"For Effort" by Uther Pendragon (anon584c@nyx.cs.du.edu). The normal thing to do with mothers and mothers-in-law in stories on this newsgroup is to ignore them or to have sex with them. Jeanette has the Mother from Hell. In this story she calls her mother to wish her a Happy Mother's Day. The conversation is very well written, full of ordinary words and sentences that normal people exchange every day. Within just a few seconds I didn't like Jeanette's mother at all.

When we celebrate Mother's Day we often fail to think about how painful that holiday can be to a woman whose own mother is a bitch and who wants to become a mother herself but has been unsuccessful. Bob recognizes Jeanette's difficulty and is very supportive.

I suppose this story could be understood and enjoyed in stand-alone isolation, but then you would miss the fun of fitting this story in with the entire saga of Bob and Jeanette Brennan. These are two normal people who are struggling to make ends meet while they are growing into a loving couple in the early years of their marriage. If you haven't read all the stories, check Dejanews (www.dejanews.com) under "alt.sex.stories Pendragon" to find what you have missed.

The actual proportion of text devoted to hot sex in this episode is relatively small, but I found this to be a very sexy chapter in the lives of this couple.