Chapter 1

"Honey," Mom asked at the other end. "Are you coming home this Christmas?"

I looked reluctantly at the phone in my hand. I had no intentions of going home. There could be no better way to ruin a holiday than to go to my hometown, a remote little hill town far off in the north. People say it's a beautiful place, may be. But in this season, the end of December, when the whole town will be covered under tons of snow and with its sub zero temperature; it does not look like a dream holiday to me. Further, our own house was miles away from town, making it even more remote. I tried to remember the winters, the thunderous snowstorms and the numerous occasions when our whole family was trapped in our house for days before the roads were cleared and we could get a chance to get out of the house and to visit the town. I could never figure out why my parents decided to build their house at such a remote place. Throughout my childhood I dreamt of the day when I would leave that place, never to return. And when I got admission to a college at a far off city, I was the happiest man in the whole universe.

Now my mom was asking me to spend my Christmas holiday with her. The place I left about one and half years ago. No way, I can't go there; I had already made my decision.

"Honey, are you there?" Mom was anxious. I came out of my reverie.

"I would love to, but," I did not want to hurt mom so I lied. "You see mom, I've already fixed my program with Carla and I can't say no to her now."

Mom knew that Carla was my girlfriend. She had met her during her last visit some six months back. What she did not know that we had already parted our ways and I've been living alone for the last month.

"I know, you must be having your own engagements," Mom seemed desperate. "But can't you come for one day only? You know, your father is also away and he'll not be here for the next two weeks. I am all alone this Christmas. Why don't you let me talk to Carla? I'm sure she'll agree for you to visit me for one day."

"She is not here right now," I lied again, "But I know she will not like the idea. You know her nature mom. I am sorry mom; I will not be able to come this time. Perhaps next year..."

"Do you remember, last year you promised me to visit this Christmas." Mom's voice was hoarse; perhaps she was crying. "Anyway, if you don't want to be with your mom, it's ok, I can't force you."

I put the receiver back. But I was not happy. I loved my mother very deeply, and I wanted to be with her. The only difficulty was that I didn't want to go to that place which I detested so much. I knew that asking mom to come to me wouldn't work, as she would never leave her home during the holidays. She firmly believed in celebrating the holidays at home with family and friends. I felt pity for her.

I tried to concentrate on my work, but my mind was not into it. I was still thinking about mom, her sad voice still reverberating in my ears. Mom was the only one that mattered to me in my entire family. Ours was a small family - mom, dad, my older sister Carolyn and myself. Carol was two years older than I, and she was now in England with her husband. Though I had very good relationship with my sister, I never felt attached to her the way I felt to my mom.

While growing up in that small hilly town it was mom who was always with me. In my every moment of triumph, every moment of sorrow it was mom who cheered me up and consoled me. She was there when I had my first heartbreak. She was the one who encouraged me to be a good athlete, an equally good student; she was the one who initially sponsored my admission to college and supported me financially till I was self-sufficient. Dad was never there. He was too busy with his business and with his hunting and booze parties. Mom always had a special place in my life, and it was unbearable for me to see her hurt. I knew she was.

I put down my pen and paper. I realized I couldn't stick to my earlier decision. It might not be a bad idea to celebrate Christmas with mom. After all, I was alone here and it would be much better to be with mom rather than staying in my big city apartment with no friends around. College was closed for Christmas and most of the students were already gone home. I could very well be back in three days, and then I would be free to celebrate New Year.

Finally, I dialed her number. She responded immediately as if she were still near the phone.

"Mom! It's me, Ted." I had to lie again. "I have talked with Carla, and she has agreed. I am coming home on Christmas Eve."

"Are you?" She was thrilled, her voice resonating with excitement.

"Yeah, mom. But I'll be there for only one day and in any circumstance I'll return on the twenty-sixth."

"I am more than happy son," Mom's voice was beaming with delight. "I promise that I won't ask for anything else. I'll make arrangement for your journey."

"Don't worry mom," I smiled at her impatience. "I have sufficient money; I'll reach home by Christmas Eve."

"I am looking forward for your visit, son." Mom replied. "I have a nice little surprise for you."

"I'd love to see it. OK mom, bye."

"Bye son, I love you."

"I love you too mom." I cut the phone.

When I reached my hometown on Christmas Eve, it was already snowing. Patches of snowflakes were falling, and I had a gut feeling that the weather would not improve in coming days. The snowfall appeared to be heavy this year, as the whole town seemed to be covered with a thick blanket of snow. I was afraid if the weather deteriorated further, I might not be in a position to return on my planned date.

I got off the bus and took a cab to my house. On the way there everything was covered with heavy snow. The only exception was the roads that were cleaned regularly, but I knew that in case of a very heavy snowfall or an ice storm it would be very difficult to maintain the roads in clean condition, especially roads leading to remote areas away from the town, which are not frequented by many drivers. My house was located in such an area, and it had happened in the past when it had taken more than forty-eight hours before the roads were cleared again. Again, I had a hunch that this year would be the same.

The cab was approaching my house and even from a distance I could see the darkened silhouette of our house against the snowy backdrop, light was coming from its windows. The whole house, the roof and the whole front yard seemed to be buried in a thick fur of snow.

