Chapter 1
A pair of large, round, milky-white breasts descended onto the dark-chocolate six-pack abs of a hulking, African-American bodybuilder. Silhouetted by the moonlight coming through the window in Ronnie’s hotel room, Dahlia’s nipples barely grazed his abs. They trailed upwards, over his muscular chest, making their way to their desired destination. Ronnie’s tongue flicked against a nipple, circling around it, causing Dahlia to moan. His large black hand rose to grab one of her massive pale orbs and guided it to his open mouth. He wrapped his big lips around the erect nipple, dragging them over her areola, and proceeded to suck it. Dahlia reached around behind her, grabbing his veiny, pulsing cock and guided it to her salivating pussy. She lowered herself on it gingerly, as Ronnie continued to suckle a tit. She shivered when his cock landed against her cervix. Ronnie, with his free hand, grabbed her meaty ass and released the nipple from his mouth.
“When is your flight tomorrow morning?” Dahlia asked looking down at Ronnie, his cock pulsating inside her, so ready to begin their final fuck session.
“Six am,” he replied, with a single thrust of his hips, causing Dahlia to wince from pleasure.
“I’ll leave in a few hours then.”
“As you wish,” Ronnie replied with another hard thrust.
“Mmmmm,” She moaned. The two had been sleeping together for the past week of Ronnie’s two week trip to Los Angeles. Every night after they first met, a week prior, she was at his hotel room riding and cumming on his cock as much as possible.
“Can’t believe I’m the first black man you’ve had sex with.” Ronnie said. “You got a thick, juicy, body that a lot of us like. Thick thighs, big titties, big ass; you’re not a petite little thing.”
“Believe it.” Dahlia said flatly, grabbing his face and sticking her tongue into his mouth. What a week it had been. She met Ronnie at a strip club near downtown LA. Dahlia had a friend who worked there that she and her boyfriend went to watch occasionally. Except on this night Dahlia’s didn’t have a boyfriend anymore. She had ended their tumultuous two year relationship the previous evening.
Victor slapped her during a ridiculous argument. That was the final straw that ended things. She was tired of arguing with him, tired of listening to his whiny, possessive attitude, and tired of persevering. The slap was her answer. She slapped him back and kneed him in the groin and then kicked him out. She struggled with everything she had, not to snap that scrawny twerp in half while he gathered his things. She could handle arguments and getting through to his thick skull that she loved him, but once he struck her face, that ended all reasoning, negotiating, and trying to make things work with him.
Dahlia felt liberated as she watched Victor drive off. The next few days would be so great. She had it planned out. She would go to watch her good friend Sandee dance, stay until closing, meet up with Sandee after and have sex with her. She knew Sandee was bi-sexual and that there was enough playful flirting between the two over the years that she assumed a few drinks would escalate into a lovely night of pussy eating and scissoring. It’d been five years since the 37 year old Dahlia fooled around with a woman. She figured that night was as good a night as any, to have some female fun and release the built up tension from the break up.
This plan ended the moment a 6’6” tall, huge, black man named Ronnie sat next to her at the bar. He nodded and smiled to her as he turned around to watch the ladies dance. Dahlia went weak in the knees when she smelled his cologne. She couldn’t help but glance over at him, feeling that her 5’9” height was dwarfed compared to him. He must have seen this in his peripheral vision, turning to her, he said “hello.” The conversation was awkward at first, but eventually the two weren’t even paying attention to the dancers, as their friendly banter evolved to be more flirtatious.
Three hours later, just after midnight, Dahlia stood before a sitting Ronnie in his hotel room. He had nonchalantly pulled his cock out when Dahlia went to the restroom. Upon her return, her eyes widened as she stared at the long, thick, monster. After a moment, she smirked and pulled the front of her dark red dress down, revealing her own massive gifts.
“Nice dick,” she said, going to her knees in front of Ronnie.
“Nice tits,” he replied.
Dahlia plopped her breasts on to Ronnie’s thighs, engulfing his shaft with them. “Big tits for a big cock.”
“You got that right,” Ronnie replied, laying his head back, staring up to the ceiling.
The moment she tasted the pre-cum that was oozing out of his bulbous cockhead she knew she’d be
there in that hotel room as often as she could for the rest of his trip. She sucked on that fat tip, while she massaged the shaft with her breasts.
“Delicious,” she said after several minutes. She grinned, and then proceeded to suck, lick, service, ride, grind, and fuck herself silly on Ronnie’s pole for the next week.
Fast forward a week and Ronnie had his hand in Dahlia’s thick, long, dyed black hair while he made her scream from his powerful thrusts behind her.
“Ahh fuck!” Dahlia cried out, Ronnie’s tree-truck thighs, slamming into her butt, sending ripples and making loud slapping sounds.
Chapter 2
Darren lay naked in his bed idly stroking his cock. He was picturing her again. Her long red hair, big blue eyes, luscious lips, gorgeous tanned body. That’s when he heard it – the shouting, crying, slamming, and finally the next door neighbor’s vehicle speeding off to who knows where.
“I was just thinking of you,” he said to himself, rising from his bed and peeping through the blinds. He saw her in her backyard next door. She was wearing a long white bathrobe while dipping her feet into their swimming pool. Darren surmised her dad and stepmom were yelling at her before they left for the weekend, leaving her home alone. Darren slid on some cargo shorts, grabbed a t-shirt, and headed out the back door.
“Hey,” Darren said, startling Leanna a few minutes later. The 18 year old redhead jumped slightly and turned to him.
“Oh hey. So I guess you heard some of that?” She asked.
“A little yeah. I just heard some shouting and them leaving. Is everything ok?”
Leanna sighed, looking out onto the pool. “Not really. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore though.”
“Yeah. So when are you leaving?
“At the end of this semester. It kinda sucks I have to start at a new school on the other side of the country for my last semester in high school. But whatever.” Leanna explained, shrugging her shoulders.
Darren just nodded, smiling softly, looking her over. “I’m sure you’ll do just fine, you’ll make friends easily.”
“Yeah maybe. Anyway enough of that.” Leanna said, turning to face Darren with a smile, and then removing her robe. “Ready?”
“Absolutely, it’s been a few weeks,” Darren answered. The 20 year old followed a nude Leanna into her home. He smirked as he watched her hips sway from side to side.
They made their way to the hallway and Leanna turned around and began kissing and taunting Darren. “You gonna give me some good hard cock tonight?” She said in between kisses.
“I’ll do my best,” he replied as he helped Leanna remove his shirt. They continued down the hallway arriving at the last closed door on the left, her dad and stepmom’s room, stopping to make out a bit. Darren reached down to grab her plump little butt. “I want in here tonight,” He said, kissing along her neck.
