Bobby drove with his mom to the church and introduced her to Mandy’s parents before they went inside to claim five seats together.
“Cora, I can’t tell you how happy we are that these two kids managed to find each other again! And Bobby is such a nice young man! Isn’t he, Brad?”
“You’ve done a great job raising a polite, respectful boy,” he responded, having some idea of the challenges facing single parents.
“Thank you! That means a lot to me, and I couldn’t be happier, too. They both seem so …“ Cora almost said ‘in love,’ but didn’t know how much they knew about it, “… so taken with each other, and Mandy is such a sweetheart!”
“Wow!” Amanda exclaimed as they entered the sanctuary, “this is usually such a small congregation. It’s always crowded at Christmas, but this seems like a much larger crowd than last year!”
“I haven’t been to church in quite a few years,” Cora confessed.
“We don’t attend regularly either,” Amanda said, not letting on that Bobby had told them. “There are so many cliques, and they aren’t as welcoming as you would think, so we practice and pray in our own way.”
Brad led the way into the aisle, followed by Amanda and Cora, with Bobby bringing up the rear behind Mandy, leaving the three women sitting between the men, an old-fashioned display of chivalry; the men protecting their women.
“I’m so glad you came, Cora!” Mandy said.
“Thank you all for inviting me!” Cora replied loud enough for all to hear. “It’s high time I got out with people again. Oh, did I tell you, Mandy? Macy’s has told me they want to keep me on full-time!”
“That’s great! Still in housewares?”
“Yes. That’s what I know best. I don’t know much about fashion or make-up.”
“I think you dress very fashionably!” Mandy replied, and the congenial conversation continued similarly for the rest of the evening.
Bobby was experiencing a church service for the first time in his memory, surprised at the many rituals he observed. The priest’s entry to the congregation among a group of young altar servers. He enjoyed the priest’s sermon on taking the spirit of joy and generosity during Christmas into one’s everyday life. He caught on to the congregation’s response, ‘And also with you,’ when the priest said ‘Peace be with you,’ though he heard some reply, ‘And with your spirit,’ and all shared with those seated around you.
Bobby was familiar with prayers only in the context of people offering them to others in times of strife or sickness. Mandy’s take on it was just a few moments, telling God whatever you felt the need to communicate, whether asking for forgiveness, help for yourself or another, or just offering thanks for whatever good fortune may have come your way. When it was time to pray, Bobby had two fairly specific things he wanted to ask God’s help with.
When it came to singing the many Christmas songs, he’d heard the melodies often enough to recognize them, but had little idea what the words were. Mandy pointed to the overhead monitor where the lyrics scrolled. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who didn’t know the words. The sound of so many singing together was ethereal. He heard his mom’s voice singing beautifully and glanced at her to see the joyful face she wore a lot more lately.
The service over, the group filed out of the church, stopping a couple of times to say hello to friends, with Cora and Bobby introduced politely. The short trip to the Pie Factory was disappointing as they were closed earlier than usual on the holiday, but Amanda, ever prepared, invited them all to the house where she had pies she’d purchased, just in case.
At the house, Cora presented Amanda with two bottles of wine. “A bottle of red. A bottle of white. It all depends upon your appetite,” Cora sang as she presented them to Amanda. “I didn’t know which you like,” she explained further.
“Thank you! You have a wonderful singing voice, Cora!” Amanda responded, having heard her at the church as well.
“I used to sing to Bobby all the time, but not as much since …” She left the sentence unfinished, but Amanda had a good idea how it would have ended.
The women chattered away as they prepared the dessert, made coffee and tea, and set the table. Brad disappeared somewhere, leaving Mandy and Bobby happily alone. Out of sight, they fell instinctively into each other’s arms, hugging and kissing lovingly.
“Mmm, I love the way you hold me!” Mandy sighed with her head on his shoulder. “I’m so glad you and your mom came tonight!”
“Thank you for inviting us. I have a feeling my mom really needed it as much as she wanted it.”
Everyone was called to the table where the pies sat on cake stands beside a festive centerpiece. They were sitting at the table, with hands in their laps, waiting for Brad to arrive, when Mandy suddenly cried, “Ooo!” followed by sheepish smiles, hands moving under the table, and a bitten lip. The two mothers looked at each other, smiling knowingly, just as Brad arrived.
