Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2008 20:35:15 +0200 (CEST) From: Teresa Yam Subject: LOVE IN A STRANGE CLIMATE A young lady is surprised at her feelings towards her mother... LOVE IN A STRANGE CLIMATE I'm wearing pyjamas, sitting on the edge of Mummy's bed. She has been reading, but now she is sitting up drinking the milk I've brought her. We are chatting, laughing, fondly reminiscing about years gone by - happier times. My mother is a beautiful lady, still turning heads wherever she goes. She is voluptuous, sexy and it's easy to see why men still desire her. I love her hands, which still look young and belie her 45 years. Her nails are well manicured, long and elegant. She looks at me over her reading glasses and squeezes my hand. "I've missed you," she says. "You too." I study her features for a moment. "You've still got lovely eyes, Mummy." She takes the glasses off and flutters her eyelids. She looks flattered. I lean forward and put my arms around her neck. "I love you, Mummy." I breathe the words into her ear. She smells of sandalwood soap and a hint of her favourite perfume. I hug her and she hugs me back. I can feel the softness of her breast against me. My heart quickens. "Oh, you big baby," she says, playfully. "Give me a big kiss." But it is she who kisses me on the cheek and then on the lips. Her eyes are staring right into mine and for a moment I sense a kind of connection between us. Suddenly I'm awkward about being too close to her. Her mouth is open and I can feel her warm breath on my neck, see the rise and fall of her breast. I am frightened because I can feel some strange interaction at play. Something that had perhaps always been there, but always denied. She pulls my head to her and kisses my lips again only this time it's different. We seem to linger too long in the embrace and I have to pull away. I feel scared of something. "It's late, Mummy. I'd better go to bed." "Oh, what's the matter, darling?" "It's nothing," I pull away from her arms and get off the bed. "It's been a long day. I'm a bit tired. Goodnight, Mummy, I'll see you in the morning." I go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, rinse my face and hear my mother click off her light. I get into bed feeling strangely guilty. I must have seemed very abrupt, leaving her suddenly like that. Stupid of me. What crazy thoughts were going through my mind? I switch off the light and lie there staring at the ceiling thinking about all sorts of things. Outside, lightning flashes and lights up the room. I count nine seconds before a low rumble of thunder shakes the night. Nearly two miles away, I say to myself, remembering when my father used to sit with me on the side of the bed until the storm went away. It was he who taught me the counting trick. I pull the covers up around my neck. I lie there for a while thinking of my mother, her arms around me, recalling that last kiss. I think of her lying alone in the next room. I wonder if she's thinking about me. Outside, the storm draws nearer. Lightning lights the room once more, making strange shadows dance on the walls. In my mind, it is my mother's hand that moves between my legs and leads me to the precipice.