Ben Twist was finishing up a late lunch when his mother Frances walked in the front door.
He had been hoping to talk to at least one of them before he had to get ready for his overnight date with Kenya Adaeze, but wished it could be both at the same time, so asked "Where's Samantha?"
"Still at the Town Hall. Official business. You know how it is around here sometimes," was all Frances could tell him, not knowing the full story about the suspected henchman of Dieter Wilhelm and the murder investigation of Jeff Decker leading to a manhunt for Lionel Ulysses in the Moon Lake area.
"How was your day?" Ben asked.
"It went well. Have to finish writing up my report over the weekend to present to the judge on Monday concerning Yvette Smith, but otherwise I'm free and clear unless an emergency comes up with one of my patients."
"Is it wrong for me to say I hope she's thrown in jail for a mighty long time?" wondered Ben.
"In private, no. Publicly, yes," replied Frances, "but I've got a feeling you'll get your wish."
"Good. Want some lunch?"
"I'd like to fix it myself while you start talking to me about your college plans, if I remember correctly that's what you wanted to discuss," said Frances, as she walked into the kitchen.
Ben followed her, and began relating everything that happened yesterday with Kenya giving him a guided tour of Moon Lake College.
"Mrs. Johnson is still there?" asked Frances in amazement, after taking a bite of her sandwich. "She was the career counselor when Samantha and I went there. Unfortunately, wanting to be a professional therapist, I couldn't go there for everything, but I took what I could because it was less expensive here than elsewhere."
"So that's when you met my biological parents?" asked her adopted son.
"Yes. Elizabeth Franklin was a dear, D-E-A-R," clarified Frances, "but she was a normal who only had eyes for your father. He was a naturally born werewolf, but didn't induct her into were society until their wedding night."
"Really?" said Ben, surprised to hear that.
"Yes. Samantha and I were co-maids of honor. I forget who Fred's best man was, but Samantha might remember."
"Did dad really work for Tachibana? Mrs. Johnson said something about him helping to refine the were birth control pills to be more species specific."
"Worked for Tachibana? Yes. His actual accomplishments? I don't know," admitted Frances. "I do recall, after the accident, Tachibana Enterprises confiscated his computer and a lot of stuff from his desk, claiming corporate security issues."
"WOW!" exclaimed Ben. Then, after thinking about it for a moment, asked, "What did happen to my biological parents stuff?"
"With no one else available to handle the task, the court appointed Samantha and I in charge, along with becoming your legal guardians. A lot of things we had to donate to charity, like clothes and furniture. Even though we had just started buying this house we live in now, there just wasn't room for everything. We kept all your stuff, obviously, along with a lot of mementos and personal items. They're in boxes in what we call the storeroom."
"You mean they've been in the middle bedroom all these years along with that desktop computer you and mom share?" asked Ben in disbelief.
"Yes, but I do believe your mom would like to be here too when you start going through everything, to help you put it all in context."
"No problem," agreed Ben, "but once I leave for my date with Kenya later, I doubt I'll be back before Sunday evening."
"You two getting serious?" wondered Frances.
"Yes," revealed Ben. "Kenya sometimes refers to me as an old soul. All I know is that when I'm with her, everything's right and no matter what's going on around us, as long as I have her to love and hold..."
"I understand. I know Elizabeth felt the same way about Fred. Like the way I feel about Samantha," confirmed Frances. "Do you think that someday..."
"Don't worry. While I hope she'll say yes when I'm legally able to ask her, sometime AFTER I've graduated college will be the earliest a pup or kitten calls you Grandma," revealed Ben, to which his mother actually blushed.
After taking a swallow from her glass of milk to collect herself, Frances asked, "What made you decide to major in art?"
"You remember that art therapy you had me do to work out my feelings after my biological parents died?" asked Ben, to which his mom nodded her head affirmatively. "I've still been drawing all these years to help me relax. Turns out I've actually got some talent. Want to see?"
"You probably inherited it from Elizabeth, and I would love to see your work," said Frances, hoping it would be much better than his early efforts of rectangular cars with circular wheels, square houses, and stick figure people.
Instead of pulling out his cellphone to show her the photographs, Ben went to his room and brought back a couple of sketchbooks.
"These are just the latest. I have more dating all the way back to elementary school."
"Really?" said Frances in disbelief, while flipping through the first one. There was no denying her son's talent, which seemed to improve with every drawing. But when she came upon the picture of her and Samantha facing each other with loving smiles on their faces, Frances said, "I don't remember posing for this."
"You didn't. As I told Mrs. Johnson, Kenya, and an art student I met at the college named Karen Yuletide, I draw from memory and emotions."
Frances, not being able to help herself, put the sketchbook down and tenderly hugged Ben. "You will certainly go far with talent like this."
"Thank you," said Ben, returning the hug. "I certainly wouldn't of made it this far in life without you and mom."
"Don't underestimate yourself," was Frances' only comment.
When mother and son broke physical contact, Ben said, "Do you know Moon Lake College still has two of mom's original works on display there?"
"Really? Which ones?" asked Frances.
"The Duality of Life and College Friends Forever," answered Ben. "I took pictures of them," he said, this time actually pulling out his cellphone to show her.
"I remember the Friends drawing. Elizabeth showed it to us after it was finished," revealed Frances, "but I've never seen Duality before. Both are highly detailed though. Your mother had a good eye for art too."
"Those are the only two the college had. Mrs. Johnson admitted there's no way of knowing how many more of her works might still be in existence, let alone where."
"Well, your mom did a painting of me and Samantha for us as a wedding present. Want to see it?"
"She painted too? You bet!" exclaimed Ben, as Frances led him to the master bedroom.
There, hanging on the wall over their bed, was a framed portrait showing his mothers when they were younger.
The foreground featured Samantha and Frances in their human forms, wearing their wedding dresses and holding hands as they smiled at each other. The background featured them in their werecat fursonas, only wearing their wedding veils, as both were embraced and eagerly kissing each other.
Ben stared at the picture and asked in a sad tone of voice, "Considering when we lost them and how young I was at the time, is it possible to still miss someone you barely remember after all these years?"
"Yes, it is," confirmed Frances, putting a reassuring arm around her son while doing her best to wipe the tears from her eyes with her free hand.