“My stepmom has plenty of lube we can use.” Leanna said, helping Darren remove his pants. She went to her knees in the hallway, grabbing his cock and swirling her tongue around the tip. “Mmm yummy.”
Leanna stood, pulling Darren by his cock, turned to open the bedroom door.
Dahlia opened her unlocked front door and entered her home, placing her keys on the key rack. She barely had enough time to enter the kitchen when she was slammed against the wall. She was struck in the face several times before being kneed in the gut and then collapsing on the floor, coughing and trying to catch her breath. The baseball bat to the knee caused her to scream in agony.
“Ahhhh! I said more lube!” Leanna screamed when Darren entered her anus. “Here. Put more on me and then on you.”
“Ok! I’m sorry! Here we go,” Darren said, squirting the bottle of Astroglide lube on Leanna’s puckered hole. “There, that should be better,” he said, slowing sliding his cock in, and getting to work.
Dahlia watched the man turn over a large bookshelf, spilling photo albums, DVDs, books, and magazines onto the floor. He began dousing them with what smelled like lighter fluid. She stood as his back was turned to her and limped toward him, tackling from behind. She began hitting and clawing his head, causing his black ski mask to come off.
“You piece of shit!” Dahlia screamed down at Victor as she attempted to gouge his eyes out with her long fingernails. From his squirming and blocking she was only able to scratch his face, drawing blood. Victor was able to push her off him. While straddling her, he landed several more successful punches to the face.
“You dirty girl,” Darren chuckled down at Leanna. He was straddling her, running his cock in between her tits. She licked and sucked the tip of it as it arrived to her waiting mouth.
“Hey I clean myself thoroughly I’ll have you know.” Leanna said, winking up at Darren as she cleaned his cock.
Dahlia lay on her stomach crying and struggling as the bat hit her few more times, the last blow landing on the back of her head.
Leanna lay on her stomach as she slid a hand down to her clit, massaging it as Darren pumped in and out of her pussy from behind.
Dahlia, groggy and struggling to stand, attempted to get outside as the fire that was started grew hotter. Sweat was dripping from her chin as the temperature rose.
“Is it hot in here?” Leanna asks. She was on top of Darren, bouncing up and down on his cock.
“It’s a little warm, yeah, but I don’t care.” He said with his hands on Leanna’s hips, watching her perky little tits bounce as she rode him.
Dahlia was able to drag herself out of the burning home, just in time to receive one final blow to the head by the assailant’s baseball bat. As she lost consciousness the last thing she saw is Victor running away as sirens approached.
“Ahh yess! Yess! Fuck me!” Leanna cried out in the shower with Darren, wrapping her arms around him as he slammed her against the shower wall.
“Ughh, love this pussy!” Darren cried back. “It’s tighter than your ass.”
“Shut up.” She rolled her eyes as the steam rose.
The EMTs were tending to Dahlia as the firemen successfully put out the fire.
Leanna and Darren were sitting nude at the kitchen table eating leftover pizza. “Of course I’ll keep in touch; you’ve been a great friend these past few years.” Leanna said; placing a hand on Darren’s, but his attention quickly went elsewhere.
“You see that?” Darren asked as a flicker of blue light caught his eye. He stood and walked toward the window over the kitchen sink.
“See what?” Leanna asked, turning around and joining him. “Is that coming from – ”
“ – my house?” Darren finished her question, peering through blinds of the kitchen window. “It is!”
Chapter 3
Darren covered his mouth and tried to maintain his composure as he looked in on the hospital room his mother, Dahlia, was in. It was an intensive care unit and the nurses were just finishing up checking her vitals before their shift change.
“You can go in if you like. The doctor will be here soon.” A nurse said as she was leaving. Darren slowly nodded. He took a deep breath and slowly entered her room.
Darren shook as he sat in the chair next to her bed. Her face was beaten badly. There was a large bandage over her right eye and forehead, bruising on her cheeks, and a smaller cut on her chin. Her left knee was wrapped and in a sling.
He looked on in shock and felt tears welling up but was interrupted by a knock at the door. “May I come in?” the polite doctor asked, already knowing the answer.
Darren cleared his throat, sniffed, and stood to face the doctor. “Hello,” he said with a nod.
“Hello I’m Dr. Decker,” he said, extending his hand to Darren. “You are, the son, correct?”
“Yes sir. I’m Darren,” he replied, shaking his hand.
“Ok, I’m just going to grab this chair here and sit with you for a few moments.” Dr. Decker slid another chair in the room next to Darren’s. The both sat, Darren watching the doctor flip through various MRIs and charts.
“I understand you’ve given a statement to the police and they were able to retrieve some blood from under her fingernails?” The doctor asked.
“Yes, they think they may find something in the DNA.”
“I see, well I offered to provide any medical statement if need be. With that said, your mother’s vitals are all great and normal. Circulation, breathing and so on. IV units are in place here,” the doctor explained, pointing to various devices nearby that were plugged into Dahlia. “However, she did sustain some head injuries in addition to her knee. Right now, Darren, she is in a c***.”
Darren nodded, slowly turning to look at his mother. Dr. Decker continued on, “Our MRIs show there is brain injury and brain swelling. We are doing what we can with medication, but a lot of this is simply waiting. It could be several days before she wakes up. It could be several weeks.
Darren nodded again, not taking his eyes off his mother as the doctor talked, “When she wakes up there may other issues to work with and treat. Luckily no parts of the brain were injured that control major organs. However, I’m concerned about some of the injuries to the frontal lobe and on the side here, the temporal lobe,” The doctor explained, pointing down to the MRI. “Injuries sustained there could have a negative effect on attention span, motor function issues, sensory problems, problem solving skills, memory loss, and personality.”
“Personality?” Darren asked, turning to face the doctor with a look of concern.
“Yes. I have seen brain trauma that has caused a person to have a totally different personality. I didn’t know them personally, but their family told me they would be easily angered or aggravated after they went home. I’ve heard through colleagues that some of their patients became shy and awkward. There is a chance that this could happen with her.”
Darren didn’t say anything; he simply turned his attention back to his sleeping mother.
“We will monitor everything and continue constant care. We won’t move her out of ICU until she wakes up. When she does we will do more thorough tests to see what, if any, issues remain from the injuries.”
Dr. Decker rose to his feet, followed by Darren, they shook hands again and the doctor left. He was alone again with his mother. He sat back down by her side and did something he hadn’t done in probably over 10 years – he wept.
