It`s time for Tuesday Tales.
Today we have an excerpt from The Bachelor and the Cherry, Campo Royale #2.
Please do bear in mind that these snippets are unedited so please be kind if you find any mistakes.
This story may have gay erotic scenes, strong social issues addressed and mature language. If those things offend now is the time to move onto another Tuesday Tales blog. Thanks for stopping by!
We both laughed then sped away to get Eli who was still in bed. An hour – and lots of whining later – we were finally heading to the fabric shop that sat across from a mall that was gasping its last breaths.
“I hate seeing shopping malls dying,” I lamented after exiting the Honda. Arms folded, I stared at the meager amount of cars parked outside the mammoth building. “When we were kids my parents used to take us to the mall every Sunday after church. They had all those cool rides for a couple of quarters. Diego, Allita, and me would ride horses and rocket ships while the folks took turns shopping. We never bought much. We weren’t rich but we always managed to get something tiny. Diego always got a Matchbox car or truck. Allita and I liked to get sparkly things. Bows and barrettes for our hair. Well, for her hair. I’d sneak them out of her jewelry box when I could. I had to buy sparkly pens and notebooks for school and even that made my father and brother give me queer looks.”
Eli slid an arm around my waist. “Queer looks are the best kind of looks.”
That made me smile. Letting my head drop to his bright blue locks for a second, I shoved the sadness away. We linked arms and marched into the fabric shop in all our flamboyant amazingness. The old ladies buying material for sleepers and blankies for the grandies fled in terror. I kid. They didn’t flee at all. They were super cool. Maybe they were into us because they rarely saw men in the store, let alone men who were gushing over crinoline, chiffon, and demask.
I found a gorge emerald green poly satin fabric first.
Lovely scene. Love the reminiscing.
I’m into fabric, too, having been a sewer in earlier days. Boy, would I love to take these guys to the garment district. And that’s what I thought when I read your episode. That’s how real they are to me. They would have loved the amazing number of bolts of fabric the owners managed to stuff into one store. And all sorts of fabric. Maybe next time you come to NYC, I’ll have to take you to one. Loving this story. Can’t wait to see what they create.
I love the imagery that you give of the dying mall. Working in a fabric shop that used to be in a dying mall, this whole piece hit home. Great job!
Nice scene! I love how you write the interactions between people.