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Blue Moon 8.4

by Donna Lamb

Jo pointed with an elbow, her hands being full. "There's an empty table w-with some nice sun, Mom."

"Good, it's a bit nippy in the shade. Warm for January, though. How are you, Melody? Or Jo?"

"I'm fine, M-mom. And I do prefer Jo." She bent her knees a bit to kiss the older woman's cheek. Well, Joel would have, too. It's not super-girly to kiss your mom. Her glasses slipped, and she squinched her nose a bit to keep them from sliding off her rather short nose. "Mom? A little help?"

A quick forefinger maternally applied with accompanying chuckle solved that problem. "I'm so glad to see you looking well, Jo. When you first came to the house, you looked so pale, and that headdress they gave you to cover where they'd shaved your head, not very becoming." She tilted her head. "The wig is nice, blonde suits you. Didn't you use it in some of the publicity photos you had taken?"

"Uh, yeah? Maybe I can ask her about those; publicity for what?

"Who's that nice boy Richard talking to?"

"Mr. G'm-munro, Richard's fare. B-but there's another driver coming to take over the limo and Richard is going to take the w-weekend off, uh, to, to drive for m-me." Whew. "Since I'm still having headaches."

"Is that the only reason? I mean, he's awfully cute -- where's he sleeping? That's an awfully big house to sleep in alone?"

"M-mom!" Jo looked shocked.

"Oh, now don't tell me you haven't already slept with him, dear. I can tell, hon, your old Mom wasn't born yesterday." Another maternal chuckle made Jo turn pink. "He's obviously very interested -- and very interesting. I mean, you've shared a bed, surely?"

Jo very much wanted to say, Don't call me Shirley; anything to distract her Mom from this subject. But she had the habit of truthfulness and her earlier near fib about why Richard was taking the weekend off still bothered her. "W-well, uh, yeah," she admitted. "W-we slept together last night -- b-but nothing happened!" How do you explain something like this to your Mom who thinks you're your own long lost sister?

"Oh dear! I hope you don't intend to die a virgin like poor Joel."

"M-mom!" Jo squeaked. Well, I didn't do it on purpose!

"Now, dear, I don't mean to shock you but I've decided I want grandkids. Joel was too shy to do a good job of it; just like his father, he needed a woman to take charge of things." She sighed. "Joel never found anyone, but just look at that specimen of manhood over there." They both looked at Richard who had just stood up and turned to face Mr. Gmunro. "That dark hair, those eyes, he's even got dimples. And doesn't that physique just do something to your insides?"

Jo sighed. Well, yes, it does and that's what I'm afraid of. But am I making the same mistake I made as Joel? Aloud she said, "Grandchildren, M-mom? I m-mean, uh, I've only-- he's only known m-me a short time. Talking about, uh, kids has got to b-be...." Besides, there's the idea of getting pregnant to deal with! Yesterday I was a guy!

"Honey, I've lost Joel and I thought I'd lost you for years and then you came back. No one knows how long they've got to enjoy what they've got and, and I'd like to be around to enjoy seeing your kids grow up."

Jo stared at her. That Mom wanted grandkids seemed reasonable, in a way, but that she should be expected to provide them, out of her own body, had been an idea she hadn't considered when Dunny had calmed her earlier fears of having suddenly turned female. She tried to picture herself pregnant, having a baby, Doesn't that hurt, like a lot?

"You won't know real joy, Melody, Jo, honey, until you hold your own babies close to you and feel the love you have for them."

Richard waved at them suddenly, starting over. "Lorio's getting off the freeway, he'll be here in a few minutes. Hi, Mrs. Messenger." Holy shit, did she just wink at me? Nah, couldn't be, he decided. Jo's mom wouldn't wink at me.

"Richard," the older woman purred. "You'll be very nice to Jo? She tells me you're going to be her driver for a few days? Throw this stuff away for me, would you, Jo, dear?" She whispered to Richard, after Jo had left with the wrappers and empty cups, "You saw her house? She's rich you know? And I know she likes you."

Amazed, Richard stared at her. "Uh, Mrs. Messenger, Jo and I are friends, first, for Joel's sake. I mean...." He trailed off. I'm not fooling either of us, I'd boff Jo in a minute and her mom knows it. And I think Jo does too, she has to. It's disturbing though when her mom smirks at me like that.

Jo took the trash and headed toward the trash can, also wondering if she'd seen her mother wink at Richard. What the heck? I know I'm probably going to do it sooner or later -- but I think I should, uh, find out if I'm on the pill first. She blushed. Or make sure he uses protection -- even if Mom does want grandkids. But the idea of what she and Richard would have to do to need such protection derailed her thinking for a moment. Glad I'm wearing a padded bra, she thought just as a bright red Mustang pulled into the space near the limo.

A shorter, skinnier Richard-clone got out of the Mustang and turned toward her. "Hey! What's a hot girl like you doing alone in the park?" said the man, smiling at her.

"Lorio! Get the heck over here and stop trying to molest my new boss," Richard called out.

* * *

In Majorca, at a quiet table at Crocodile Pete's, Sophie giggled while Ted poured the wine.

"Something funny?" he asked.

"Well, yes, but it hasn't happened yet," she purred. "Good, huh?" she sipped.

Ted nodded. "You were right about the wine, it's very good. So's this sole but how can you eat that calamari-stuff?"

Sophie smiled. "Tentacles are a speciality of mine."