Page 7 of Miles. Alton & The 9:04
“He's gnawing on my desk again,” Thom said.
“Aw man, you know his teeth constantly grow, and if he doesn't gnaw on something, he can't keep them in shape.The same can be said for my love life,” Jiminy countered.“I thought you were meeting a lady for lunch.”
“I did.”
“You're back early, so I guess no nookie for you tonight,” Jiminy said.“Thom, at least one of us needs to be getting it in.I'm recently divorced and damaged.I have to live vicariously through you.Why are you back so soon?Was her titties too small?”
“You have an unsettling mind,” Thom countered.
“At least one of us needs to be getting something, and right now we are both sad, sad little men,” Jiminy said.
“Speak for yourself, porcupine man,” Thom chuckled.Today was a bust.Tomorrow would bring a new day.
“Hey, speaking of getting some quilling in, George Carter was over at Castellini's when you came in with the woman,” Jiminy said.“He called and told me that she was shaped like one of them dinner bells that you ring to Ask Jeeves to bring you more tea.He also said she wore this skirt with big flowers and one of them petals disappeared into her butt crack like it was flower garbage disposal.Is this true?You were meeting a big-bottomed Betty?I didn't know you liked big girls, Thom.When I look at you, you seem so normal, well, until I go to your house.Do you have dead bunnies in your backyard?”
“Jiminy, you make me tired,” Thom said.“Please get the porcupine out of here.Franklin, the custodian, is threatening to quit over the mess a transient man made in the bathrooms.I'm going to head home.I have a busy weekend.”
“I know, and I'm waiting on the deets, Dude!You have another lady coming tomorrow, right?Oh, can I see a picture of her?”Jiminy said, reaching under the desk to coax Petr from under his wooden snack.“Life sure is strange.You can order you a woman off the internet to love on and marry to make a family.Maybe I should have ordered me one instead of marrying the soul sucker I got.”
“Bathroom.Porcupine,” Thom said, leaving the office. He didn't want to be here this afternoon.
The disappointment in the day just didn't leave his spirit as much as he wanted to be optimistic about the arrival of potential bride number two around the start of the lunch hour.He walked past the glass entryway, glancing at his profile.Thom didn't consider himself to be a slouch.
His clothing was purchased from J.Crew.Today, he wore dark chinos with a button-down shirt, zip front sweater, and tasseled brown loafers.The beard he sported was a little haphazard, along with the mustache.Soft brown hair with a slightly wavy pattern connected the short haircut to the beard.His nose, while not Patrician, sat evenly in the middle of his face between two brown eyes that weren't too far apart.Eyebrows, neatly trimmed, indicated he took care of his male grooming, but he understood he wasn't a classically handsome man.
At best, he was a six, possibly a solid seven in a suit.Physically, he was in great shape and lived twelve miles from where he worked.During the seasons with great weather, he rode his bike to and from work without breaking a real sweat.He grew fresh vegetables and knew how to cook, can, and preserve food.In his garage, which was neatly organized, Thom Brown owned tools that he knew how to use to make repairs and even build items by hand.
He had built his home with the help of his foster brother, Jeremy, who lived in Nebraska.The home wasn’t fully furnished since he planned to give his wife carte blanche to decorate the home in a style appealing to them both.He had a guest room with a queen bed, along with a dresser and nightstand, that also had a lamp.For good measure, in the room was a reading chair with a floor lamp beside it with a cute little table to hold a book or tea.
In the kitchen, he had the basics, including a table which seated four, but the dining room was bare.The living room had a couch and a reading chair by the window, along with curtains that even had sheers.Thom Brown wasn't a ruffian, and by all standards was a good catch for a husband.
“Just why doesn't anyone want me to be theirs?”he asked softly, taking a seat in the chair and opening the latest book by C.J.Box,Battle Mountain.“Someone is coming to love on you, Thom.Have faith.Stay true to who you are, and everything will work out.”
It was a private chat he had created with himself over the years.Women always said they wanted a nice guy, but when one showed up, they often made fun of his misshapen cartilage remains of his little ear.Or worse, the nice guy would be the rebound man after the Alpha A-hole treated them like crap.He was nobody's rebound man.A woman was out there who wanted a good man like him, and he didn't plan to settle.Thom Brown knew the difference between being alone and being solitary.
He was alone, but he wasn’t lonely.His life was filled with daily challenges, and personally, he was an adventurous sort who loved the outdoors and was unafraid to try new things.He wasn't so set in his ways that he couldn't make adjustments or so loose that he couldn't make a commitment.
“I'm a great fucking catch,” he said, looking out the window.His phone rang and it was Jiminy.He didn't want to answer it, but he did.“Hello.”
“Hey, that kid Randy is here with one of them poster boards, some tissue paper, and hell, I don't know what the rest is,” Jiminy said into the line.“Boy, why did you go steal toilet paper out of our bathrooms?”
“I'm doing a report on the history of ghost hunting in this one ghost town, and Train Man said he'd help me,” Randy shouted.
“I'm on my way,” Thom said, smiling as he rose.
