Green's Thumb (Men of Retail)

by Alexander Elliott

  After a while, Blaze wandered off to investigate her surroundings, and I sat back to watch all the dogs play and interact. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a man in a dark blue jacket approach the enclosure. He didn’t have a dog with him, and seemed to hesitate before opening the inner gate. As he slipped through, a rambunctious beagle named Daisy, dropped a slobbery tennis ball at my feet, wanting to play. I got up and tossed the ball for her, making my way to her owner. Roberta was a sweet lady in her seventies, and we always enjoyed a pleasant conversation when we happened to be in the park at the same time. We chatted for several minutes while I threw the ball for Daisy, who finally tired of the game and wandered off.

  Heading back to my spot, I stopped dead in my tracks in surprise. Seated on the bench was the man I saw earlier, gently petting Blaze on the head, and speaking softly to her. She was pressed up against him, long tail wagging in gentle arcs, as though they were the best of friends. I didn’t mind other people interacting with my pets, since it was part of the fun. What surprised me is Blaze would normally shy away from strangers, and would never press herself against them or allow herself to be petted. The man seemed pleasant, and was obviously enjoying the attention he was getting. He was also very attractive, which was easy to see, even at a glance.

  I approached the bench, and spoke to him as I sat down. “I think you’ve made a friend. She doesn’t usually approach strangers.” Startled, he looked over at me and began to say something, but then stopped, a stunned look on his handsome face. He was quite a bit shorter than me, slender, with boyish features and soft brown eyes. With the amount of grey in his hair, he must have been close to my age, though he didn’t really look it. He glanced down embarrassed, and then stopped petting Blaze. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you. She’s such a sweet girl, and I couldn’t resist.” I just smiled at him and laughed. “No worries. She obviously has good taste in people. This is Blaze, and I’m Karl Hartman.”

  His hand was warm and soft when we shook, and I didn’t want to let it go. He seemed to hesitate as well, so I withdrew my hand as he introduced himself. “Mitch Graham. Nice to meet you Karl. This is my first visit to the new bark park. It’s a very nice facility.” Blaze was seated at his feet, ignoring me completely, with her head resting on Mitch’s leg. He was idly scratching her ears while we spoke. At this point, Nike came running up and stuck his nose under my arm, looking for some attention. I laughed and introduced him to Mitch, who extended his hand for a sniff. Nike complied, and then licked his fingers and tried to climb up on the bench for more serious attention. I pulled him back, and he settled at my feet while I scratched his belly. We laughed together at Nike’s antics, and I noticed how Mitch’s face lit up when he smiled. This man was all kinds of intriguing, and I hadn’t responded to someone so strongly in a very long time.

  We settled in for a conversation, each of us with one of the dogs, who seemed quite content for the moment. “I notice you didn’t bring a pet of your own. Do have a dog?” He looked a bit embarrassed again, eyes moving from my face to the top of Blaze’s head. “I had a dog for many years, but I live in an apartment now which doesn’t allow pets. I couldn’t afford it anyway, but I was kind of hoping to get something of a doggie fix here instead. Plus, it gets me out of the house – something my daughter has been pestering me about for a while.” Hmm…so he lives in an apartment, has at least one child, and doesn’t wear a wedding ring. Divorced perhaps? Even so, he’s probably straight, though the way he looked at me made me think otherwise.

  ‘Well, you’re not the only one who comes here to enjoy the dogs. As long as you don’t bring any treats or get too rough, most of these folks don’t mind at all, including me. I mostly work from home, so my time here counts as part of my limited social life. Not very exciting, I grant you, but it has its perks. For instance, I’ve met a lot of very nice people here.” I looked him straight in the eye, and I could tell he got the message as he shifted nervously on the bench. “Tell you what. I need to burn off a little more of Nike’s energy before we go home. Want to give me a hand?” He looked pleasantly surprised and smiled at me. “Sounds good, Karl.”