Resting his hand on her forearm, Darren cried, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I should’ve been there, I should’ve protected you. I could’ve stopped this from happening. Please forgive me, please wake up. I still need you!” The tears spilled from his eyes as he placed his hand gently on his mother’s. “Please wake up. Please,” he pleaded just above a whisper, resting his head on railing on the side of her bed.
Chapter 4
“Ok, remember what I said?” Dahlia asked her 10 year old son, Darren, as she knelt down in front of him. “If that little twerp lays a hand on you, you hit him and keep hitting him until a teacher pulls you off him.”
“What if I get in trouble?” He asked his mother.
“Don’t worry about that.”
“Yeah but I could get suspended for fighting.”
“You may get in trouble with the principle or a teacher, but not with me. If you get suspended I’ll see what options I have to challenge it since you’d be defending yourself,” Dahlia explained. She leaned in closer and whispered in her son’s ear.
“I may not challenge it and then you’d get a week off school. We could go to the beach. What do you say?”
Darren smiled and nodded. Dahlia gave him a hug and handed him his lunch. “But don’t let that be a reason to start a fight with that k**. Only attack to defend yourself, understood?”
“Yes mom,” Darren took his lunch and headed outside to catch the bus.
He was exhausted. He barely slept all night in her hospital room. He’d go in and out of sleep, remembering their past, remaining right there next to her; always holding her hand, always listening, watching, and waiting for a sign that his mother was waking up. He saw none. He was so hungry, but didn’t want to leave her side. He was wracked with guilt, beating himself up over what happened that night. He was next door having sex with Leanna, when his mother came home. He knew she was out that night and would be home shortly after midnight. He didn’t know Victor would be waiting nearby for her. Darren reasoned that perhaps he snuck into the house after he saw Darren leave. He had a headache from lack of sleep, water, and from stress. “I could’ve at least locked the door,” he told himself over and over again.
Later the next day, Sunday, Darren made a few phone calls. He called his employer to let him know of the situation. He was given as much time as he needed to take care of her. He then called some family members and alerted them as well. They lived far away and they rarely saw each other. Darren didn’t think they would fly out to visit her. He assumed a card or flowers would be delivered from them and he was right.
That night back in his mother’s room, Darren was caressing her forearm, lightly trailing his fingers up and down its length with a concerned expression on his face.
“Dude, your mom is so cool.” One of Darren’s friends told him four years ago, just after receiving his driver’s license. “My mom won’t let me drive alone until I’ve had my license for 6 months. It’s lame.”
“Yeah that is lame,” Darren replied, making a left turn, heading toward the mall.
“If your mom lost like 20 pounds, she’d be smoking hot, too.” His friend pointed out.
“Ok that’s enough of that,” Darren chuckled and shook his head.
Dahlia did lose the weight. She lost around 40 pounds over the course of the next two years. It was slow going, but she was able to do it.
“Well what do you think?” Dahlia asked her son about two years later as she entered the kitchen. He was standing at the refrigerator, peering inside. He turned around and his eyes widened.
“Wow,” he said, staring at his mother standing in a few feet away in a black bikini.
“Wow as in, ‘I can’t believe you have the guts to wear that,’ or wow as in, ‘You actually look good in a bikini?’”
“Um, I’d say a little bit of both.” Darren looked her up and down as she slowly turned in a circle. He was visibly impressed with her weight loss. She wasn’t toned or muscular, her thighs were fairly thick, her butt was shapely, her breasts were huge, and her midsection had a small amount of weight left, but overall she was voluptuous and gorgeous. Her long thick black hair, extending down to her middle back, and her spider web shoulder tattoo she had recently gotten looked awesome. She did a full circle and smiled softly at her son.
Darren took a sip of water the nurse brought him. He gently squeezed his mother’s hand, then ran his fingers over hers hoping it did something, anything, but there was no movement from her. Tears began to well up again in his eyes.
“Your hand is so soft, so warm. “ He leaned down to kiss it gently, resting his head on the bed railing, whispering “Please wake up” over and over, each utterance further apart and quieter until he was sleep.
The next morning, at the insistence of a nurse, he went to the cafeteria for breakfast. He ate a little, just enough to take the hunger edge off. He answered a few phone calls from her friends and family. He also spoke to the homeowner’s insurance representatives. They ironed out the details of the fire, Darren’s stay during the repair work, and paperwork that needed to be signed.
Leanna, her dad and stepmom, came to visit that evening. They were polite as usual, leaving flowers and a card. Leanna gave Darren a long embrace as she left. After they left he was alone again with his mother. The evenings were the worst.
“Hey come here,” Dahlia ordered her son a few years ago.
“Yes?”
Dahlia went to Darren’s pant pocket, attempting to place something in there. “Hey what are you doing?” He asked, thinking she was trying to tickle him.
“Be still,” she completed her task and then spoke to her son. “Listen, be careful with her,” Dahlia said, referring to Leanna.
“She seems nice, but sometimes you can never know about people. They may have ulterior motives, and they may betray trust. I can tell she likes you, I’ve seen the way she looks at you. I know from her dad that he and his new wife don’t always get along with her. I’m just saying, be friendly and have fun, but don’t get involved too deeply. She’s younger than you too. I would hate for you to have to deal with her drama - if there is any.” Dahlia explained.
“I know, she’s nice, but I don’t see her and I being more than friends.”
“Good,” Dahlia said with a slight smile. She gave Darren a brief hug and kiss on the cheek before walking away.
“By the way,” She called out to him as she walked down the hallway, “you can have ‘fun’ with her here. I’d prefer you not sneak over to her house. What if her dad caught you?”
“Huh? Oh right,” Darren blushed. He reached into his pocket to see what his mother had placed there. He blushed deeper as he looked at the condom.
Darren sighed again, shaking his head in disgust, he was so angry at himself for going over to Leanna’s that night and not thinking to lock the door. The neighborhood was safe and he knew his mother would be home a little later.
“Mmm you have such a nice cock,” Leanna said as she licked the shaft from the base to the tip. She was naked with Darren on his bed. He was smiling, flat on his back, looking to the ceiling as his cute, freckle-faced, red-headed neighbor did what she does best.
“Thank you, glad you’re enjoying it.”
“Hey Darren, I need you to – Oh crap! I’m sorry I should’ve knocked!” Dahlia proclaimed, entering and then quickly exiting Darren’s room. Leanna gasped and fell off the bed, hidden from the view from the door, while Darren quickly attempted to cover himself with a pillow.
“Mom!”
“It’s ok! I didn’t see anything, I mean I did, but it was brief,” his mother said on the other side of the closed door.
