[interesting]

Morning came around and brought with it a plethora of questions for both mother and daughter. Justine was the first to stir, and she woke up craddling her naked 15-year old daughter in her arms, huddled against her chest. That feeling of warmth gave no rise to questions. Justine planted a solid kiss on her daughter's nose and forehead before slipping out of bed, covering her teenage child with as many blankets as she could, before making her way to the bathroom to pee. Back in the kitchen, still in panties and a tank top, Justine sat down with a glass of orange juice and contemplated the microwave clock, counting up the minutes of that Saturday morning. There were things to do today, but none were urgent, and it seemed to Justine that there was something else she needed to do, something more important, lingering at the back of her mind.

Her thoughts traveled, as she waited for her daughter to join in wakefulness, to the sexual experiences of the previous night. Her landlord August, the pizza delivery guy and, mostly, her fellow tenant, Pinky. Absent-mindedly recalling the encounters, Justine played with her sex over the panty cloth for a moment. Movement from the bedroom made her stop, signalling that Tina was getting up herself. Justine watched her naked daughter cross the kitchen to the bedroom, then waited for her to come back before calling out to her.

"Good morning."
"Mornin'..."

Tina was exhausted. Her dreams had been many, but it was the sheer overstimulation of the previous night that had drained her. She jumbled back into bed. Justine followed her.

"...sleep well?" the mother asked.

Tina didn't answer. She simply laid on top of the bed, exposed, face down in her pillow. Justine began to caress her daughter's back, in a gentle soothing fashion. Tina moaned lightly. The scene lasted several minutes, until Tina herself poked her head up.

"...that's nice mom."
"It's my pleasure, dear."

The gentle slide of fingers against skin continued as Justine picked up some conversation.

"I need to talk to you, Tina."
"...what about?"
"About me. About this place."

Perhaps it was because they had grown so close in the past two weeks, but an inner voice was begging for Justine to explain herself to her daughter, as if she knew she would understand. Except that, instead of a statement, a question came out.

"Have you ever had sex?"

The question surprised both people, and Tina paused in her mind. Justine's hand, meanwhile, kept naturally playing on her daughter's back.

"...why do you ask?" Tina replied, somewhat nervous.
"...because. It doesn't matter. Or maybe it does. But it's not important right now."
"Mom, you're confusing."
"I know. I am... I had sex last night."

Again, Tina wondered what the conversation was about. Could her mother suspect what she had been doing? But the structure of what her mother was saying - or lack thereof - hinted at something else, more along the lines of a confession. Tina pulled herself to her side, exposing her front to her mother, staring at her face. Justine's eyes were looking past her daughter, at the wall.

"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because... because I care for you and because... Tina, I haven't been fully honest with you."

And I haven't been fully honest with you, Tina thought to herself, but she said nothing, allowing her mother to continue, staring into her face to sense where the conversation was going.

"Before we moved here, I worked at a... nude bar for a few months, to make ends meet."

The revelation wasn't that big of a deal to Tina, considering the fact she had been able to sell herself to the Rat Pack (and their friends) in servitude for four thousand dollars. And, truly, Tina could see her mother, gorgeous and endowed, as a dancer. But the revelation, it seemed, didn't stop with that.

"It closed. We were... almost out of money, and then... then, we moved here. And... I don't work for the landlord, I...."
"... you fuck him..." Tina completed the sentence.

She knew. She had known - or suspected, somehow. She had seen Pinky. And perhaps there were other hints.

"That's how I pay the rent."

The money on the counter, Tina realized. The money my mom gets for fucking our landlord. That's the money I took. Shame filled Tina's head and she looked away. Justine misinterpreted the gesture and started crying.

"I'm sorry..."

Tina immediately realized her mistake and sought to correct it.

"No! Mom, no..."

And she hugged her mother tightly, pressing her naked chest against hers, caressing her hair, speaking in her ear.

"You did it for me... for me. I know. I... I haven't been a good girl either... I'm the one who's sorry."

The tears subsided from Justine.

"I stole the money," Tina confessed as she let go of her mom.

She expected an angry reaction. There was none, and it puzzled Tina even more. Justine just stared blankly at her.

"Why?"
"You were in the shower when I came in... I.. saw the money. I took it. I didn't even think about it... I just took it."

Tina leaned to the side of the bed, to the handbag she had carried yesterday. The money was still there. She retrieved it and gave it back to her mom. Tears were now filling Tina's eyes.

"I'm sorry, mom... yes, I've had sex. I... used sex to pay for... drugs."
"Drugs? What kind?"

The voice was one of concern, not anger.

"Just some mary jane..."

Justine, somehow, had no desire to get mad. She understood completely the situation where her daughter was, however complicated it could be.

"But I'm gonna stop!" Tina added.
"Now, honey... hush..."
"But..."

Justine placed a finger on her daughter's lips to quiet her up. Tina remained silent, waiting for what came next, whatever it was.

"I'm not mad. I'm relieved..."
"But I stole from you... I did drugs and..."
"But you're safe, right now, here, with me..."

Justine leaned in and kissed her daughter's lips. The embrace was long, quiet, sincere. Eventually, they pulled away from each other.

"So..." Justine started, "what do we do now?"