Here are this week's prompts: "You look like a vampire on a day pass..." or "Hold your water!" or use a rare bottle of wine or "Don't you wiggle your .... at me, mister!" or use: a ball, a dog, and a scarf or "Hand me that, will you?" or use smeared mascara or make a Mr. Ed reference or use a beautiful sunset or use oatmeal in some way.
“I can’t believe it’s over. “ Tom sighed as he closed the
last of the storage bins containing the Halloween decorations. “It feels like I just took these things down
from the attic yesterday.”
“I know, hon, but we had fun while it lasted, didn’t
we?” Ben tried his best to console his
man.
“Yeah, we did. Hey, can you hand me that storage bin?” Tom was standing at the top of the pull-down
stairs that led to the attic.
“Don’t wiggle your butt at me, mister!” Ben commented jokingly.
“What? Oh!” Tom
laughed and twerked his ass at Ben.
“Oh you are so
going to get it when we’re done.” Ben
said.
“Will you two get a room?”
Travis, Tom’s brother was staying with them for a while.
“Jealous, brother?”
Tom put the last of the storage bins into the attic and folded up the
stairs into the door.
“Jealous?” Travis laughed, “Hey, being a bachelor isn’t all that bad.”
“You don’t feel lonely?”
Ben asked him.
They’d moved into the kitchen and Tom poured some coffee for
the three of them.
“I’m at work most of the time, so I don’t have time to think
about it.”
“As long as you’re happy, Travis, that’s all that matters to me,” Tom told him.
“Thanks, Tom, I am happy.
I love what I do, I got a nice house near the beach, and I have the best
family anyone could ever have.” He
looked at Tom and Ben. “Life is good.”
They spent the better part of their evening watching
football. Travis rooted for Philly. Tom and Ben enjoyed watching the game, too,
but didn’t really have a favorite team.
“When do you have to get back to LA, Travis?” Tom asked him during half-time.
“Are you giving me the bum’s rush?” Travis joked.
“No, of course not, I just want to know if you’ll be here
for the holidays. Ben and I decided to
invite some of our family and friends over.”
“What family members?”
Their parents had died a while ago and ,except for a few cousins
scattered to the wind, it was just the two brothers.
“Cousin Kathy and Jim, and I invited Pete and Alice to come
too. I know they aren’t related by blood,
but you remember how we used to play together as kids? They might as well be blood relatives. “
“Sounds great. I’ll
have to get back to you about the holidays.
I don’t have my schedule yet, and you know there are no holidays in
sports casting.”
“I know,” Tom said, Travis had missed many a holiday because he was covering one sport or another.
“I know, little brother.”
Travis put his arm around Tom’s shoulder. “I’ll see if I can switch holidays with
someone. I’ve worked enough of them. I
think it’s time I spent time with my family this year.”
“Thanks ,Trav.” Tom
hugged his big brother.
All too soon, Travis had to leave. At
week’s end, he had his suitcase packed, and Tom and Ben gave him a lift to the
airport.
“Are you sure you don’t want us to hang around and see you
off?” Tom asked as they drove to the
front of the terminal. “I can always
park the car, and we can hang out.”
“It’s okay, Tom. I
appreciate the sentiment, but I think it’s best we say our goodbyes here. It’s just….” Travis looked outside the back window at the
entrance to the airline terminal.
“Sure, Trav, I understand.”
Tom knew Travis never liked saying goodbye. He remembered how hard it
was when he moved out to LA for his job and they had their arms wrapped around
each other. The only thing that separated them was when it was time for him to
go through security and board his plane.
“I’ll call you when I get into LA, promise.”
“You better,” Ben
affirmed to his brother-in-law.
Tom and Ben watched Travis walk to the revolving door. They waved
at him when he turned briefly. He waved back and disappeared into the crowd.
“I’m glad I have to go to work. I think it’ll make missing
Travis a little easier to bear. I only
hope that he can get off for Thanksgiving. It will be nice to have him here.
Don’t you think, Ben?” Tom had been
getting his coat on and fished his keys out of the bowl they kept by the front
door. When Ben didn’t answer, he went
looking for his husband. “Ben?”
He found him in the living room, looking at the TV.
“Ben, what?” He
stopped when he saw the frightened look on Ben’s face.
“Oh Tom!” Ben pointed
at the TV screen.
Tom looked at the screen.
There was a news report; there had been a shooting at the Lancaster
airport.
“A gunman walked into the airport and began shooting. Several passengers have been shot, two were
killed. TSA agents were among the wounded.”
“Oh my gawd, Travis.” Despite all of Tom’s emergency
training, it took everything he had not to think the worst. Tom immediately
picked up his cell and called Travis’ phone; it went immediately to voice
mail. “Shit, let’s go to the
hospital.” Tom grabbed his keys. Ben pulled them out of his hands.
“I’ll drive, honey, you’re in no condition.” Ben told him.
The drive to the hospital felt like it took forever. “Ben, what happens if…. I mean he can’t
be….Oh God, what will I do if….”
“Take it easy, Tom, let’s not jump the gun. Let’s go find out if Travis is okay.”
Tom held Ben’s hand tightly and kept praying.
TBC
My fellow flashers
This story is an emotional roller coaster - love it!
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