  I grabbed the beat up disk I’d brought from home, and the dogs jumped up and followed us over to the far side of the enclosure. It was less busy over here, and there were fewer trees to get in the way. Mitch stood about 20 feet away, Blaze at his side as if she had always been there. We tossed the disk back and forth, Nike running between us to catch it mid-air. The first time he dropped it at Mitch’s feet, he looked honored to have been chosen, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. The dogs certainly approved of my new acquaintance, and there no reason to disagree with them. I knew I was rusty at the whole “get-to-know-you” thing, but I had the definite impression Mitch was just as interested in me as I was in him. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried.

  Nike finally began to tire and I was starting to get hungry, so it seemed like a good time to call it quits for the day. We went back over to the bench and got the dogs leashed up and ready to go. Though the moment could have been awkward, Mitch rescued me with a question. “If you don’t already have plans, would you like to join me for dinner? I would really enjoy getting to know you better.” It was obvious he was nervous, and probably wondered if he was going to be rebuffed. He didn’t know I planned to ask him the same thing, so my answer was easy. “I would love to, Mitch. I just need to get the dogs home and fed. Did you have a place in mind?” He suggested to meet at 6:30 at a little diner near downtown, which I knew featured a varied and affordable menu. Mitch followed me to the parking lot, and with a quick pat on the head for Blaze and a dazzling smile for me, left the park and went on his way. I smiled the whole way home.

  CHAPTER THREE – MITCH

  ..................

  WOW! MY MIND WAS SUCH a jumble of pleasant confusion, I suddenly realized I had already arrived home, parked, and turned off the car. I had about an hour to get ready, but I was still shaking with nerves from our time together at the park. I made it into the apartment and decided to take a shower and try to calm down a little before meeting Karl at the restaurant. I undressed and got the water temperature the way I wanted it before stepping in. There was something about the sound and feel of a warm shower which cleared my head.

  It had been a long time since I spent any time with an attractive man, and Karl took my breath away, punching every one of my buttons. From the first time he spoke, his deep bass voice turned my insides to jelly. When I looked up at him I was so unnerved I wasn’t sure I could speak. The man was a joy to look at, with his dark curls, square jaw and blue eyes. He was a big man too, not heavy, just tall and wide in the shoulders and kind of beefy. His neatly trimmed facial hair and freckles put me over the top, and if it weren’t for Blaze holding me up, I probably would have fallen over like a wet noodle.

  Speaking of noodles, mine was wet and hard as iron as I thought about Karl. I wanted to touch him, taste him, kiss him…my body had been on alert since we met and I couldn’t help my intense need for release. I soaped up my groin and chest, and began to fondle my cock with one hand and my nipples with the other. My vivid imagination pictured him in the shower with me, towering over my much smaller frame. It was his large hands on my smooth body, his lips and tongue teasing my mouth, and his muscular arms wrapped around me. The orgasm wrenched itself out of me and I gasped as ropes of cum splattered into the warm water swirling at my feet. It took me a few seconds to regroup, but oh man did it ever feel good! I finished cleaning up and then stood stupidly in front of my closet, trying to decide what to wear. Nice casual would be just fine; after all this wasn’t “really” a date was it? We were just friends meeting up for a meal and conversation, right? I chided myself for those thoughts. Who was I kidding anyway? If this wasn’t a date, then my aunt Frieda was a circus clown.

  I finally managed to dress myself, and was putting on my shoes when the phone rang. Grant was on the line, but there was still about 15 minutes before time to leave
, so I answered it.

  “Hello, Son. What’s up?”

  “Hey Dad! I wanted to make sure you were still available to sit with Alyssa a week from Friday. She wants some Grandpa time, and keeps dropping hints Katie and I need to eat out!”

  “Not a problem, Grant. My schedule is almost always open. Don’t make it too late though – I have to work on Saturday. What time should I expect you?”

  “We’ll drop her off around 5:30 if that’s ok, and I promise we won’t be out late.”

  “Sounds fine. I’ll put it on the calendar. You tell her I’m looking forward to finishing our movie. Listen, sorry to cut this short, but I have to get going.”