“I haven’t done this in many years, but I’d like to say Grace, if that’s okay?” Cora asked.
“Please do!” Amanda replied.
“Bless us, O Lord, for these thy gifts which we are about to receive and the gift of new friends. May we all be blessed with happier futures,” Cora said solemnly, putting her own twist on a familiar prayer.
“That was lovely, Cora. Thank you!” Amanda said sincerely, and both women picked up utensils. “We have apple and cherry! Who wants which?” she asked, slicing into the apple pie while Cora did the same with the cherry.
When the dessert was complete, the parents moved to the living room, talking first about the church service, but quickly moved on to their shared happiness over Bobby and Mandy. Cora surprised the couple with a story of young love and marriage, an abridged version of what she’d told Bobby. Surprised by her happy recollections of something they thought would be a painful memory, they shared their own story, its content, if not the ending, quite similar to Cora’s.
“Oh, Bobby! Tonight was wonderful, wasn’t it?” Mandy said, comfortably seated in his lap outside on the patio.
“It really was! Like … like one family,” Bobby replied, seeing happy surprise on Mandy’s face at his observation.
“Were you praying at church?” she asked, recalling his closed eyes and thoughtful expression at the time, and especially the way he squeezed her hand afterward. Bobby nodded, wondering if he should reveal what he’d said to God. “Can you tell me what you prayed for?” she asked with a kiss on his cheek.
“Two things,” he started, hoping he wasn’t making a mistake telling her. “First, I asked that my mom’s recent positive outlook on life continue, making her happier still.”
“I’m so glad she came! Was it hard to convince her?”
“I thought she’d say no immediately when I asked, but she got this kind of faraway look for a few seconds, and then said something about it being time for Jesus again. When I ask her what’s changed, she always says it’s watching you and me that’s made her this way, but I think there’s something else as well.”
“Her old friend?”
“Could be.”
“What was the other thing you prayed for?” Mandy asked, expecting it to be something for her, such was his selfless generosity.
“I prayed that …” he started, but paused, still second-guessing whether he should say it. “I prayed that we would be together, always,” he said, getting choked up on the words, and he wasn’t the only one.
“Oh, Bobby! Did you really?” she asked, despite knowing he couldn’t possibly lie about something like that. “I love you so much!” she said as a tear ran down both their faces. Kisses, both tender and passionate, were shared as they got the tears under control. “I’ve thought about that too, you know! I wish I’d thought to add it to my prayers.”
“I don’t know what it means right now, Angel, but I can’t possibly imagine my life without you in it!”
“For now, it means enough that we both feel the same way,” she replied, turning in his lap to face him, and with her arms around his neck, they stared into each other’s eyes, with short and long kisses punctuating silent statements, unaware they had an audience.
Cora felt it was time to go, and Amanda stood with her, leading her to the glass patio door to collect Bobby. Amanda took Cora’s hand in hers when they turned to share a joyful look while watching two young lovers so enjoying each other’s company. Their conversation having brought similar memories to the fore, Mandy and Bobby made them feel it in a way words could not.
On the way home, Cora talked excitedly about what wonderful people Mandy’s parents were, hoping she’d get to know them better. Likewise, Amanda and Brad looked forward to more time with Cora. All three parents reflected individually on young love and their personal experiences, and although each followed a decidedly different path, all wished they were seeing another such relationship blooming before them.
On Christmas morning, Cora surprised Bobby with more gifts than usual, and the normally staid holiday had a larger dose of joy than in the past. He’d almost forgotten about her mysterious old friend, or at least it was pushed to the back of his mind by the celebratory mood that had started with the festive church service.
Bobby had been invited to Christmas dinner at the Bonhams, but he made sure his mom would be okay by herself for the afternoon before leaving. She assured him she was fine but asked that he and Mandy come back in the early evening, as she had a gift for Mandy. She also had a surprise for them both that they could share that night, but kept that a secret as well.