“When you and Leanna are done, can you go the store real quick?”
“Sure mom, yes, no problem, thank you!”
“Thanks Darren. You two can, uh, resume your fun!”
Leanna peeped over the edge of the mattress. “It’s ok! She’s cool with everything, get back up here,” Darren said.
Darren smiled for the first time in several days, recalling that memory. His friend from high school was right; he did have a cool mom. His smile quickly faded and he resumed massaging his mother’s hand.
Chapter 5
The next day, Darren rummaged through some debris where the living room was. Most of the fire damage was there, but also to his bedroom too. The wall where his closet and drawers are was left alone, but his bed, desk, and anything along the other three walls of the room were badly damaged. He smirked, “At least I have plenty of clothes to wear.”
After grabbing a few more clothes to change into he walked down to his mother’s bedroom, it was left undamaged. He inspected the kitchen and bathrooms; they all seemed to be just fine. He walked back to the living room and looked through a huge pile of ash and charred wood. A lot of books and family photo albums were burnt. Judging by the looks of things, he suspected the shelves were emptied and these items were piled up and set ablaze – as kindling.
After his meeting with the insurance representative at the house he headed to the hotel room they had set up for him. On his way there, he got a call from a detective stating that they brought Victor in for questioning and that his alibi didn’t check out. The detective also noted the black ski mask found on the scene has hairs they will be using to verify it belongs to Victor. This, along with the blood found under his mother’s fingernails and the gashes on Victor’s face, made the detective fairly confident this would be a quick process once all the lab results are in.
At the hotel, Darren shaved and showered for the first time in several days. Looking at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, he face looked exhausted and gaunt. He figured he would try to eat a little more that evening.
“Damn, you look like the guy that knocked me up when I was a teen,” Dahlia told her 17 year old son that last day of summer break before his senior year began. They were sitting on the couch, sharing a cup of fat free yogurt.
“Is that a good thing?” Darren asked.
“Yeah, I’d say so. You actually look like a better version of him. Maybe some of my genes were thrown into the mix. You have the same big, blue eyes as him. Your nose isn’t as big as his was. You have the same skin complexion as his – not pale, fair skin like mine. Plus you have the same hair type – it’s just not as thick as mine.” His mother replied, licking her spoon clean. “So I’d say you’re quite the looker.”
“Heh, maybe so mom. Thanks.”
“Just promise me you’ll keep on being a nice guy and not turn into a douchebag. It’s really annoying talking to an attractive person only to discover they are a total jerk and full of themselves.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be like that. I mean, I hope not.”
“Nah, I suppose you won’t. You’re a good guy.”
Darren shook the memory from his head, staring back at himself. He didn’t feel like a good guy he felt like this was his fault, like he had failed his mother. He put on some clean clothes and headed back to her side. He arrived to see there had been no change in her condition and he wasn’t expecting there to be. He fell asleep with her hand in his again.
The next morning Darren watched the nurse check her vitals and the bandages. She told him that things were looking better. She also checked her knee and indicated the swelling had gone down; it was still severely bruised though.
Later that day, his mother’s friend, Sandee came to visit again. She had been once before to check in on things, but her work schedule prohibited her from getting to the hospital too often. Darren was returning from the cafeteria and stopped in the doorway to see Sandee kissing his mother’s fore head, she caressed her face, and whispered something into her ear. She stood and was slightly startled by Darren standing at the door.
“Oh hi, Darren,” She smiled awkwardly. “Just came by to say hello before heading to work.”
“Oh ok. Great.” Darren smiled back, setting his coffee on the table.
“Listen Darren, I heard through some friends that Victor was arrested. If I had known he was a psycho I would’ve never introduced the two of them.”
“No, no it’s fine. You didn’t know or think he’d be like that.” Darren turned to face his mother, “I’ve done things that I never would’ve done had I know the outcomes.”
“We all do. But everything happens for a reason, Darren.” Sandee placed her hand on his shoulder and stepped up to kiss his cheek, “Everything will work out like it’s supposed to.”
“I got a new job, so since my schedule is better, I plan on coming by more often,” Sandee explained.
“Great,” He replied, attempting another weak smile. “Do you like it?”
“Well it’s a job where I get to keep my clothes on, so that’s always a plus!”
“Yeah I can imagine it would be,” Darren smiled again, and then glanced to his mother as he sat in the chair next to her bed.
“Are you here all the time?” Sandee asked.
“Pretty much. I only go to the hotel room to change clothes, shower, take a quick nap, things like that.”
“What about food? You eat in the cafeteria?”
“Yep.”
“Listen,” Sandee said, moving next to Darren, placing her hand on his shoulder again, “if you ever want to go to dinner one night, just let me know.”
“Oh ok, yeah the cafeteria is decent food. It doesn’t suck that bad.”
Sandee chuckled, “I didn’t mean the cafeteria. I meant a restaurant somewhere. It’d be my treat.”
“Oh. I don’t know. I really need to stay with her as much as possible.”
“Well if you change your mind, just let me know. Also,” Sandee started moving toward the door, “let me know if you need help with anything. I can make phone calls for you or her, I can contact relatives, organize paperwork, whatever you need.”
“Wow, yeah I may need some help with getting the bills lined up and taken care of. Mom’s work is being amazing toward everything so that’s a huge help too.”
“Great, let me know what I can do and I’ll see you later.”
Darren waved goodbye, watching Sandee walk down the hallway. He was taken by the words of wisdom and kindness from a stripper, or a person who recently became a former one, but nonetheless, took them to heart.
The next few days Sandee helped out immensely. The 35 year old former stripper broke all stereotypes Darren had. She was intelligent and resourceful. She helped Darren get all utility bills and other accounts payable in order. She even helped him with taxes. They sat at the small table in Darren’s hotel room while she instructed him on property taxes in the event his mother would be in a c*** for several more months. Sandee also helped clean the damaged house before renovators came to do their work.
One night when Darren was chatting with Dr. Decker about his mother’s improvements, his cell phone rang. Since Sandee happened to be there, she answered and fielded a call from an Aunt who Darren didn’t feel like talking to. She told her of Dahlia’s progress and how the latest MRI showed healing in the injured areas of her brain. When the doctor left, Sandee was sitting there smiling at him as she talked to Dahlia’s sister on the phone. Darren sat back down in his usual spot, grabbing his mother’s hand. Sandee’s conversation ended and she stood at the foot of the bed, lightly massaging Dahlia’s foot.
“Thanks, I’m just really tired and didn’t feel like having to talk to anyone on the phone.” Darren said.