  “Oh? Got a big date tonight?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do – smarty pants.”

  “This is great! I’ll call you this weekend and you can tell me all about it. Love you, Dad!”

  “Love you too, Son. Bye.”

  It was time to leave, so I slipped the phone in my pocket and grabbed my wallet, keys, and a jacket. The nights were still quite chilly, and the shirt I was wearing was not enough to keep me warm. I had a brief, but intense moment imagining Karl’s warm body wrapped around mine. Down boy! I couldn’t very well arrive with a hard-on now could I? I forced the licentious thoughts from my mind and focused on simply enjoying our dinner and conversation. By the time I got to the diner my libido was under reasonable control. I was still nervous, though, as there were any number of issues which could come between us. We knew almost nothing about each other, after all, so this date would be the opportunity to lay some cards on the table.

  Karl was waiting for me just inside the door, and oh boy did he look good! He wore a pair of black khakis which showed off his muscular legs and ass, topped by a light blue button down shirt which hugged his well developed pecs and biceps. A thatch of curly black chest hair peeked out at the base of his throat, bringing up images of a hairy chest and torso. The man was killing me, and he didn’t even realize it. He greeted me warmly, and I followed him to a quiet corner table. We picked up the menus and I managed to order without sounding like an idiot.

  Once the waitress was gone, Karl leaned forward and asked a question, “Are you as nervous as I am, Mitch?” I nodded my head, unable to form the words. “Well, I’m going to make it easier on both of us, all right? I am gay, single, and find you very attractive. I’m a bit out of practice in the dating scene, so forgive me if I’ve been too blunt.” I was momentarily stunned. He just answered three crucial questions in one fell swoop, and I was so relieved I started laughing. “I’m not laughing at you, Karl. I’m just relieved you were able to say what I was thinking from the get go. I’m gay, single, and find you very attractive as well. As far as the dating scene goes, I haven’t had much practice, so I’m feeling like a fish out of water here.” With all that out of the way, we were able to relax and share our stories as we ate. I asked Karl when he came out, and if he’d enjoyed any long term relationships.

  “I always knew I was attracted to men, but I didn’t do anything about it until I went off to college. It was too scary in those days, and my family would not have been supportive. My first time was with my freshman year roommate. He claimed he wasn’t gay, but he was more than willing to warm my sheets. We tried everything together, and though I had a crush on him, he transferred to another school and I never saw him again. I dated here and there while I finished school and then got my first job as an RN. That’s where I also met my partner, Doug. He was working in the records office at the hospital where I was employed, and one day we sat at the same table for lunch. We hit it off right away and were together for 22 years before he died.”

  Karl looked away for a moment, and I could tell the memories were causing him pain. I reached out and squeezed his hand, but didn’t ask the questions on the tip of my tongue. After a moment, he continued. “He died about eight years ago after a bout with pancreatic cancer. I cared for him at home for the last couple of months, but just couldn’t return to nursing full time afterwards. Nowadays, I do medical records at home and work one day a week at the Community Hospital emergency room.”

  We were interrupted by the waitress wanting to refill our water glasses and ask if there was anything else we needed. The meal resumed, and after an uncomfortable pause in the conversation, Karl asked me the same two questions. “Well, my story is a bit different than yours. I can remember being interested in men from a very early age, but I was teased mercilessly, even in grade school, for being a fag. It started long before I even knew what that was, but once I figured it out was determined to show them all I was “normal” like everyone else. My low self esteem didn’t allow me to date anyone in high school, but I loosened up in college. I graduated with a business degree and a wife. Bonnie and I were together for over twenty years and had two children, Grant and Lisa. They are both married now and have kids of their own.” Karl looked intrigued. “So you are a Grandpa, huh? I have to say, you are the sexiest Grandfather I have ever met.” He comment surprised me, but I thanked him and turned beet red. Karl just chuckled at my discomfiture. “If you don’t mind telling me, may I ask what happened to your marriage?”

