"Honey?"
In the middle of your thoughts, Mom's voice fills the room. You nearly leap out of your chair and shut your laptop in a panic. Glancing to your side, Mom's face fills your window.
"I didn't mean to scare you," she chuckles.
"Mom!" you exclaim, wondering how long she had been there and how you couldn't hear her coming. You must have been very deep in thought. "Aren't you working?" It's only two o'clock.
"I'm taking a little break," she says. "And it's a beautiful day out. I thought you and I could go for a short walk."
Weird. Once she starts working, Mom usually only leaves her office for lunch, but you can't deny it looks like a beautiful day outside and you have few opportunities to enjoy the weather. "Sure thing, Mom."
Getting up, you throw on your shoes and walk down your dollhouse stairs. When you open your front door, Mom's outstretched palm waits to take you on a ride.
----------
The nice thing about living on a quiet street like yours is that you and Mom can walk right in the middle of the road. You kneel in her hands, admiring the soft Summer wind as Mom walks beneath the shade of the maple trees that dot your neighborhood.
This is a nice moment, not just for the weather but the way Mom's fragrance wafts over you as she holds you up closely to her chest. She's dressed casually in a plain work shirt, but you still catch a glimpse of her breasts between the gaps of those stretched buttons every time you peer over your shoulder. Even an afternoon walk with your mother has lost all innocence.
"So..." Mom begins. "You probably know why we're on this walk, right?"
You don't, but you can tell it's not for the exercise. "Because you want to talk about something?"
"Right, and I don't want your sisters to hear." Mom steps up to an old public bench in the shade beside the road and parks herself, holding you up to her face. Her eyes are solidly determined. "Nate, I know you and your sisters have gotten close this Summer. Closer than the three of you have ever been."
Your heart suddenly pounds in your chest. "Well, I don't think we're that much closer than usual."
"Honey, Valerie goes out with you every chance she gets and Faith hasn't threatened to kill you in weeks," she says. "It's night and day compared to before you left."
Your eyes drift to the street, praying for a truck to come so you can jump in front of it.
Mom continues "I'm not mad. What mother doesn't want to see her kids get along?"
Not like this, you think. "We've just... gotten to know each other a lot better this month."
Mom nods. "And that's why I have a favor to ask you, Nate."
You turn to her, your ears perked up. "What favor?"
"I want you to find out who your sisters are dating for me."
You gulp so hard you nearly swallow your tongue. "I... don't think they're dating anyone right now."
She lets out the kind of sigh she always does when she has to explain the obvious. "Nate, there are certain signs when a woman is getting... attention. I could tell by the glow on their faces that someone has been giving the girls a lot of attention lately."
The three of you have been cautious to the letter, but not everything can escape a mother's eye. "But why me?"
"Your sisters won't tell me anything," she says. "I get that you're all adults now and it's none of my business, but I hate to see them do all this sneaking around."
"Maybe they're afraid you won't like who they're dating."
She laughs. "Honey, I'm as open-minded as they come. I don't mind if they're dating a guy or a girl. They could both be dating the same person for all I care. I just want to be sure their partners are good to them."
Mom may be as liberal a mother as you could hope for, but you doubt she's ready for this. "I... can see what I can find out."
"Thanks, Nate. That's all I ask." Mom plants a kiss on top of your head. "Now let's get back to the house."
For the entire walk home, you sit still in Mom's palm, simultaneously feeling like you've dodged a bullet and that you're still facing down the loaded gun.