The cab stopped at our driveway. I took my bag, paid the driver and went over to the front door. Before I could push the doorbell, the door flung open. Mom was standing at the door beaming with delight and with her old infectious smile, her eyes wet with happiness. But, there was something else, my mother appeared to be completely changed. She was thinner, much thinner since I last saw her and she looked much younger and prettier.

"Oh, honey." Mom hugged me and kissed my forehead. "Can't say how happy I am today. You made my day."

"Mom!" I couldn't hide my surprise. "You look so thin, so young, I can't believe it."

"That's the little surprise I was talking about on the phone." Mom smiled with a bit of pride. "I've lost almost thirty pounds in the last six months."

"That's great mom. You really look very thin and, I must admit, very beautiful. Dad must be paying special attention to you nowadays."

"Thanks, Ted." There was a mild change in her stare, but she immediately controlled herself. "Now lets go inside. I am freezing here."

She took me inside and locked the main door. The temperature inside the lounge was very comforting and after such a long journey in extreme cold it felt wonderful. Mom led me near the fireplace and asked me to sit on the sofa. I removed my jacket and gloves and sat near the fireplace trying to warm up my frozen limbs.

"It's very cold outside. Why don't you relax and I will make a cup of coffee for you." She walked towards kitchen. "That's going to make you fine."

I looked at her swaying buns, tightly clenched in her jeans. I scanned down her curvy petite body, hardly disguised by her winter clothing. The first thought struck me was how beautiful my Mom has become since I last saw her. My mother must have been very beautiful in her younger days. She is only five two quite in contrast to my dad who stood beyond six one. My father has a very bulky body so she always looked like a tiny sparrow in the shadow of a big bull.

As far as I could remember, mom always stayed thin and always had a great body, beautiful curves, thin waist, beautiful slim legs and tight tiny hips. She was a natural blonde, her hair straight and slightly longer than shoulder length. She always kept it twisted into a beautiful bun, giving her an eternal youthful look. She has hazel eyes, sharp nose and a full-lipped mouth. Armed with an infectious smile, my mom is a warm, friendly, but somewhat shy and introvert person. During the last few years she had put on some weight, but now she was back to her younger self. Mom is forty-one, but now she appeared not more than a woman in her early thirties.

I went to the kitchen, standing at the door again I looked at my beautiful mother. She was busy making coffee, lightly humming a song. She was not a singer but always loved to hum. Again, I stole a look at her tight rump enclosed in her jeans. I felt a mild stirring between my loins. I tried to recall the various summers when sis and I went for picnic or for swimming with our parents and when mom was in her bikini, I always tried to steal a look of her beautiful body. Every time, after returning home, I felt ashamed of my action, but the next time the same act was repeated again. The stirring between my thighs was suddenly more vigorous. I felt embarrassed from my immodest thoughts. Trying to conceal my hardon I went in the kitchen and sat at the dining table.

Mom heard the sound. She turned around to watch me sitting on the chair. Coffee was ready, and she presented me the steaming mug with her contagious smile. I thanked her and sipped the coffee. It was delicious. I still couldn't get over the awe-inspiring beauty of my mother, and I had to force myself not to stare at her constantly. On occasions I felt as if she became aware of my excessive interest in her, as sometimes she appeared a to blush a little and embarrassed.

"You look handsome." She finally broke the ice. "I hope you are still attending a gym regularly."

"Thanks mom, yes, but I think the workouts are showing more effect on you. You really have changed a lot. You look much prettier." I blurted out my emotions.

"Thanks." She was embarrassed as if she had read my thoughts. But, then she changed the topic and we started talking about my childhood, about the things we had shared together, the time we had spent together, about Carol, about dad. Whenever I mentioned dad, I could feel a sense of uneasiness descending upon her as if she were not willing to talk about her husband. Her smile faded slightly. Sensing her reluctance I too did not press it. Finally, I put my empty mug on the table.

"Mom, I am tired. I think I should go early to bed." I had traveled almost six hundred miles and was feeling dead tired.

"I understand; dinner is almost ready." She was considerate. "Go and take a warm shower and change your clothes. By the time you finish your dinner, I'll have your room ready."

While going to my room I just looked outside a window. The weather had gone from bad to worse. The gentle snowfall had turned into a blizzard. Nothing was visible outside, only the sound of snowstorm echoing through the walls of our house. I again feared that if the snowstorm continued for long it would be virtually impossible for me to return to college as planned. I had seen such bad weather often during my childhood and knew very well what it meant. But, it was now beyond my control and fretting about it wouldn't solve my problem. So I just tried to forget about the weather and went to my room.

I took my shower and changed my clothes. When I went to the kitchen, dinner was already served. It was the most appetizing dinner since I had left my hometown. Mom was a very good cook, and I always missed her mouth-watering recipes in college. During dinner, our talks were again mostly about my childhood. Mom again deliberately avoided mentioning dad.

"Mom that was great," I told her after dinner. "You don't know how much I miss your cooking in college."

"Thanks honey, I can understand." Mom was sympathetic, but she knew that she couldn't help me there. "Your room is ready. But, if you don't have any problem, we can have a cup of hot chocolate in my bedroom before you go to sleep."