4

They shortly left their cabin and walked to one of the restaurants. All through the lengthy meal they chatted and continued their process of reconnecting with each other. When they finally finished dinner they walked to one of the bars and found a table for two off to one side. In their welcome packet there had been coupons for a bunch of free drinks good at any of the bars on the first night of the cruise. Clearly the cruise organizers thought that a few drinks would help loosen up the passengers if any still had reservations about being on this trip.

Judging from the general rowdiness of the crowd Mike realized that the organizers either had nothing to worry about or their plan with the free drinks had worked perfectly. The bar was crowded with happy, partying people and the dance floor was constantly packed as the music pumped through the speakers.

As Wendy and Mike chatted over their second round of drinks a man approached the table and asked Wendy if she would like to dance. Wendy politely declined the invitation and, after the man had left the table, she said to Mike that she was surprised at how bold the guy was knowing this was a couple's cruise. "After all," she concluded, "doesn't he have a wife with him on the trip?"

Mike quickly scanned the room and found the man standing at a table talking to another woman. The man was leaning down and talking in her ear and motioned his head over to where Wendy and Mike were sitting. When he finished talking the woman shrugged and then they kissed before taking each other's hands and leaving the bar together.

Mike pointed this out to Wendy and reminded her about the seminars they had seen listed for swinging. "Maybe his wife knew or even encouraged him," Mike said. He was surprised to be having this type of discussion with his mom, but he had starting feeling very comfortable with her throughout the day as they really got to talk and get to know the people they each had become. Besides, the few drinks he had already consumed didn't hurt either.

Wendy blushed at Mike's suggestion and quickly changed the subject. They talked and drank several more rounds. During the course of the night two other men asked Wendy to dance but she politely refused both offers. Mike knew that his mom loved to dance and he also knew that his dad had never been a big dancer. Eventually Mike asked if she wanted to dance with him. "Thanks for the offer," she said, "and I will probably take you up on that some other night. Tonight, however, I would just like to sit and relax if that is OK with you."

They talked more and ordered another round of drinks. There was a question that Mike had been wondering about but he didn't know exactly how to raise the subject or if it was being too nosey. Finally, he decided that he had to know. "Wendy," he started as he leaned over the table toward her and spoke softly enough so that nobody else would be able to hear, "I've seen how some of the other men have been looking at you today and you've already had several guys want to dance with you. I'm sure that today isn't an isolated thing what with your new look." He paused before continuing, "Have you been dating at all since..." His voice trailed off because he didn't want to say the words "since dad left you" out loud thinking that might ruin the night for her.

Wendy smiled and laughed a little at this question. Her slurred speech gave away how drunk she had become even though her actions still looked quite normal. "No," she replied. "I just haven't felt that the time was right for that sort of thing yet. I don't know, after what happened maybe I just can't stand the idea of getting into a situation where someone might hurt me again."

There was a brief pause in the conversation before Wendy continued speaking and addressed the question that had run through Mike's mind. "It has been pretty lonely sometimes and there has been more than one occasion where I really wished I had a man around." Mike was a little surprised to hear his mom talking about this so openly. There was definitely something in her tone that led Mike to think that at least part of her comments involved missing men sexually. He never remembered her being so candid about these types of things before, but then he reminded himself that he was still in high school when he last had been at home for a long period of time.

"Surely you have had opportunities," Mike said, "heck, even tonight you have had three different guys ask you to dance."

Wendy answered, "Yes, there have been a couple of guys. One from work and one I met at the gym, and I suspect that they both have those sort of intentions." She then paused and giggled some as she obviously thought of something amusing.

Mike waited for her to share the thought with him and when she initially didn't he said, "Come on now, no keeping secrets. What's so funny?"

Wendy blushed and said, "I can't believe I am admitting this, but there has even been a woman who asked me out a few weeks ago."

"Really?" Mike said.

"I met her at the gym and we have worked out together a few times," Wendy continued. "One day after working out we stopped to get a smoothie and she asked me out."

"So," Mike was now curious and wanted to know more, "what did you say?"

Wendy explained that she had said that she wasn't necessarily interested in that sort of relationship and that the other woman had been very accepting. They still worked out together periodically and it hadn't seemed to change their friendship.

A question popped into Mike's head and through a combination of alcohol and an oversexed mind it popped out of his mouth before he could censure himself. "Have you ever thought about being with another woman?"

As soon as the question escaped his lips he wished he could take it back. Had he really just asked his mom if she wanted to fuck another woman? Unfortunately, yes. He half expected her to get mad at him for being so nosey and inappropriate. Perhaps her own drunken state dulled what would have been her normal reaction, but she still jumped a little at his question and looked him straight in the eyes looking a little taken aback at the question.

"That seems a little personal," she started. Mike opened his mouth and was about to start apologizing over and over, but before he could say anything his mom continued. "But, yes, I have thought about it. In fact, back in my wilder days right before I met your father I did a little experimenting."

That statement hung in the air for a few seconds as it registered with Mike what she had just said. He was unsure how to react. His normal reaction was to be excited at the idea of her "experimenting" with other women just as he would if a date had admitted it to him. However, as soon as the initial wave of excitement passed through him he quickly realized that this was his mother and that he wasn't supposed to be getting excited by her sexually in any way, shape, or form. He sat with his mind spinning with conflicting thoughts and feelings unsure of what to say.

Fortunately, Wendy changed the subject and they continued talking for a while longer. Finally, the effects of the drinks and Mike's long travels just to get to the cruise hit him pretty hard and he said he was going to go back to the cabin and go to sleep. Wendy agreed that she was ready for bed and they slowly walked back to their cabin.

Mike went into the bathroom and changed into a loose set of hospital scrubs to sleep in. As Wendy took her turn in the bathroom Mike grabbed a pillow and some covers and tried to make himself comfortable on the floor. In truth, it had been about 4 years since his last big college road trip where he slept on the hotel floor and he wasn't really looking forward to five nights on a hard floor. However, he figured it was a small price to pay for getting to do the cruise.

He was trying to get comfortable when Wendy came out of the bathroom and stopped to look down at him. She smiled and said, "No self respecting mother would let her son sleep on the floor like that when there is a bed in the room." Mike looked up at her and she added, "Look, we are both adults and I think we are perfectly capable of sharing a bed."

Mike started to protest and say he was fine on the floor but she interrupted him saying, "Don't even tell me you are fine down there. You look completely uncomfortable and I won't have you down there while I am up here."