She peeked over her shoulder and jokingly asked, “Are you gonna stare at me all day or are you gonna make a fire?”
Did she really just say that? Fuck, how long had she known I was watching? I could feel myself blushing, she was giggling to herself back in the kitchen.
Sinking back into the seat, I lifted myself off the sofa and got down on my knees in front of the fireplace. I grabbed a few logs from the carrier and set about building the fire while she finished the drinks.
“I’m gonna have some tequila in my cocoa, you want some?” she asked from behind me.
Really? I was only nineteen and both she and Dad had always been pretty hard on me when it came to drinking.
I tried to sound confident when I replied, but it came out more like a desperate cry when my voice cracked, “Yeah, sure!”
I could hear her giggling again in the kitchen.
I finished building the fire and lifted myself back onto the middle of the sofa to enjoy the heat of the flames.
“Scooch over, Mister,” she said, holding both drinks and smiling down at me.
I slid over to my left so I could rest my drink on the end table. She sat down next to me and handed the drink over.
“Thanks!” I said, lifting the drink to my eager mouth.
The next moment had my mom in tears from laughing so hard. I took a nice gulp of the drink, and the amount of alcohol in it had singed the back of my throat causing me to cough violently.
“Can my little man not handle his alcohol?” she laughed.
I put my hand up to signal that I was alright, while I tried to clear my throat.
“I’m fine, I swear. I just… really wasn’t expecting that.”
I felt her arm across my shoulders and she pulled me in, “Isn’t the fire beautiful, Dan?”
I couldn’t help but agree. It looked like it was dancing for us, like we were the only two in the audience for its performance. We both steadily sipped our drinks while watching the majestic performer.
“Would you put on some music, Sweetie?” she requested, turning her head to look at me, smiling softly.
I slipped through her arm as I stood up and walked toward the TV’s sound system. I pulled my phone out of its pocket and plugged it into the stereo’s dock.
Going through my playlists I saw one labeled Funk and selected it. ‘Fire on The Bayou’ started playing, one of Mom’s favorites. Guitar riffs and drum beats filled the room. I looked back at her and she seemed to be having a great time, she was rocking her head back and forth to the funky beats that played, a large grin was growing on her face.
“Come back and finish your drink,” she said, patting the seat next to her.
I strode over to the sofa and fell back into my seat. The still steaming, hot cocoa, was waiting for me when I got back. When I looked back at Mom, she looked like she was in her own world. Her eyes were closed and she was slowly rocking her head around to the music. I couldn’t believe how gorgeous she looked at this moment, she was absolutely beaming.
In my tipsy daze, I figured now would be a good time to finish my drink. Lifting the drink to my lips and tipping back, I started to chug it. The alcohol I had already swallowed had numbed the back of my throat, but only for a moment. When I finished my little champion’s chug I started coughing and gagging – real smooth.