“It’s no big deal; I’m here to help remember?” Sandee said, moving over to Darren, rubbing his shoulder.
“Are you ever going to let me take you to dinner?” She asked.
“Sandee, I don’t know, I really don’t want to leave her side.”
Sandee crouched in front of Darren, placing her hands on his knee. “What would she want you to do?”
Darren thought for a moment, “I guess she’d want me to hang out with people and enjoy life. It’s just that, I can’t leave her again.”
“I know you can’t. But this is just dinner with a friend,” Sandee explained in a sweet tone. “She is safe here, she is being watched over, and her injuries are healing. Please, think about it?”
Darren’s looked toward his sleeping mother again. She looked peaceful. “I just – “
“I know they will contact you the second she shows any sort of movement or if there’s any change.”
“Yeah they will.” He glanced back over to Sandee’s friendly face and warm smile.
“I think it’d be good for you to get away for just a little bit and have some nice food and conversation.”
Darren couldn’t help but agree. “I guess we could go somewhere Saturday night.”
“Wonderful!” Sandee said, smiling and standing. She went over to her comatose friend and kissed her forehead, then bent down to kiss Darren’s and left.
A few days later, Darren told his mother he’d return to her side very soon. He went to the hotel room and changed into nice clothes, just as Sandee instructed. He wore black dress pants, a dark green dress shirt, and a striped green and black tie. Sandee arrived to pick him up wearing a tight, form-fitting red dress that came down to her mid thigh. It showed off her lean figure and medium sized chest. Her long locks of honey-brown hair matched her honey-brown eyes and were curled. Her red lipstick matched her dress.
“You look nice,” Darren said, opening the door and joining her in the hallway.
“So do you,” She smiled, sliding her arm around his and walking together.
Sandee drove to a nice Italian restaurant not far from the hospital, so in the event Darren got a phone call and was needed, he could be there quickly.
Dinner was excellent, with Sandee telling several funny stories about Dahlia. Including one where she fended off a drunken homeless guy who was getting rude with Sandee as they walked down the street. The guy seemed genuinely afraid and backed down. She apologized again for introducing her to Victor and told Darren how she looked up to his mother.
“She’s a wonderful woman and a good friend, Darren,” Sandee said, holding a fork to Darren’s mouth with one of the last few bites of chocolate cake on it. Darren nodded and took his share.
“I’m just scared. I don’t know what’s going to happen to her or if she’ll ever wake up. If she does, I’m worried she’ll be different or require constant aid. I just don’t want her to suffer.”
“I know you don’t sweetie," Sandee said, reaching over to place her hand on Darren’s. “Just remember that whatever happens, you will have support and help, and you’ll never be alone.”
“Thank you, Sandee,” Darren attempted to smile while gently squeezing her hand.
After dinner, Sandee drove Darren back to his hotel room. Standing in front of his closed door, she held his hands while peering up at him. “May I come in for a little while?”
“I need to head back to the hospital, I was just going to change and make my way back over there.”
Sandee nodded slowly, placing her hands on his shoulders and slowly guiding them down to his tie. “Are you sure?” She asked, and then slowly kissed the corner of his mouth. Her lips were so full; Darren often wondered if she had work done to them, as plastic surgery was a booming field in Los Angeles.
Darren cleared his throat and nodded.
Sandee nodded back and hugged him. “I knew you’d turn out to be a great man when I first met you a few years ago,” she ended the hug, and placed a hand on his face. “If you ever need anything, and I mean anything,” she said, running her thumb across his lips, “I’m here for you.” She kissed his lips slowly. Darren’s cock pulsed as he felt Sandee’s tongue graze his top lip, causing Darren to go slightly weak in the knees as he placed his hands on her waist.
“If this was any other time, and she wasn’t in the condition she’s in, I’d love to, uh, spend some time with you. But I gotta get back to her side. I’m sorry.” Darren explained.
“Don’t be,” She kissed his cheek. “You’re wonderful. I’ll see you later, Ok?”
“Ok, see ya later.” Darren waved goodbye to Sandee and watched her walk down the hall. She was gorgeous, but his mother was his highest priority.
His daily routine for the next two weeks consisted of being by her side, going to the hotel room every few days to shower, change, or attempt to nap. Thanksgiving came and went, he received phone calls from far away relatives and several visits from his mother’s friends and his employer. Sandee was there by his and her side through most of this, when her work schedule allowed.
Chapter 6
A week after Thanksgiving, Darren stood in the hallway just outside his mother’s hospital room waiting for the nurses to finish checking her vitals, changing the bed sheets, adjusting the mattress and repositioning Dahlia on the bed. They had also spent extra time putting a small Christmas tree in the corner.
When most of them left he reentered her room and resumed holding and caressing her hand. There was one nurse left entering data on the workstation computer next to the bed. Darren’s head again rested on the side railing of the bed, he closed his eyes as his thumb stopped caressing his mother’s hand. He heard the nurse click the mouse and occasionally type on the keyboard. The heating unit whirred in the background. He hardly slept any the previous night; the anxiety and worry winning out again. His thoughts were slowing down; he could tell he’d be asleep soon. When he felt a slight tickle on the underside of his hand he didn’t really notice. When Dahlia moved her thumb and gently caresses his he thought he was half dreaming in that moment just before the brain enters sleep mode. He felt a tickle and gentle caress again, his lips curled to a miniscule smile as he enjoyed this moment. The nurse cleared her throat and continued typing, shaking Darren from his half sleep state.
He sat up and yawned, looking at his mother. Movement caught his peripheral vision. He looked to the direction of the movement, his hand, and saw nothing. He turned back toward his mother’s face. She looked much better, the cuts and bruises long gone. He saw more movement at his hand and then felt a touch. He again, looked at his hand, just in time to see his mother’s thumb reach up and caress the underside of it.
“Nurse!” Darren shouted. She turned to see him pointing at his mother’s thumb.
Within seconds more nurses filled the room. Darren stood back and let them work. Dr. Decker showed up and began his examination too, checking her eyes, seeing if she reacts to stimuli, and conversing with the nurses. She was coming out of the c*** but was not yet fully aware of her surroundings.
Darren paced back and forth just outside her room impatiently as he waited for an update. Dr. Decker joined him, “Hi Darren, well good news! She’s coming out of the c***. Now what this means,” he said, holding his hands up as if to tell Darren to wait “is that little by little she should be become more and more aware of her surroundings. It could be days before you would be able to have a conversation with her, and maybe longer before she’s up and moving around. It’ll also be awhile before we can get a good idea of any memory loss or cognitive issues she may have as a result of the damage. Each day she should be awake a little longer.”