His third visit with Mandy’s family in less than a week found Bobby more comfortable in their company than he could have imagined. Dinner included animated discussion, often veering into memorable, and mostly cute, stories of Mandy’s childhood. With anyone else, Mandy might have been embarrassed by some of the funnier anecdotes, but she liked that Bobby got to hear them, feeling the quirky side of her character would endear her to him even more. Several times, she looked lovingly at him, took his hand, or even kissed him for his obvious enjoyment of her story.
Bobby tried to share similar stories about himself, but they lacked the lens a parent, notably two parents, looked through when recalling such stories. Polite smiles and laughter were offered when many of them fell flat, tending to reveal, in part, the sadder side of his childhood compared to the idyllic upbringing Mandy experienced.
Gift-giving after dinner had a similar flavor, as Bobby had never had to buy gifts for anyone but his mom. While his gifts for Mandy were appropriate and appreciated, those for her parents were more generic. He’d had to shop rather last-minute, and while the candy for Amanda and imported beer for Brad showed little thoughtfulness, they were genuinely grateful that he’d tried at all.
Amanda had anticipated needing gifts for Bobby, and his business seemed the right target for them. Appreciative of Bobby stepping in to mow his lawn, Brad had a last-minute idea as well, running to the mall that same afternoon to get a cap embroidered with ‘Better By Bobby.’ Bobby loved it, saying he’d consider it the official name of his growing business.
All in all, the best Christmas Bobby had ever had, largely because he’d shared it with his angel, Mandy. But he didn’t discount the upbeat atmosphere of his mom in better spirits than ever, Mandy’s welcoming parents, and even the thought-provoking church service.
They had to leave for Bobby’s earlier than planned because of the time Cora expected them, but they were sent off with exuberant wishes of Merry Christmas, both of them thinking it couldn’t be any merrier than it had already been.
“What a wonderful holiday, wasn’t it, Bobby! My best Christmas ever because of you!”
“For me too, Angel! I love you more than I ever thought possible!”
“This is so special, what we have!” she said, leaning way over the console of Bobby’s truck to rest her head against his shoulder. “Oh! And I have another gift for you! One I couldn’t give you in front of my parents! Why are you laughing?” she asked with a hurt look.
“Because I have one like that for you too!”
A few minutes later, they walked in the front door, greeted by his mom with big hugs for both of them. She held onto Mandy longer, thanking her for such an enjoyable evening on Christmas Eve, even going so far as to say she may resume attending church.
She offered the two a glass of wine and a toast to their futures before they settled into the living room, near the small Christmas tree she put up every year. Cora reached under the tree for a wrapped gift and handed it to Mandy.
“I hope you like this?” she questioned, watching Mandy slowly peel the paper away and open the box.
“Oh my, Cora! It’s beautiful!” she said, pulling the pale lavender silk blouse out of the box and holding it up against her body.
“I saw you in a T-shirt in that color, and it looked so nice on you! Do you really like it?”
“I love it!” she answered, standing and holding it up for Bobby to see.
“It’s beautiful, Angel! I can’t wait to see you wearing it!” he replied.
“Thank you, Cora!” she said and bent to hug her. “I have something for you, too!” Reaching into a shopping bag she’d brought, she extracted a small gift with a bow as big as the box and handed it to Cora, who made quick work of the wrapping, opened the box, and pulled out an elegant glass bottle of perfume.
“Oh! I’ve seen the ads on TV for this!” she exclaimed, opening the bottle and holding it to her nose to smell. “Mmm, I like it!”
“Do you? I haven’t noticed you wearing perfume very often?” Mandy said, hoping it was something she’d actually use, not just display it on a shelf the way her mother did.
“No, I haven’t, but I have been again recently!” Cora replied with a knowing smile. “In fact, I think I’ll wear it tonight! Which brings me to the gift I have for you both!” she said with raised eyebrows. “I’m going out in a little while, and I’ll probably be very late returning!” she added, knowing what the two lovebirds would get up to during her extended absence.
“Your old friend, Mom?” Bobby asked, with a sarcastic, suspicious tone.
“Yes, Bobby,” she replied guardedly.
“I was going to ask who he or she was, but since you’re wearing perfume, I assume it’s a he? Do I know this old friend?”
