”

“Who framed you?”

“A little girl, she looks like the daughter of her dad’s colleague.”

“The daughter of your father’s colleague?” Mom frowned. “Why did she frame you?”

“How would I know? Maybe it’s because I’m too handsome.”

“You’re talking nonsense!”

“Mom, why can’t you trust me?”

My mother said angrily, “I’m confused too. Why can’t you let me believe you?”

“I...” I was speechless for a moment. Yes, I also wondered when I became such a dishonest person in my mother’s heart.

After a moment of silence, my mother said, “Don’t blame others for not believing you. Think about what you have done. If you were me, would you believe in yourself?”

“I ... what happened to me?”

“William, don’t think I don’t know what you did secretly. I didn’t tell you everything because I wanted to save your face. Do you really think your mother is a fool?” Mom glared at me and said, “Did you understand what I said to you that day?”

“I understand, I understand.” I frowned and nodded vigorously.

“You know this but you’re still causing trouble for me! The oath you swore to me that day was all bullshit!”

“I ... I am really innocent. I really didn’t do anything. If you don’t believe me, go back and see dad later and ask him to prove it to me.”

“No matter whether you were wrongly accused or not, you still called me to the police station, and I am embarrassed together with you.”

When I thought about it, it was true. With my mother’s strong personality, it was quite embarrassing for her to bow and apologize to people in the police station.

Mom started the car and was silent all the way without saying another word. When she got home, she neither punished me nor scolded me. She locked herself in the bedroom with a bang and didn’t even get up to cook dinner. It seemed that I really hurt her this time.

After my father came back, I angrily told him what happened today, and wanted him to bring the colleague’s daughter over to clear my name. After hearing this, my father was a little surprised and asked, “Did she come to see you?”

“Yes, and more than once.” I asked through gritted teeth, “Who is she to frame me like this?”

Dad was stunned for a while, then he started to search his pockets in a panic, and finally took out a few ten-yuan bills, stuffed them into my hands, stared at me and said, “Didn’t you say you didn’t have enough pocket money? This is the change I need to buy cigarettes. Take it first. If it’s not enough, Dad will give you more some other day. If that girl comes to you again in the future, don’t pay any attention to her. Also, don’t let your mother know about this.”

Dad’s reaction was beyond my expectation. There must be something fishy going on. Could it be that the girl was really his mistress? But even if that was the case, why did she come to provoke me for no reason?

I couldn’t figure it out, but my father kept telling me and giving me threats and inducements, and in the end I was left speechless with no way out.

At night, I was awakened by the urge to urinate, so I got up to go to the bathroom. After opening the door, I vaguely heard some whispering voices. I listened carefully and realized that it was coming from the balcony. It seemed that my mother was on the phone.

Why are you still awake so late, talking on the phone? You don’t have to guess who you are talking to.

I instinctively felt that the call was related to me, so I tiptoed over. In the moonlight, I could vaguely see my mother, wearing violet silk pajamas, curled up on a lazy sofa surrounded by green potted plants, with her head tilted, holding the phone between her shoulder and cheek, her long hair hanging down, covering half of her face, holding a delicate little brush in her hand, casually painting her toenails.

The bright moonlight shines through the glass window onto my mother’s body, as if she was covered with a thin layer of silver gauze. Her exposed white skin is as delicate and smooth as exquisite porcelain. It seems to emit a holy light, as if she is in an oil painting, so beautiful and dreamy that I actually feel my heart beating faster.

Because my footsteps were so light, my mother didn’t notice. She sighed and said, “I understand what you said. I’ve beaten him and scolded him. He’s really naughty. I don’t know what to do with him now.”

From what they said, it seemed like they were talking about my business. I temporarily forgot about going to the bathroom and hid in the corner curiously, wanting to hear what they were talking about.

I only heard my mother whisper, “I know he’s in puberty now, and I also know that teenage boys are shy, so I’ve given him enough face. Some time ago, he had a wet dream at night, and it was all over his pants. I don’t know if he didn’t dare to let me know, or was embarrassed, so he secretly hid it in his pants. Later, when I was looking for something, I found it for him ... No, I was afraid that he would be embarrassed, so I stuffed it back into his pants.”

