Mum switched on the set, and we sat together on the big four-seater sofa.

"Is there any football on mum?"

"You're not watching bloody football that's for sure."

"Just have a flick through to see."

"No chance."

"Aw, mum."

She burst out laughing, "You sound just like a naughty little schoolboy."

"Here's one mum," I said as Sarah Michelle Geller appeared on the screen, "It's called Cruel Intentions, it's supposed to be good."

"Okay, let's get the other bottle."

We filled our glasses and settled back to watch, I knew there was a particularly horny scene in it somewhere, when Sarah Michelle kisses another girl, and I remembered thinking at the time that it was one of the sexiest things I'd ever seen.

Mum tucked her feet under herself as she watched and I lay back, my head on her shoulder. I'd only intended to close my eyes for a second but the next thing I knew I was waking up, my head on mum's stomach, she'd moved too and was lying on her back, fast asleep like me.

I was afraid to move in case I woke her, so I lay my head down again on her stomach and closed my eyes, then it hit me, my head was on her stomach, no robe beneath my head, just flesh, warm womanly flesh.

Hardly daring to breathe, I opened my eyes again and looked down to where her mound was only inches from my face, I couldn't see anything else because of my position, but my mind went into overdrive.

At that moment she stirred, and I lay still pretending to be asleep but breathing in the aroma from her wonderful, warm body.

"Terry?"

"Mmm?"

"Terry darling, wake up, we'll be stiff if we sleep here all night."

Reluctantly I lifted my head, and she smiled at me.

"Can you sit up a minute darling, I seem to have become slightly undone?"

Pulling her robe together she stood up with me and kissed me again, this was becoming a habit, and I was enjoying it!

"Come on sweetheart," she said softly. "I'm not making your bed up at this time of night, you can get in with me."

I was too tired to argue even if I'd have wanted to.

Without closing the curtains or putting a light on, she dropped the robe over a chair and slipped into bed naked.

"I er, I haven't got any pyjamas mum," I stuttered.

"Oh for God's sake stop being silly, get in and snuggle into me, I'm shattered."

I didn't argue, I dropped my own robe, got in beside her and promptly surrendered to the sandman.

The next time I awoke I was spooned into her warmth one arm around her waist and something soft and yielding in the palm of my hand.

Shit! It was a breast, I was actually cupping one of my mother's breasts!

Hurriedly I took my hand away, but mum mumbled something sleepily and put it back. I tried to move back just enough to create a space between us, but again the unintelligible mutterings and she moved back with me.

I was in an impossible situation, spooned into my mum's naked back, a beautiful little nipple in the palm of my hand and something growing down below, something that just couldn't be ignored!

"Mum?"

"Mmm, whassamatter?"

"It's time to get up."

"What time is it?"

"I don't know."

Silence for a moment and then the giggle.

"So how do you know it's time to get up?"

"I don't mum but -- ."

"But you're embarrassed about holding your mum's boob."

"Well yes, yes I am mum."

"Well don't be, that was the first night I've shared a bed with a man who didn't spend the whole night farting, scratching and belching, it was beautiful darling and to wake up being held by my son is even more beautiful."

She giggled again, "And what's down there I'll take as a compliment, I know I'm your mum but I'm still a woman, and I suddenly feel very much wanted."

"You are wanted mum," I kissed her neck. "You know you are."

She took my hand from her breast and kissed the palm gently.

"You've no idea what that does for me darling, now let's attack that garden."

I kept my back to her as we put our robes back on and then went through into my own bedroom where I dressed in jeans and tee shirt.

"Snap," she giggled as we met again in the kitchen, she'd dressed exactly as I had, but her tee shirt looked a damn sight better than mine.

We had a quick cup of tea and a slice of toast while reading through the work roster left by the previous people.

"Lettuces, tomatoes, and potatoes this morning mum," I said. "Apples and pears this afternoon, there's a pickup tomorrow morning at six o'clock."

"In the morning?" she yelped.

"In the morning mum," I laughed. "So shall we get started?"