“I understand. Can I go and see her now?” Darren asked. Dr. Decker smiled and gestured toward her room.
“Mom? Mom? It’s me, I’m right here. You’re going to be ok. I’m not going anywhere,” Darren said, grabbing her hand and holding it once again. He sat still and watched her slight thumb movements for the next hour, and then she was still again. Later that evening, he watched her eyelids flicker as if she were trying to open them. He continued caressing her hand, whispering words of encouragement; telling her that he loved her so much.
Darren’s mind started to wander as he sat and watched her. “So what do you think about this Victor guy? I think I should keep him around awhile?” Dahlia sat on the couch next to her son, wrapping her arms around him. He was watching TV and his arm around her shoulder, caressing her arm with his hand.
“Yeah he seems ok I guess.”
“Well if you ever have a problem with him, you tell me and I’ll dump that geek on the spot.”
Darren laughed, “He is kinda geeky.”
Dahlia sat up and kissed Darren on the cheek. “He is. A little clingy too. But so far he seems nice. Not as nice as you though. That little Leanna’s is a lucky girl”
“Mom, her and I just friends. I’m taking your advice, remember?”
“Yeah yeah I know. Well she’s still lucky.” Dahlia winked playfully. “I’d like to think I am too. I have my best bud here with me, one of the coolest k**s I know.”
Darren wiped tears away from his face as he watched his mother’s thumb gently graze his hand. It had been 24 hours since she started improving. He heard her sniff that morning, and watched her head turn to the side to face him slightly. He looked at her face and smiled; he couldn’t help but touch it. She seemed so peaceful and relaxed. He kept telling her he loved her and was so happy that she’s pulling through.
Sandee visited as well, she sat for a long time that night on the other side of the bed holding Dahlia’s hand and fixing her hair and talking to her.
The next day, her eyes flickered more and more, he watched her jaw moved up and down as if she was moving her tongue. He saw a facial expression, a wince, as though she had tasted something bad. He thought perhaps her mouth was dry. He remained holding her hand, and smiling at her every time he saw her eyes flicker. Late that night, he saw them appear to be half open. He sat in silence staring into them, running his hands through her hair, smiling. It lasted maybe 10 minutes and they were fully closed again.
Over the next two days he continued whispering to her, holding her hand, looking for more signs of awareness. Little by little she would move her head more, or move her thumb faster across his hand, or hold her eyes open a little longer. He couldn’t help but get choked up with tears of joys as he watched her slowly become more and more aware and awake. Dr. Decker informed him this was normal and that people don’t just suddenly wake up like they had a nice long nap when they come out of c***. It takes time.
Darren rested he head on the rail again a week after his mother showed signs of awareness. He was smiling with his eyes closed, when he felt her squeeze his hand. He cleared his throat and looked up to her. His eyes locked on to hers. They were fully open, she was staring into his. A small smile came across his face. He watched her lips curl into one just as small. Then she spoke, it was barely a whisper, but he heard it.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” Darren replied, barely able maintain his composure. She smiled at him again, and closed her eyes, going to sleep for the night.
The next morning Darren and Sandee sat with Dr. Decker as he explained his findings. “She’s doing great. She’s become more responsive, more aware, and awake for longer periods of time, and her newest MRI looks wonderful. All normal, and expected. As soon as we can sit and talk with her we will find out what she remembers. I would advise you two to not be in the room when we do this. I’ve seen situations where someone doesn’t remember their name and it can be quite unsettling for their family members to witness this. We will ask her a lot of questions and get an idea what she does and doesn’t remember. We’ll also run other tests. We’ll ask her to move her left arm, or draw a circle, or count to 10. It’ll be very thorough so we can see what damage remains.”
That evening Sandee took Darren to a celebratory dinner. She gave him a long kiss goodnight and equally long embrace before he changed and headed back to the hospital. There was a nurse in his mother’s room when he arrived.
“Ah there you are, she was asking about you,” the nurse said.
“What? She was? What do you mean?”
“Yes, she was whispering to me, ‘Where he is?’ and looked over to your seat.”
Darren was amazed and fought back tears as he went to her side, grabbing her hand. “I’m right here! I Just went to get some dinner, I’m right here now, ok?” He saw a small smile come across her face while she rested peacefully.
She told him ‘hi’ again the next day. They held hands and smiled at each other nearly 30 minutes, before she went back to sleep. She woke up several times for him, smiling at him continuously. Darren observed her watching the nurses check her vitals. They would say hello to her and she would say it back.
Darren was dozing off close to 10 pm that night when he felt fingers run through his hair. He thought maybe Sandee had shown up. Usually she kissed him or touched his shoulders, but sometimes she’d tousle his hair. It wasn’t Sandee though, it was his mother. He sat up and to see her looking at him again, smiling.
“Are you an angel?” She asked just above a whisper. Darren almost lost it there.
“No, no I’m not. I’m,” he paused, not sure if she could comprehend or process the fact she had a c***d, “I’m Darren.”
“Darren,” his mother said, closing her eyes and smiling. He watched her drift back to sleep with a smile on her face. His smile faded when he accepted the fact she didn’t know him. He sighed, thinking that one battle was won, and another one was on the horizon in this war of recovery.
Chapter 7
“Ok have a seat you two and thanks joining me. Just wanted to go over what we’ve found. Firstly, let me introduce you to Wendy here, she’s a family counselor specializing in families who are dealing with life changing injuries or trauma. She’s been doing work with families who have a member that is suffering from amnesia and other forms of brain damage.” Dr. Decker explained to Darren and Sandee in a nearby small conference room.
“We have performed a thorough examination of your mother. We have found a couple issues – in a moment you’ll see why I’ve asked Wendy to join us.” Dr. Decker gestured to the shorter woman in her mid-30s who appeared to be of Latino decent.
Darren nodded at Wendy as the doctor continued. “Firstly, most of her cognitive abilities are intact. She can perform simple tasks, like raising her left arm for us. She can talk, she can read, she can count, she knows what things are: the TV on the wall, the window, people, the bed, pictures of a****ls or other objects, basically everything in her environment and so on – just like you and I. She understands concepts like time, days, nights, months, and years. We did a simple arithmetic test; she passed it with no issues. She is basically undamaged when it comes to problem solving, analytical thinking, logic, and overall brain functions except one particular area: memory.”