“Bobby, we’re just getting to know each other again. I’ll tell you all about him if and when the time is right,” she offered, hoping that would end the conversation, and it did, though not without Bobby grumbling something she couldn’t make out. “Now, I need to get dressed. Thank you again, Mandy! I love the perfume!”
“Thank you, too, Cora! I’ll make sure you see me wearing your blouse the first time!” Mandy said, accepting a kiss on the cheek from Cora before she left the room. “Bobby? Are you okay?” she asked, clearly seeing that he was not.
“Why is she being so secretive about it?” he protested.
“She just told you. She’ll tell you when the time is right.” She could see that it didn’t satisfy him. “C’mon, let’s go watch TV!” she said, taking his hand and pulling him reluctantly behind her, hoping his mood wouldn’t spoil the chance they now had to be together.
She sat him on the sofa and took her usual place in his lap with her arms around his neck. She tried to change his mood with gentle caresses of his cheeks, fingers through his hair, and light kisses all over his face, some even on his lips, but he continued to sulk.
“Whattya, think?” Cora said, presenting herself to them a short while later.
“Oh, you look lovely, Cora! See! You know about fashion!” Mandy complimented her in an overly upbeat tone, hoping to counter Bobby’s likely reaction.
“Bobby? How do you think your mother looks?” Cora asked, measuring his mood.
“You look really pretty, Mom. Have a good time,” he responded in a genuine but subdued manner, looking as though tears might follow.
Mandy and Cora shared a look they both understood, with Mandy accepting the responsibility for trying to make Bobby understand. Cora left, promising her now-usual text on her way home.
“You don’t understand, Mandy,” he started in a more conciliatory tone. “You haven’t lived with her, with her moods, and rants about men who can’t be trusted!”
“But whoever this is, he seems to be making her happy! Doesn’t that count for something?”
“Sure, he’s making her happy now, but what about next month? Or next year? I don’t want to see her disappointed again! Once I was old enough to understand how she felt, it was horrible! I felt so bad for her!”
“But she’s done raising you, so her focus shifting to her life is understandable. Do you want her to live the rest of her life without someone to love?”
“No, but …”
“There are no guarantees with relationships, Bobby! No matter who it is! At least this is someone she knows, not a total stranger. Look at us! We both lived through a year of sadness at losing each other! But then we found each other, and we couldn’t be happier!”
“Yeah, but …”
“You can’t find someone without taking the risk that they might disappoint or even hurt you. You took a big chance telling me about your little harem, but that worked out, didn’t it?”
“Hey!” he protested her characterization with a smile.
Mandy stood up, pushed the coffee table back out of the way, and started opening her blouse.
“You had to try all those sexy women,” she said as her blouse dropped from her shoulders, “for you to realize that I was the only one you really wanted!” Her skirt fell to the floor, leaving her in a matched set of lace-trimmed satin bra and panties, of purest white befitting her angelic image in Bobby’s eyes.
“C’mere, you!” he said, moving to the edge of the sofa and reaching for her waist to pull her close.
His hands moved around back to grasp the cheeks of her perfect bottom, while she pulled his face to her tummy with fingers in his hair. He kissed his way up her body to place his mouth on her tits, nibbling them with his lips only, while she reached back and opened the bra’s clasp. As the bra, too, fell to the floor, she pulled his face into each breast, sighing softly as he kissed, licked, and lightly sucked each in turn.
“Hoh! Ohh, yeah!” she moaned, feeling a single finger between her legs, lightly pressing into her moist slit. Sawing between her tender lips had her hips moving forward and back until she wanted more. Stepping back a step, she hooked her fingers in the waist of her panties and pushed them down to her ankles, where she kicked them off to join the rest of her clothing on the floor. With a sexy smile, she stepped up onto the sofa and pushed her pussy into his face.
“Eat me up, Bobby!” she said as she pushed him back against the sofa, stood over him, and pulled his face into her warm, wet sweetness.
The sulky mood obliterated by her come-on, his tongue addressed her proffered pussy with vigor, getting an unusually loud aural response telling him she couldn’t get enough. He would make sure she got more than enough and soon had her crying out with the first orgasm. He gave her just a few seconds to enjoy it before starting on another.
