I was running late for work, and I decided to stop at the convenience store on my way, as it was only a block from the house. I needed coffee, and a few items for lunch as I hadn't cooked the night before. I parked, and walked inside to come across two winos, just standing in front of the register lollygagging, and Thor, this bearded, long haired, white dude with a rugged voice.
"Hey there, Army guy. Welcome to my store," he said as I rushed inside.
The long, dirty blonde and gray haired white otter, with tattoos all over his arms, rubbed me wrong with that statement. I paused for a few seconds, and we made eye contact as I nodded and would witness the bluest of eyes.
"So you can't speak," he asked before I smiled and walked on.
"What's up," I belted as I was in the refrigerator ready to grab a cold coffee.
I corrected him and let him know I was proud Navy, as his inebriated buddies laughed.
"Well, excuuuuuuuse me, Boat boy in the house," he said to me.
I laughed it off, as we did an exchange with me handing him the drink, then cash to the total before he started a slew of questions.
"How old you gotta be to join?"
"Can you take someone with tattoos?"
"Someone with children"
He handed me my change, and I in turn advised him the one real way to answer these questions, was for him to talk to a recruiter.
"Wow. Well, thanks for representing the Navy," he said sarcastically before I dashed.
I was pressed for time and though Thor was a handsome fella, I wasn't in the mood to entertain inquiries as those two drunks were smelling ripe. I would turn and wink at him, and he winked back as I walked out the door, feeling his eyes in my back. I hopped in my Nissan and bailed out of the parking lot, and down the street, thinking of Thor and his compact, chubby frame. I pondered about him for I love bears that are a little dusty, a lot masculine and undercover bottoms as he seemed to put checks in the block. I made it to work with no traffic, floating down the road with this dude on my mind, so much that I took an early lunch break just to make it back to the store.
"What's up Sailor," he yelled as he was a bit more energetic.
Part of me said deep down, he was someone that I could possibly vibe with, maybe hang out with. We talked a little trash while he fixed me a chili dog sandwich and I tried to pay for it.
"Nope, on the house, kid," he said as that was his salute for my service. "You bust your ass every day to make sure we're good, this is nothing."
I thanked him for the gesture, and would make it a point every other morning to stop in at the store, and forge some type of communication with him.
"You always pop in here,as if you're late for work," he joked. "Your lady needs to wake you out of your sleep?"
"No lady in my confines," I told him as the first hint I chose the same sex to sleep with.
I kept coming, and slowly we'd break the ice as it went from him thanking me for being in the Navy, to "what's for dinner, or do you want to come over and hang out."
"You know, I asked you all those questions because my youngest son is about to graduate from high school," he told me as I made it to his place.