Darren froze up, as his heart rate increased. He listened to the doctor confirm his fears. “We were unable to be as thorough as we had hoped with our line of questions, but she didn’t know her name. She also didn’t know why she was here, or recall any events that happened the night she was attacked. We asked if she could name some of her friends, she couldn’t. We asked if she could name some of her family members, she couldn’t. We then asked her if she had any c***dren,” the doctor paused, glancing to Wendy sitting next time, “she said she didn’t know.”
Darren sighed heavily, looking toward his lap. Sandee placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Darren,” Wendy spoke up, “she has a form of retrograde amnesia. Dr. Decker’s test also revealed she can create and retain new memories, but the ones that were already there from before the attack are not being accessed. Now, as is the case with most amnesia patients, it is temporary. The brain will sort of fix itself over time. Sometimes a few weeks, or maybe a few months.”
Darren nodded slowly, looking to his lap, thinking for a moment as he ran his fingers through his short hair. “Ok, so what do we need to do?”
“Well I have been working with patients with amnesia for a few years now and I have experimented with different methods of therapy. One method involves reminding the person over and over again who you are, and acting like things are what they’ve always been while the family members wait for the patient’s memory to return. I’ve seen that can be successful but overall I’ve been told it’s stressful and can be depressing for all people involved.”
“I have instructed a few families over the course of a year to try a different method. Instead of bombarding the patient with information that they don’t remember, simply let them remember it on their own – since that’s what will happen in due time anyway. Imagine if you had amnesia and you were married. You don’t remember your wife, or know who she is. If she told you who she was, and you looked at her like ‘Ok, I don’t know you though, sorry’ that could hurt her and I suspect it’d hurt to see that. It may difficult and create stress for you to know that you have these people in your life, a wife, c***d, friend that you don’t know anymore. They would be hurt and struggle with it and you would be too.”
“Yes, I can see how that would be a difficult experience for everyone.” Darren spoke up, starting to see where Wendy was going with her proposal.
“Imagine if your hypothetical wife said to you that she was someone who’s here to help you and cares for you and simply leaves it at that. You’d probably nod and smile and say ‘Ok.’ It may still be difficult for her, but you wouldn’t be beating yourself up for not remembering this person, right?” Wendy asked.
“Setting the bar so high like, ‘I am your wife and am waiting for you to remember me so we can resume our relationship’ can be stressful. I have seen that, lowering the bar, ‘I am a person who cares for you and is here to help you,’ makes the process of recovery less stressful.”
“Yeah I guess that makes sense,” Darren said. “So I don’t tell her I’m her son?”
“Right, just let her remember you when she’s ready and not focus on pushing her or accidentally creating some kind expectation from her. Just let her memories return at their own pace, which they usually do anyway, and keep that process as stress free as possible.” Wendy explained with a smile.
“I see, so just tell her I’m here to help her and take care of her,” Darren reiterated what he was told, thinking to himself about the hypothetical wife situation. The thought of unintentionally upsetting his mother over her not remembering him made him feel ill. He could never make her cry, not after what happened that fateful night – a night he still feels he could’ve prevented.
“Yes! I will be checking in on you regularly and I’m always available if you have questions or concerns. Will other family members be visiting?” Wendy asked.
“Probably not, no. They are on the east coast and we aren’t really close. Phone calls are about it.”
“I see. I have a sister who lives out that way.” Wendy replied. “Anyway, here is my card; I’ll probably call you a week after her release to check in.”
Darren and Sandee left the meeting feeling better about the situation. They had dinner that night and discussed things in more detail. Sandee offered to let him and Dahlia move in with her instead of staying in a hotel room while their house is being repaired. She volunteered to provide any information to the insurance company if they needed paperwork filled out regarding their lack of hotel accommodations.
“I remember the night I met your mom. There was this drunken guy at the strip club I worked at. He kept trying to get me to give him a private lap dance. Our manager had said not to do this for drunk or unruly people. So I refused. He kept begging for one and wouldn’t let up. Your mom intervened and bought three private lap dances back to back, to give my manager enough time to kick him out.” Sandee told Darren as they walked to his hotel room.
“Sounds like something she’d do - sticking up for people and not taking crap from anyone.”
“Exactly. I danced for her for three different songs, and we chatted the whole time. It was really fun. I gave her the money back too. She insisted I keep it, but I couldn’t. She finally relented. After that every time she came to visit me with friends or later on with Victor, I’d always give her a private dance for free. She’d sit there and we’d chat and laugh while I danced on her. I remember when she lost a lot of weight, she told me she was going to dance for me in one of those private back rooms. I laughed it off, but she actually did it.”
“Really? Wow. How was she?” Darren asked.
“She was amazing.” Sandee lowered her head onto Darren, resting it on his chest, fighting back tears. He put his arms around her, holding her tightly. After a moment Sandee looked up to Darren.
“We just have to be patient and hope she’ll be back to her old self in no time,” Darren told her. He leaned down to bring his lips to Sandee’s, kissing them softly.
“Do you have to get back to the hospital?” She asked, returning his kiss.
“Yeah I do. Maybe when she’s released from the hospital, we can, you know,” Darren trailed off. He wondered if he was in his right mind. A 20 year old guy with a sexy 35 year old woman with a stripper’s body coming on to him. Yet he reasoned he was in his right mind, his mother was at the forefront of everything right now. His guilt, her condition, he would always put her first from now on.
“Yeah,” Sandee whispered. She smiled and stepped away. “See you later, sweetie.”
Chapter 8
Baby steps; each day there were new baby steps. Dahlia would sit up, she would tell nurses how she felt, she would move her feet more, she would do some light stretching, and she would sip on water and nibble on solid foods.
Darren was at her side the whole time. They didn’t speak much, but what his mother didn’t say with words, she said with small side glances and smiles, or resting comfortably with her fingers entwined with his. Several times he caught her staring at him while he was settling in for the night, she loved to watch him.
“Hi Darren,” Dahlia softly greeted the person who was there by her side since she woke up. She was sitting up in bed and had just completed an examination by the nurse and a bedding change.
“Hi. How do you feel?” He asked, setting his coffee on the table next to the bed. He wondered if he should call her Dahlia, but never has before, so he didn’t.
“Great,” She smiled, and giggled slightly. She watched him sit, smiling at him. He grabbed her hand as always, and the two sat in silence, occasionally glancing at each other.
“Well you look great,” Darren said after a few minutes.
Then something strange happened, something he found adorable, his mother blushed. “Thanks,” she said quietly and looked down to her lap.
It was in his mother’s new quiet nature that Darren noticed something the doctor said may occur from a head injury – a personality change. She was bashful and mousey. It didn’t bother him as much as he thought, mainly because he was so happy she was awake and told her that regularly. He told her he was so proud of her and that he’s always going to be there for her.