“Oh God, Bobby! You’ve outdone yourself! I’ve never…” she said, after a fourth climax landed right on top of the one prior, leaving no need to complete that thought.
Falling to her knees, she sat in his lap, circled his neck with her arms, and showered his face with appreciative kisses. She started opening his shirt, only now noticing he was still fully dressed, but stopped after the first two.
“Oh! My gift!” she said suddenly and jumped up and hustled out of the room.
“Grab the other one under the tree!” he shouted, as her beautiful, bouncing bottom disappeared out the door.
“I want you to open mine second, okay?” she asked, plopping down on the sofa next to him, surprising him with the casual way she sat naked with her legs spread wide. “What’s VS?” she asked, noting the repeating initials on the wrapping paper. “Oh! Victoria’s Secret!” she said when she saw the full name on the box. “Bobby, what did you …? Oh! They’re beautiful, and very sexy!” She held up the pair of emerald green satin cheeky panties, with a second wide band made of lace around the thigh. Standing, she pulled them on but not quite all the way up. “You made me so wet down there I don’t want to stain them – yet. You like?”
“Mmm, makes me hungry again!” he replied with a lascivious smile.
“Hungry for me!?” She giggled when he licked his lips. “Okay, open mine! The box first!”
“Oh! These must be for you, not me!?” he joked, holding up a pair of black bikini briefs that he could see would be very tight without even trying them on.
“I hope you fit in them,” she phrased oddly, but finished with a chuckle, “all of you! Go put them on!”
“Go?”
“Yes! Put them on in your room and come back and model them for me!”
He left the room as requested and changed into them, finding they were very tight and the erection he’d maintained since he first licked her pussy, poked out the top. He pushed it uncomfortably to the side. A funny idea struck him, and he put his clothes back on over the briefs.
“They fit good!” he said as he stood in the doorway with a big smile.
“Bobby! You know what I meant!” She joined him in laughter, and he went back to his room to take his clothes off again.
This time, he slunk into the doorway, striking a manly pose and flexing his muscular chest and arms, saying, “Hello, Angel,” in a low, sexy voice. He meant it as another joke, but she didn’t take it that way.
“Oh my God, Bobby!” she cried and jumped up from the sofa to run one hand over the ripped muscles on his chest and the other over the bulge in the tight briefs. “You look so hot! I’m getting wet again!”
“Mmm, I can take care of that!”
“Oh, no! This one’s for you!”
She rubbed his manhood with increasing pressure, breathing heavily as she kissed and licked his nipples. Kneeling, she pulled the waistband away from his body, his cock springing up above the elastic. She let it snap back in place with a couple of inches of cock still exposed. With her hands on his hips, she kissed the tip softly several times with a little more tongue each time.
Twisting his body, she encouraged him to turn around so she could see the back and gasped again, commenting on his cute butt. He almost told her that’s what all the ladies had said to him, but caught himself in time. She kissed each cheek, smacked them both firmly, and had him turn around again.
“I really like them on you, but I think now they have to come down,” she said as she lowered them slowly, and as his cock came down like the boom of a crane, it fell conveniently onto her extended tongue.
Bobby steadied himself in the doorway as her hands and mouth had him gasping his pleasure with heavier breaths. He watched her suck it in and spit it out, her lips in constant contact with his soon-to-be aching shaft about to explode. Her thumb and forefinger gripped him tighter and longer than usual, her reward a cannon shot to the back of her throat that she swallowed hungrily.
“Oh fuck, Mandy! That was incredible! Come here! I need to hold you!” he said, pulling her up into his arms, holding her tight against his body.
She waited till his grip loosened a little before offering her trademark line. “I love the way you hold me!” she said, her head tilted back, soliciting a kiss. “C’mon, you have one more gift to open!”
“If it’s anything like the last one, I may not survive it!” he enthused, loving her giggle as she led him back to the sofa and handed him the envelope that had been affixed to the top of his first gift.
She sat beside him, watching his face as he opened it and read the card inside. He had a perplexed look as though he didn’t understand. He looked up at her with a quizzical expression, then turned back to the card to reread it.
