Batman sighed loudly when his watch beeped nine pm. It was Halloween night and Josh, in the Batman outfit, waited at the suburban street corner to car pool with some friends to an underground party somewhere in the city. He had been waiting since a quarter past eight. His 'friends' had stood him up – again.
Josh berated himself for getting his hopes up, he should have known something like this would happen. It was not the first time they had done this to him. There was no point in calling their cell phones either. He squared his shoulders and started the long walk home. It wasn't far, just a couple of blocks, but he did feel silly to be out in costume. It felt fine when he knew he was on his way to a party but now he was extremely conscious.
There was nothing to do now except go home. He would have to try getting past Mr. and Mrs. Brown, the kindly couple who rented him the loft above their garage. He didn't feel like explaining himself to them and having to endure their sympathy. He took off the cowl as he continued walking. Music blared from some of the houses he passed and there wasn't much traffic on the road. His costume was not the best outfit for an evening stroll and it was a good thing the streets were brightly lit.
Suddenly a car honked from behind, making him jump.
"Hey Batman, need a lift?" came a familiar feminine voice.
Josh peered into the car. He couldn't make out the driver but he recognized the voice.
"Wanda?" His voice caught just a little bit. Wanda was his hot neighbor from next door. She ran a trendy bar somewhere in the city. Josh knew she had a least good ten years on him but he found her attractive and at times, downright seductive.
"Hop in, Josh."
"Thanks," Josh said as he opened the passenger door. In the soft light, he saw that Wanda was dressed a white, baggy shirt, with huge, fluffy sleeves, a soft collar and lacy cuffs. She kept the top three buttons open, revealing lots of cleavage and glimpses of her black bra. She wore fitting black jeans and knee-high boots. She let her long blonde hair drape sensuously over her shoulders.
"Is everything alright? You're back early tonight." Josh knew her routine almost by heart. He had known her for almost two years now.
"Everything's cool, my staff are running the place fine so I'm giving myself the evening off."
Josh couldn't think of anything else to say after that so he just stared at the road ahead. Wanda checked him out from the corner of her eye.
"Neat costume, where are you off to?"
Josh kept his eyes on the road. "Actually, I'm on my way home. I was late and missed the car pool," he lied.
She nodded her head slowly, her chin jutting out as if she was making up her mind about something.
"Josh, I know you well enough to know that you're never late. You want to talk about it?"
"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not. The wound's still raw – that kind of thing."
"Okay," Wanda didn't press on. "What are you doing the rest of the evening then?"
"Probably put on a movie or something..."
"Don't be silly, we shouldn't let that costume go to waste. Why don't you come over to my place?"
"Don't you have plans for the evening?" Josh wanted to spend an evening with her but he knew she would be doing it out of sympathy. He did not need sympathy.
"Well, I was supposed to go over to a friend's this evening but I could always change the venue. How does Batman feel about spending an evening with older people?"
"Hey, Batman's almost twenty so you don't have much of an advantage age-wise – unless your friend's ancient or something."
"Naw, George's twenty-something and very good looking. I'm the old hag tonight although I'm sure there's a thing or two I could teach you." She winked at him. Josh's heart sank though. The other guy's name was George. He was the odd one out.
"Wanda, you should go ahead to your party. I'll be fine."
"Come one, you won't regret it."
"Okay, but only because you look so good for an old hag."
"Flatterer." Wanda pulled into her driveway and switched off the headlights before she turned off the engine. She probably did it for Josh's benefit – the Browns kept an eye on all the comings and goings in their neighborhood. With the lights off, they wouldn't be able to make out Josh at Wanda's front door.
By the time she got the door open, Wanda was already on her cell phone with her friend George.
"Hey G, it's me. Listen, change of plans. I won't be able to make it to the party. I'm having a friend over instead. Why don't you come over? Yeah, come in costume. Great. See you in half. Ciao ciao."
She held the door open and ushered Josh in. This was the first time he had ever entered her house. They usually talked in the garden, at the fence between the two houses.
"Make yourself at home."
Josh looked around. Her place was tasteful, feminine. A huge cushy sofa dominated the living room. It looked like a photo from a Laura Ashley catalogue.
"Mask on, Josh, and it'll stay on, okay? Let's keep in the spirit of the evening."
"Sure," he nodded. He pulled the cowl back over his head. "What will you be wearing?"
"Nothing. You know who I am but you don't know George and George doesn't know you. Drink?" Wanda gestured to the well-stocked mini bar hidden in the corner of the living room. Josh asked for a soft drink.
"Oh, don't be such a pussy," Wanda waved his choice away. "Live a little."
Josh blushed in indignation. "Okay, tequila then, please."
"That's better." Wanda poured out two glasses, took out a saltshaker and some lemons. She sliced the lemons and put them on a plate. Then she handed a glass to Josh. She took the other.
"Lick, shoot and suck."
"Huh?" Josh had no idea what she meant but it brought some wild images into his head.
Wanda rolled her eyes upwards. "You lick the salt. You shoot the tequila down your throat and then you suck the lemon, got it?"
