For a bit of Pre-Halloween romance, I turned this over to my pen-name Mike Mayak for this sequel to my story “Leader of the Laundromat.” https://authorjeffbaker.com/2023/05/05/meet-the-leader-of-the-laundromat-for-friday-flash-fics-by-mike-mayak-may-5th-2023/ What’s up with Mick and Justin? Some of my readers wanted to know! ——j
Candy Is Dandy
by Mike Mayak
The first thing they noticed was the large, half square arrangement of pumpkins in the parking lot.
“Landing strip for the Great Pumpkin!” Justin said with a laugh.
“Yeah,” Mick said.
Anyone would think that Justin and Mick had known each other for years rather than being basically on a first real date. They’d met that Spring at the laundromat, got to talking and Mick had told him he wasn’t ready for a relationship as his Husband had only been gone a few months. Justin had slipped his phone number in a note into Justin’s bag writing “when you’re ready” on it.
Mick had started texting Justin towards the end of summer. They’d met downtown during Justin’s lunch hour, Mick was self-employed and could lunch when he wanted. They’d had sandwich, salad and coffee. Mick had felt better than he had in a while, more comfortable than he’d felt with somebody since his late husband Paco.
Their plans for an official date kept getting waylaid. Finally they hit on the annual “Treet-O-Ween” Justin’s old school held for the kids. They’d hand out candy to costumed kids and have time to talk.
October 31st was cloudy, but not that cold. Justin’s sister was working for the school and had gotten them a spot to hand out candy from a table with little tissue-paper ghosts hanging from wires floating overhead. Mick and Justin had planned maybe to talk a little about themselves and maybe whether they would go anywhere from here.
Instead they joked, laughed, reminisced about Halloweens they’d been through and ate more candy than they handed out.
“Hey! You two are eating all the candy!” a kid dressed as Batman had said.
Justin and Mick handed him the bowl and laughed again.
“Paco hated handing out the candy,” Mick said about his late, redheaded husband. “But he was just a sentimental bowl of mush when the kids in costumes showed up!”
“Yeah,” I live in an apartment,” Justin said. “And the number of kids started dropping off about six years ago.”
“Then COVID killed it,” Mick said.
“Yeah,” Justin said. “I’m glad they get to do things like this.”
“Glad we do too,” Mick said, munching on a mini-chocolate bar.
“Think we really ate all the candy?” Justin asked.
“We’ll know if we get sick!” Mick said.
They both laughed again. Mick realized he hadn’t laughed this much with anybody since Paco.
They didn’t know for sure where this relationship was going to go, but Justin and Mick knew they were going to go together. Maybe cautiously at first, but together.
—-end—
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