There was a little tractor in one of them, so I hitched it up to a trailer, and together we loaded it with paper sacks for the potatoes and little wooden crates for the lettuce and tomatoes. I had to dig each potato plant separately, shake the earth off, gather the crop up and drop them into the sacks, it was hard, back-breaking work but I took to it with a will. I kept looking over to where mum was working and singing to herself as she did so, it made me smile that she was happy at last.

After an hour she brought us both out a coffee, and we sat in the hot sunshine drinking it.

"You okay mum?"

"I'm more than okay Terry," she smiled, "I'm happy to be working, I'm loving every moment of it, every single one."

We got back to work, and after another half hour, I was so hot I took my tee shirt off, the sun felt amazing on my skin, but mum yelled across at me.

"Hey that's not fair, us girls can't do that."

"Why not?" I shouted back and then gulped as she drew the tee shirt up over her head and threw it on the pile of boxes.

"You're mad," I yelled. "Absolutely bloody mad."

It was difficult trying to work and ignore my mother's naked breasts at the same time, and I wasn't very good at it. But by dinner time we'd done all that was required according to the roster, so we knocked off for something to eat.

She refused point blank to put her tee shirt back on when I mentioned it.

"No, the sun's doing my bruises good darling."

I couldn't argue with that so I left it alone while we ate a light lunch, light because she'd said she wanted to go into town before the shops closed, so I went back out almost immediately.

"Just nipping to the loo darling," she said, but when she appeared a few minutes later to help me with the fruit baskets, she was wearing a pair of denim cut-offs, and I mean cutoffs!

"Like them darling?" she twirled around as I stood there with my mouth hanging open, they were so short that her bottom bulged out from either side at the back.

"Bloody hell mum," I laughed. "My underpants are bigger than them."

She giggled again, "Yes, well darling, there's a lot more of you than there is of me."

All I could think of to say was that I hoped it didn't get any hotter.

"Why's that?" she asked innocently as she climbed onto the tractor behind me.

"There isn't a lot more in the way of clothes that you could leave off."

"Wanna bet?"

And I groaned again.

We worked hard, harder than I'd ever worked before and by mid-afternoon, we'd done our quota. I was halfway up a tree when I saw Jack's car coming up the lane, and I shouted to mum, she just managed to get the shirt back on as he pulled into the yard and we greeted him with smiles on our faces.

"It occurred to me that these might come in useful," he said and opened the back to show us two bikes folded up.

"Beats paying out for taxi's doesn't it?" we had to agree with him although I really didn't feel much like cycling at that moment.

"How have you got on, on your first day?" he asked.

"Come and look, Jack," mum said and took him by the hand dragging him away down the garden, by the time they returned, Jack's gruffness had gone, and he was actually smiling.

"You want to look after your mother young Terry," he said sternly. "You've gone and let her get sunburnt haven't you?"

Behind his back, mum nodded her head and stuck her tongue out at me. "But since I'm here, I'll give you a lift into town so Sarah can get some lotion to rub on it, I bet you could use some too couldn't you?"

"Yes," I agreed and smiled secretly as I passed my mother.

"Bad son," she whispered and giggled at the expression on my face.

For the second time in as many days, we went on a spending spree, I bought a camera, some jeans, and shirts and then I traipsed round following mum as she did her best to get rid of her new found wealth.

"This is fabulous darling," she laughed as we entered yet another clothes shop. "I've never enjoyed myself so much!"

She bought skirts, blouses, makeup, you name it bought it and then came the underwear section, and she teased me unmercifully by holding minuscule panties up for my approval.

"These are nice aren't they darling?"

"Mum. For God's sake."

"Ooh that's nice as well, I think I'll treat myself to some stockings."

I squirmed as women looked at me and smiled at my discomfort.

"Oh Terry, look at this, I've always wanted one of these, and she held up a sheer white baby doll with matching panties."

"Come on for Christ's sake, or I'm outa here."

She pouted and took her purchases to the checkout, as she handed over her purchases the woman behind her said with a laugh.