My face was burning hot, and I blamed my mother in my heart, why did she tell everyone everything? Then I thought again, it turned out that my mother had found the hidden pajamas a long time ago.

“I’m now afraid that he will get into trouble for me. Just like what happened today, if someone else didn’t pursue the matter, he would go to school in anger or post it online, and his life would be over ... Nonsense, I’m his mother, if I don’t worry about it, who will? You should worry about it.”

I felt a little touched and a little guilty. Although my mother beat me a lot since I was a child, she really worked hard for me.

“I know he’s a troublemaker, but I’ve already given birth to him, so what else can I do? Can I just throw him away? Then I’ll give him to you, do you want him?”

The feeling of being touched just now disappeared in an instant. It seems that my mother has a deep resentment towards me.

“What do you mean I didn’t educate him well ... What do you mean my son seduced your daughter? Do you think Patricia is a blank slate? The Internet is so developed now, they know everything ... Didn’t we discuss becoming in-laws? Why are you blaming me alone?”

Judging from her tone, she didn’t sound like she was arguing, but more like she was joking.

“I have already separated them, what else do you want me to do? I am worried now and don’t know what to do with him. I have been thinking about it all day and plan to take him to see a psychiatrist when I have time ... I am really not kidding ... I know that adolescent boys have physical needs, and I have already separated them ... It’s easy for you to say that, you have never raised a son, you don’t know ... Hey, I want to tell you something, you have to keep it a secret, don’t tell anyone else.”

Mom suddenly lowered her voice and whispered,” William stole my stockings. That ... stop pretending. That’s it.”

I feel hot all over now. Mom, why did you tell people about this? Your son is not a good person. However, it is just as I guessed. Mom knew it a long time ago.

“You are the one who has a mother complex!” Mom said half-jokingly, “You are his future mother-in-law, so you are half his mother. Does he have a mother complex with you?”

The figure of Aunt Linda suddenly appeared in my mind. She was cold and serious all day long, and not approachable at all. It was too late to avoid her, so how could I dare to fall in love with her?

“That’s right. He’s not obsessed with his mother. He’s obsessed with socks, he’s obsessed with stockings.”

Actually, I am a little confused now. I used to be very clear that I was simply obsessed with stockings, but recently I seem to be paying more and more attention to my mother herself. Even when she is not wearing stockings, I will inexplicably have impulses. This is what I fear most.

“Really? The magazines I found under his mattress were all about stockings. That’s why I want to take him to see a psychiatrist. Now I don’t even dare to wear stockings at home.”

I see. I was wondering why my mother has been dressing more conservatively lately. Although it is late autumn now, we are located in the south, where it is spring all year round. Even in winter, there are many beautiful women wearing stockings or even bare legs on the street.

“Oh, I’m really worried now. I’m afraid he’ll go out and steal other people’s stockings, or secretly touch other people’s thighs ... You’re the pervert ... I know, I know, I’m trying to stop him from becoming a pervert.

I didn’t realize he had this problem before, I always felt that it started after I stopped him from interacting with Patricia, so I wanted to take him to see a psychiatrist.”

I smiled bitterly in my heart. Well, in the eyes of these two mothers, I have become a pervert.

“It’s better to drain than to block? What kind of drainage method is that? ... Nonsense, why don’t you give your stockings to my son ... Don’t laugh, your stockings are smelly, and my son doesn’t even need them.”

Aunt Linda always wears a police uniform, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her wearing stockings or pantyhose. What would Aunt Linda look like in stockings? I couldn’t help but imagine it in my mind.

“Do you really think this will work? What if it gets worse ... I know, I’m just worried that it will affect his college entrance exams, otherwise I would have beaten him with a stick a long time ago ... That’s what I mean, at least let him get through the college entrance exams first, and then with Patricia by his side, maybe he’ll be better.”

It seemed that Mom was just speaking in anger that day, and she didn’t really want to break us up completely with one blow.

