Meek Mum_(0)

When dad died my mother sort of went to pieces for the next six months, I ended up doing everything around the house on top of my school work and had it not been for the insurance money I would have had to find a way to earn money. As it was we were comfortably off, though by no means wealthy, even so I had virtually no time to call my own for the entire period. Gradually the strain began to tell on me and it began to show in my schoolwork, my grades started to fall and it looked as though I would fail my ‘A’ levels. Much as I loved my mother something had to be done about the whole situation and one fateful Saturday I took matters in hand and confronted mum.

Sitting in the living room facing my mother I could not believe how much she had let herself go, once a lively, attractive, vivacious woman, she was now dowdy and dull, her hair was a mess and her face was pale. Quietly and with great patience I talked to my mother, listlessly she listened to what I said yet showed no sign that she understood. Slowly I became annoyed and began talking more and more firmly until at last I lost my temper.

“Damn it mum,” I exploded “go and make yourself presentable, do something with your hair, put on some nice clothes. Do something other than mope.”

“Yes Paul.” she said quietly and got out of her chair.

To say I was surprised at her compliance would be an understatement, as she left the room I shook my head and wondered just what it was that had finally got through to her. Something dad had jokingly said came back to me, he’d had a few drinks and had confided drunkenly that ‘your mother needs a firm hand son’, it had meant nothing to me at the time, but now her reaction to my angry order gave meaning to his words. Perhaps if I was firm with my mother instead of kindly she would respond more favourably, I decided to try it and see what happened. Ten minutes later mum returned to the living room, she looked like a different woman, her hair was neat and tidy, her face was carefully made up and her clothes were bright and even a little sexy, all in all a vast improvement.