a Fantasy Come True

The fire had died down and the living room was getting cold so I helped mother put her silk pajamas back on and lifted her—all 100 pounds of her!—into my arms to carry her upstairs to her bedroom. We climbed into bed, but even though I was naked, mother's body, small as it was, soon warmed me under her thick comforter. She fell asleep almost immediately, her legs intertwined with mine and her head resting in the crook of my arm. I resisted sleep as long as I could as I played over and over in my mind what had happened that evening. But soon, I too was dreaming.