"I wish my boyfriend would buy me stuff like that, all he thinks about is beer and more bloody beer."

Then turning to me she said.

"You look after her, she looks like she's been run over by a bloody bus."

"Oh he does luv, believe me, he does, he's lovely aren't you darling?" and threading her arm through mine she led the way out of the shop before breaking down in tears of laughter.

"Hahahaha, my boyfriend, she actually thought you were my boyfriend."

For some reason, I got quite annoyed at her laughter.

"Well you could do a lot bloody worse mum, I think I'm an improvement on the last one you chose.”

She stopped me with her hand on my arm.

"Terry I'm sorry darling, I really didn't mean it like that you know."

I relented immediately, mum was still enjoying herself, and I wasn't going to be the one that burst her balloon.

"S'okay mum, I'm sorry I got mad, it was just the way you laughed that did it."

"I won't laugh again if you don't like it."

I sighed deeply, just the sort of logic I'd come to expect in my somewhat limited dealings with the members of the fairer sex.

"That's not what I meant mum and you know it."

"Then just what did you mean?"

"We're fighting mum," I said softly. "You're the last person I ever want to fight with."

She put her head on my shoulder.

"Sorry."

"De nada mum."

"You what?"

"Look Terry, a barbecue, oh God I've never had a barbecue, can we get it Terry can we, can we?"

"Calm down mum," I laughed. She was jumping up and down like a little girl after a doll."

"Go in and buy it and I'll meet you back here in ten minutes, okay?"

"Okay," and she dashed into the shop as excited as I'd ever seen her and when I returned fifteen minutes later she still had a smile on her face. "Come on we need an off-license and a butcher's shop, it's going to be great fun, our very own barbecue."

We found the required shops and finally got a taxi home.

"Where did you disappear to when I was buying the Barbie?" she asked as we unloaded our goodies.

"It's your birthday mum, I bought you a little present."

"My birthday?" she was genuinely surprised.

"Yes, it's today mum."

"Oh my God," she squealed, I'm thirty-four, oh bloody hell Terry."

"Mum, you're only thirty-four if you want to be, at the moment you're sixteen."

"Oh yeah," she sounded bitter. "Sweet sixteen and never been kissed."

"Don't spoil it, mum, I thought you'd be pleased."

"Terry, I am darling, believe me, I really am, you remembered, and that's more than he ever did."

I handed her a card, one of those big ones that said. "I'm twenty-nine, and I'm staying there okay?"

"That's great darling," she laughed, "It just about sums me up, I'll still be twenty-nine in another twenty years time."

She started to unwrap the Barbie then and looked up in surprise when she noticed I hadn't moved.

"What?"

"Your present mum."

"I thought that was it."

"No mum, it's why I was a long time when you were getting this thing, I thought I'd get you this, but I had to wait while it was engraved."

"Oh Terry," her eyes filled up with tears. "A present?"

"Yes mum, a present, don't get all silly and emotional on me, it's just a birthday present."

I handed her a little bag.

"Nobody ever bought me a birthday present before." she looked at me, and I thought that if she didn't open it soon, we'd both be in tears.

"Open it, mum."

Inside the bag was a little box which she opened and then promptly burst into tears.

I wanted to hold her, cuddle her, hug her, but I don't know why I didn't, I just stood there as she took the necklace out and looked at it.

"It's solid gold mum," I said quietly. "Twenty four carat."

It was a gold necklace, like all the black guys wear, not really the ideal choice for a woman, but it had caught my eye and I'd gone for it.

She looked up at me, and her mouth opened, nothing came out though, and she looked down again at the necklace.

"Turn it over mum," I said quietly. "I'll light the Barbie."

"Wait, darling," she whispered. "It's important to me that you're here when I read it."

I felt myself blushing as she read it and then I realised that her shoulders were moving, shaking. She was crying again, and the dam within me broke as I looked at it with her, it had been the only thing I could think of at the time.

It simply said.

"A mother's love means everything."