“Absolutely that’s a lot of money, which is why I intend to keep him happy,” she said, sounding defensive in her response. “He’s interested in adding family photos to his collection. It’s difficult to explain, in fact, I’m not fully sure if I understand it completely myself…but…well…he’s got an odd fetish, I think. When he brought this up, I was under the impression that he has a liking for this type of thing.”
Mom’s lips pursed and her body tensed a little. She suddenly looked a little shy and embarrassed, while forcing that smile to remain on her face. The innuendo was clear. I understood what she was implying.
“Oh god, mom…please tell me you’re serious. I mean, really?”
“Yes, really,” she replied, hiding her natural embarrassment. “At least that’s the vibe I got from him when he made the offer. I mean, the type of questions he was asking and things he was implying about what he wanted us to do…”
I cut her off right there as she said that, “Implying? Like what?”
“Well…he asked if I still kiss you goodnight, on the cheek or forehead, and how I felt about possibly doing that in front of the camera…”
“…Okay, now I know that this guy is a weirdo. There’s no way in hell I’m ever going to do anything for him,” I told her.
Mom suddenly wiped away her embarrassment and presented herself in an assertive manner, pushing her chest out and raising her voice.
“Now wait a minute, Mark, I know how odd this may be for us, which is why I’ve given it a lot of serious thought before asking you. But think about how much is at stake here. He’s willing to pay us $10,000 dollars in cash; even more if he likes what he’s getting. Get that, he could be paying us more.”
I sat quietly as mom took control of this conversation. What else could I do when mom was on fire like this?
She continued, “On top of that, he’s going to put in a good word for me to all of his friends in the industry, so that I can get more modeling work. Now all we’d have to do is just pose for a few pictures, which will never be made public, maybe share a small kiss on the cheek here and there, and that’s it! Besides, that education of yours doesn’t come cheap mister. And neither does this apartment, so think of this as helping your mother out a little around here.”
I was impressed by my mother’s strong case. She definitely raised some great points. But still, there were natural concerns.
“These pictures will never be made public?” I asked. “Are you sure?”
“He promised. And he wants all of us to sign non-disclosure agreements. This will be a secret photoshoot, in essence, for his personal enjoyment.”
That was a strange choice of words, that last part. His personal enjoyment.Nonetheless, the money offer was great, and mom really wanted this with all her heart.
I had no choice but to relent. “There’s nothing else I can say. Fine, I guess I’ll do it…”
She raised her eyebrow. “You guess? You don’t sound so sure of yourself. I won’t do it unless you’re absolutely sure about this.”
There was a look in her eyes, like she was trying to put me on a guilt trip if I didn’t fully agree to this.
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