GIFT CERTIFICATE
This card entitles the bearer, Bobby Robinson, to give Mandy Bonham a surprise spanking at a time and place of his choosing. Mandy may not decline and must accept whatever manner in which he decides to administer said spanking without complaint, though she is permitted to react emotionally in whatever way the spanking evokes.
Signed, your loving Angel, Mandy
“What’s this about, Mandy? I will not hurt you!” he said emphatically.
“It says in whatever manner he decides,” she countered, but it didn’t change his concerned look. “There’s nothing sinister about it. Do you remember what you did behind that greenhouse the other day? Well, it was a total surprise to me, and I really liked it! It was fun! So this was just a funny way of telling you I want you to do it again!”
“I oughta spank you right now!” he joked, “I thought you were going dark on me like Mia or Riley!”
“Well, you can spank me if you want to, but it won’t count as my surprise spanking!”
“Come lay in my lap,” he said, patting his thigh, letting her believe she was going to get the spanking she’d just offered. “No, face up,” he corrected, noting her relieved smile.
Lying back into his arm, she raised hers as his other arm wrapped around, and he leaned in to kiss her passionately. His lips moved to her neck, where he nuzzled and nibbled before lifting her higher to give her inviting breasts the same attention. When his hand joined his lips, kneading the luxuriant soft flesh, she assumed the next stop would be between her legs, but he surprised her by sliding it under her legs to lift her off his lap and stand up with her cradled in his arms.
“I think we need to take this someplace more comfortable,” he said to her gentle smile and nod.
They made love in his bed in the tender, caring way they both preferred when time wasn’t a factor. Within seconds of her back hitting the bed, his face was between her legs, ensuring she was ready for his cock whose hardness she’d felt poking her back while still on the sofa.
An hour of giving passed quickly, and they actually fell asleep in each other’s arms. He woke first, but let her nap continue. While it wasn’t morning when she woke, he still reveled in the beautifully serene smile that graced her face when she remembered where she was, still lying naked in his arms.
“I love you,” she said in almost a whisper.
“I love you, too,” he replied with a kiss.
A few minutes later, his mom’s text arrived.
“I think I should leave before she gets here,” she remarked, already seeing the tension returning to his face at the prospect of facing her. “Bobby, please try to be nice? Remember what we talked about,” she cautioned as they dressed.
He watched as she drove away, his thoughts for once not on missing her already, but on his mom’s return. He was walking back into the house when the garage door opened, and seconds later, her car pulled in. He took a deep breath once inside, waiting anxiously by the kitchen door.
“Hi, Mom,” he greeted with a friendly, though still somewhat guarded, demeanor.
“Hello, Bobby,” she replied with some of the same tension in her voice as well. “Bobby, I want …”
“Did you have a nice time?” he asked at the same time, cutting her off.
“Yes, I did,” she said, noting his attempt at cordiality. Only now, when he was almost back to the kind, loving son she knew, did she realize how unusual his earlier behavior was, her understanding of his position clarifying in the process.
“Mom, I just don’t want you to be hurt again! I remember what you were like when he left, and as I grew older, I understood more and more about what you must have felt, especially when I lost Mandy, and eventually had to accept that she was gone for good.”
“She’s a wonderful and wise girl, and I couldn’t be happier for the both of you that you found each other again.”
“It’s really made me happy to see you getting out and enjoying things again, and you keep saying it’s seeing Mandy and me together that has caused that, but I know it’s probably this old friend of yours that’s responsible,” Bobby said, finally accepting she had someone besides him in her life, and went to hug his mother.
“No, Bobby, you’re wrong,” she said with her arms around the boy who was finally a man in her eyes. “Seeing the extraordinary joy you bring to each other, seemingly constantly, reminded me of what that was like, and I decided I should get back to living my life, not just enduring it. I wouldn’t have even answered the call from your father if you and Mandy hadn’t …”
“My father?!?”
–==<<<O>>>===–
A couple of astute readers predicted who Cora’s old friend was, but I hope this reveal was still a bit of a surprise!? I hope you all like it enough to shower it with Likes, Favorites, and comments and … THANKS FOR READING!!
