"he said, she said" Stifling a nervous laugh, Eleanor asked, "What did you say, Mom?" Her mother had surprised her several times during their leisurely bike ride along the lake front. "Vibrators -- did you say that you and Michael are into vibrators?" Trying to keep her voice level and conversational went out the window when she said it the second time. When another rider on the bike path turned and looked, Eleanor knew she'd absolutely screeched the forbidden word.

Her mom was not even flushed, not by the admission nor the effort of bicycling up a fairly steep rise. She glanced at her daughter briefly, then directed her attention back to the trail which was busy with joggers, walkers with dogs and other cyclists. "I really hate to say this Eleanor, but you need to get with it! This is the Twenty-Tens, or whatever the hell they are calling them. Sex is not dirty and either is enjoying it -- with or without a vibrator."

"After your dad passed away, I spent six years alone. What do you think I did to stay sane during that time? Losing your husband to an accident shouldn't mean that you have to become a nun at the age of forty-six." Cynthia was not willing to sugar coat the subject. "I'm so lucky to have been in a wonderful relationship for 3 years now, and we are happily enjoying each other, in many ways." It was time her thirty-year-old daughter loosened up and quit being a prude about subjects like vibrators. Maybe it was time for a really long talk over a bottle, or two, of Merlot. Come to think of it -- the last time they'd actually talked about sex was back when Eleanor was in 7th grade. They'd not drunk Merlot on that occasion.

"Race you to the gazebo in the park -- that's the turn around. Then it's back to the house for a shower and a really long talk. Okay, baby-girl?" Cynthia sprinted ahead, challenging her daughter to keep up.

Eleanor, taken totally off guard, grinned widely, stood up on her pedals, leaned over the handlebars and strained to catch her mom. She was looking forward to their talk and wondered if she could be open as with her mother about her affair with Josh.

Maybe she could ask her mom about some of the very personal items she'd seen on that website. She was particularly curious about some of the erotic body lotions she'd never tried....

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