  “It’s ok, I don’t mind. Our marriage was never a happy one, and Bonnie became increasingly abusive towards me and the kids. It wasn’t physical, more like emotional and verbal abuse. It got to the point where I just couldn’t take it any more, and I was afraid of what it was doing to the kids. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I felt such relief once I filed the divorce papers and she was out of the house. It was an ugly time, and she fought me every step of the way. The kids did not want to live with her, and the judge gave me the house and primary custody. She tried every trick in the book to turn them against me, but they were much smarter than she ever gave them credit for. Once Lisa turned eighteen, both the kids severed almost all contact with their mother. The real nail in the coffin came when she succeeded in ending my career. After that we just cut her out of our lives.”

  Karl looked perplexed. “What? How could she end your career?” I paused, unsure if he really wanted to hear all the details. We were being honest with each other, so I figured I might as well go ahead. “I used to be Vice President of a major insurance firm downtown. After the divorce was final, I came out to my kids. Somehow, word got back to Bonnie and she began telling stories I had abused our son and was infected with AIDS. It wasn’t true of course, but by the time the rumors got around, the scandal was sufficient to make the board of directors very uncomfortable. They gave me a severance package and let me go, and no one in the industry would even look at my resume. I lost everything, and I’ve been working retail ever since.”

  Karl looked pale and closed his eyes briefly. When he looked up at me, all I saw was compassion. “My God, Mitch. I’m sorry you’ve been treated so badly. I can only imagine what you’ve gone through. And before you say anything, I don’t give a rat’s ass where you work or how much money you have. I know how shallow some gay men can be, but let me assure you, I’m not one of them. This is not a deal-breaker for me, all right?”

  I fought back the tears as his words hit home. He knew exactly what I was thinking, and I had, in fact, been rejected more than once on the basis of my employment and financial standing. The gay community was often quick to turn up their collective noses if their hypocritical standards were not met, and it only made Karl’s acceptance that much sweeter. “Thank you, Karl. It means an awful lot to me, even if you and I don’t end up dating.”

  Karl nodded at me, and then got a fierce look in his eye. “You’re welcome, Mitch, and by the way, we’re already dating. Now, let’s turn the conversation to more important things, such as dessert. I’d just as soon have you for dessert, but you won’t fit on the plate. Perhaps we can find something else just as sweet, eh?” We both laughed, and the somber mood was broken. We ordered a piece of cheesecake and two forks, happy to share like an old married couple. Somehow he knew just how to put the evening back on track, and we resumed o
ur conversation. We discovered shared interests in cooking, running, antiques, and movies. Politically, we belonged to different parties, but agreed to disagree without letting the discussion become heated. In addition to his good looks, the man was charming, kind, and an excellent conversationalist. I was already smitten, and could only hope he felt the same way about me.

  We finished our meal but continued talking for another hour, enjoying our time together and not wanting it to end. Karl refused to let me pay for my meal, and I was secretly relieved and flattered. Moments later, we found ourselves in the parking lot, ready to say goodbye. Karl turned and pressed me up against the side of the car. He looked at me with those incredible blue eyes, and I couldn’t resist him. I raised my face to him, meeting him halfway until our lips touched in a gentle kiss.

  My cock was hard and throbbing against his thigh, and I could feel his sizeable manhood pressed into my stomach. He pulled back slightly, but I wrapped my hands around the back of his neck and pulled him in for another taste. I nibbled on his lower lip, enjoying the mild abrasion of his whiskers against my face. I placed my lips firmly on his and opened my mouth in silent invitation. His warm tongue darted in and played with mine as his large hands cradled my face on either side. I was lost in sensation, and couldn’t stop the soft moan which escaped my throat.

  Karl pulled back and peppered my face and jaw with tender little kisses. Finally, he wrapped his strong arms around me in a warm hug which left me dizzy. His scent and tender ministrations overwhelmed me, hungry as I was for the loving touch of another man. After a few moments, he pulled back far enough to look me in the eye. “Mitch, if I don’t stop now I don’t think I can control myself. I want to…you…you make me crazy. You are so beautiful, and I don’t think you realize it. When can I see you again?”