“What do you mean? You don’t want to recognize this son-in-law? You have to recognize him even if you don’t want to ... Stop talking to me about these useless things. When the time comes, I will throw him into your house and make him your live-in son-in-law. You have to recognize him even if you don’t want to.”

Normally she only blames me for being naughty, but when my mother acts like a rogue, that’s when she’s really unreasonable.

“I’m worried about what to do now. What if ... he dares to touch someone’s thigh on the bus this time? Will he ... do something dirty to me next time? If it gets worse, I’ll have to make trouble for you ... I think it’s better to let him get back together with Patricia ... What do you mean by pushing your daughter into the fire pit? What do you think of our William ... Okay, okay, I’ll think about it. I have to go to work tomorrow, so we’ll talk about it later.”

I heard my mother was about to hang up the phone, and for fear that she would find out I was eavesdropping, I tiptoed back to the bedroom without even bothering to go to the bathroom.

The next day, I was thinking about what Aunt Linda had given my mother, and I had no intention of studying. I returned home on time after school and found my mother’s high heels. I called out, but there was no response.

I walked around the room and didn’t see anyone, so I put down my schoolbag and prepared to go to the bathroom first. Just as I was about to enter the bathroom, I saw my mother standing in front of the washing machine with her hands on the laundry basket. One of her hands was tightly holding a few pairs of unopened new stockings. Her brows were furrowed, as if she was struggling with something.

I was a little confused, wondering what my mother was thinking about so intently that she didn’t even hear me calling her. Just as I was about to say hello, I saw my mother unpacking the stockings in her hand one by one, rubbing them, and throwing them all into the laundry basket.

I was confused and wondered what she was doing.

Mom bit her lower lip, stared at the stockings in the laundry basket for a while, took them all out, froze for a moment, and put them back. She repeated this several times, taking and putting them back again. Finally, as if she had finally made up her mind, she threw the stockings into the basket and turned to leave. But when she saw me standing outside against the wall, she was so scared that she almost jumped up, stroking her chest, and panting, “You dead child, you are a cat, you didn’t make any noise. You came back without saying a word, you scared me to death!”

I said innocently, “I said hello, but you didn’t hear me.”

Mom looked back at the stockings in the laundry basket, and then said to me with a serious expression: “Although I didn’t count the stockings I changed, you are not allowed to steal them again.”

“Ah?” I looked at her in confusion.

“What? You are not far from going to jail, do you know that? What? You really make me mad.” Mom glared at me, then went back to the bedroom muttering.

I frowned, confused, thinking back to what had just happened. I always felt that my mother was a little different from usual. That flustered look ... was actually a little cute.

Wow! Using the word cute to describe my mother is horrible.

As for what she said just now, that the stockings she had taken off were not counted, but I couldn’t steal them again. These were obviously new stockings that she had just unpacked, and why did she emphasize that she didn’t count them, as if she was deliberately reminding me, so did she want me to steal them or not?

I crossed my arms, tilted my head, and stared at the stockings in the basket with a frown. Although I was fascinated by stockings, I had no interest in these new stockings that had just been opened. If they were the original stockings that my mother had changed out of, then I would be a little interested.

Was my mother fishing for me to steal her stockings so she could beat me up and take me to see a psychiatrist?

But that doesn’t make sense. When she was talking on the phone with Aunt Linda yesterday, she made it clear that she was holding back from beating me to death because she was afraid it would affect my college entrance examination. If she wanted to beat me, she would have done it long ago. There’s no need to go around in such a big circle.

Oh, yes, she said that it is better to guide than to block. Could it be that she is afraid that I will cause trouble outside, so she turns a blind eye to me and lets me take care of my physiological needs at home?

Uh ... even so, my mother is too cunning. She has to put down enough bait to fish. Does she really think I’m stupid and can’t tell the difference between the original stockings and the new ones?

I used my pinky finger to hook a piece of silk, smiled contemptuously, and threw it back. When I turned around, I saw my mother standing outside against the wall, looking at me expressionlessly. I was startled, and I stroked my chest and said,” Mom, what are you doing? Didn’t you go back to the house? I was scared to death.”

My mother asked back, “What are you doing?”