Chapter 3

They saw Trudy off at the airport the next morning, Tawny still a bit miffed at her sister but inwardly she fully understood how the woman could have succumbed to someone like Chris. She had to admit after seeing the boy/man au natural she had felt more than a touch of sensualness and, the truth be known, her panties were wet within seconds of walking in on them.

So she and Trudy hugged and her sister was soon winging her way back to Chicago, her own thoughts not at all what Tawny would have wished.

That afternoon Tawny began looking for a job. Although holding a degree she had no out-of-the-home work experience so she met with some initial turn downs. However her persistence paid off when she was hired by a local shipping company. It was a clerical position but the employment manager assured her there was plenty of room for advancement. She was shown around the plant, meeting the other people she would be working with, all of whom seemed friendly. She was to start the following day and so stopped at a shop downtown to purchase a couple of outfits for work.

Over the next few weeks she concentrated on her new job and the pain of losing Jim began to abate somewhat. Her heart still ached but at least now she felt she could learn to live with it.

Chris has been the gentleman he had promised to be and although he complimented her at every opportunity there had been no more embraces or kisses. She had to admit that as much as she knew he ogled her, she could not help but notice what a strong and handsome man he was becoming and once she found herself fixating on what she had seen the day Chris had seduced Trudy. Her breathing became more rapid and she felt her temperature rise. Shaking her head to clear such thoughts she resumed what she had been doing but those thoughts of his naked, and oh so virile, manhood would not leave entirely.

A few days later they were eating dinner together at the kitchen table.

‘Thought any more about us getting to know each other?” Chris asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll make you a bet,” he said smiling.

They were always making silly bets on trivial things and paying off by the loser washing dishes that night or putting the laundry away, etc.

“Chris Owens, what are you up to? If you think I will wager going to bed...”

“No, Mom, nothing like that. Let’s bet on what we were talking about the other day. Remember what you said?”

“Oh, you mean the fact that we very often see male and female cardinals together ... you said they mate for life and I said they didn’t.”

“Yeah, well how about a bet right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Okay, if you’re right and they don’t mate for life then I’ll do dishes for the next month.”

“And if you’re right?” she asked, sensing he had something more than dishwashing in mind.

“If I’m right you go out on a date with me.”

“A date?”

“Sure. We go out to dinner and then a movie or something.”

“It’s the “or something” I’m uncomfortable with,” she said smiling.

“No, no, no. I just meant maybe I could come up with something we could do together that you would prefer to a movie.”

“But a date?”

“Sure, why not. I promise to be on my best behavior.”

Tawny wondered at the wisdom of such a bet. She felt she would win, after all didn’t all birds just mate at random? But she questioned, if she lost, what Chris would expect and what it would look like for a mother and son to be out on the town together. Still it might be a chance for her to convince Chris of the futility of his fixation.

“Please, Mom!” he pleaded. “Just a date if you lose and just think, no dishes for a month if you win.”

“All right, Mr. know-it-all,” she smiled, “You’re on.”

A few moments of perusing the internet and they had their answer.

“All right Mr. know-it-all, you can wipe that smirk off your face. I just never thought birds could be monogamous,” she breathed.

“It says here that most aren’t, but cardinals mate for life.”

He turned to her. Looks like we’re going on a date. Uh, wear that special dress you got ... remember, the one you got for...”

“Oh, Honey, not that one. It’s a bit much ... or should I say, not enough.”