“Why don’t you sleep at your hotel tonight?” She asked Darren the next night.
“No, I can’t do that,” Darren said softly, as he lightly stroked her forearm. “I gotta stay here and keep an eye on you. You might try to escape!”
For the first time since the morning of the day she was attacked, 65 days ago, before they said their goodbyes and headed to work, and especially the 15 days since she woke, Darren heard his mother laugh. He couldn’t help but laugh too. Her laugh was different, almost like she was trying to restrain it and not be so loud. Again, Darren saw a difference in personality.
Sandee was there sometimes too throughout this new chapter. Dahlia was polite and cordial to her, but Darren was the one she looked to and talked with.
“Is she your girlfriend?” Dahlia asked Darren the next evening after Sandee left for the night.
“Oh no, she’s not, she’s just a friend and is someone that cares a lot about you.” Darren explained.
“Oh.” Was all Dahlia said. Darren chuckled a bit, watching her attempt to hide discreet smile as she looked to the TV.
The next evening, Sandee was painting Dahlia’s nails when he entered the room after dinner in the cafeteria. “You should have seen her Darren; she got up on her own, used the bathroom, and brushed her pretty hair. She’ll be out of here soon.”
“Oh that’s wonderful!” Darren exclaimed going to her side, and patting her forearm. “I’m so proud of you, m – ” he stopped himself before saying ‘mom.’ Sandee flashed Darren a sympathetic smile.
“Ok, your nails look great now. Are you sure like that color? Pink?” Sandee asked.
“Mmhmm.” Dahlia replied. Normally she wore dark red nail polish or even black on occasion. Darren hugged Sandee goodbye for the evening. She commented on how much better and happier he looked.
The next morning Darren walked with her down the hallway. “Here hold my hand,” he said, helping her out of the bed. He noticed her smiling and occasionally glancing down at their hands. The next few days, Dahlia and Darren would walk around the hallway for 10 minutes three times a day, per the nurse’s instruction. She was limping slightly, but each day the limp seemed to be less and less.
“There we go, let’s get you back in the bed for a good night’s rest. We have a meeting with the doctor tomorrow.” Darren said, leading her back to her room. Just as they got to her bed and she was about to sit on the mattress, they stood looking into each other’s eyes for a moment.
“You’re doing so good. You’re doing better each day,” He said, running his fingers through her hair.
Dahlia cleared her throat and looked downward, “I couldn’t do it without you.”
“Would it be ok if I hugged you?” He asked his mother.
She looked back up into his eyes and nodded. He wrapped his arms around her and held her gently. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted when she hugged back. She was warm and soft. Her large braless breasts pressed into his chest through her hospital gown. He wanted to tell her he loved her and kiss her cheek but he was too nervous and didn’t want alarm her. He had been following Wendy’s counsel to perfection. He ended the embrace and looked into her dark brown eyes once more before helping her get into her bed.
They chatted for another two hours, until Dahlia couldn’t stay awake anymore. She asked him many questions, mostly about his and her lives; where they worked, lived, and so on. Darren explained he has been given as much time as he needed to care for her by his employer, who is also family friend. Eventually by 10 pm she could barely keep her eyes open. Darren held her hand and watched her drift off to sleep. It was Christmas Day and one of the best ones he’s ever had.
Chapter 9
“Dahlia try not party too much for New Year’s this year ok?” Dr. Decker joked with Darren and his mother. She was going to be released from the hospital December 30th - in four days. Darren was ecstatic. They would be staying with Sandee until repairs on the house were complete – which happened to be progressing much quicker than Darren assumed. They would be staying with Sandee for five days tops.
They walked, talked, ate together, and laughed the remainder of her stay in the hospital. He loved making her laugh, no longer a loud, boisterous cackle, but a quiet soft one.
They arrived at Sandee’s small home just after lunch on the 30th. She had a small, 2 bedroom rental home. She used the guest room for storage but was able to clean and move some things around so the small twin bed was accessible. Darren, simply happy to be there and out of the hospital with his mom, took the couch in the living room. The first night they all ate spaghetti prepared by Sandee. She wasn’t much of a cook, but it was nice to have something created in one’s home instead of a cafeteria. Darren escorted his mom to her bed in the guest room, giving her a long hug goodnight.
The next day Darren made a call to his employer. He made arrangement to start part time the first week in January. The rest of the day was spent with his mother and Sandee, watching movies and chatting. That evening, New Year’s Eve, he and his mother were alone. Sandee left around 10pm to attend a party.
“You think you’ll be able to watch the ball drop?” Darren asked his mom, sitting next to her on the couch, holding her hand.
She yawned and stretched her free arm. “I’m not sure, getting pretty sleepy,” she replied, resting her head on Darren’s shoulder. He extended his arm around her and pulled her against him gently. He rested his head on the back of the couch and closed his eyes. Dahlia placed her hand on his stomach, and drifted off to sleep. A little while later, he did the same, with a smile on his face. Sometime around 4am he heard Sandee arrive. He looked over to her as she walked into the living room. She was smiling at the two of them.
“She looks so happy and comfortable there.” She whispered. Darren nodded and gently nudged her. Sandee helped her to her feet and led her to the guestroom. Dahlia looked over her shoulder and gave a little wave to Darren just before they turned the corner. He chuckled and then lying on the couch, he went back to sleep.
A few days later, Darren went to the house to check in on the repairs. Everything was done and everything looked amazing. He was shocked that it had been completed so quickly. He had assumed the insurance company would take months on end to fix and clean up the fire damage. His room was pretty empty, save for his chest of drawers, and a new generic double sized bed. The walls were repainted white and there was one lamp in the corner. It looked like a guest room more than his room, but he would be happy to sleep there nonetheless.
While Darren was at the house, Sandee took his mother shopping. Afterward, they returned home and got ready for an evening out. Sandee had to pull Dahlia’s arm to get her to agree, but an approving look from Darren made her consent.
“Well Darren, what do you think?” Sandee asked, while gently pushing Dahlia into the living room. Darren’s eyes widen as he looked at his mother.
“Wow,” He said, standing up from the couch. She looked amazing. Her flowing black hair was so thick and shiny. Her makeup looked as though it was done by a professional. She was wearing new clothes. Black dress pants and a black top. It was strapless and had a zipper going down the middle. It reminded him of a corset almost. His mother stood there before him, blushing.
“Miss Dahlia is very top heavy, so I figured something sexy to highlight her assets would be nice. Don’t you think?” Sandee said. Dahlia nodded and smiled, looking to