Michael Ginsberg (jewsinspace) wrote in spaceodyssey, @ 2014-09-10 23:40:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2014, 2014.12, } x |
DON'T THROW AWAY YOUR PLAYFUL BEGINNINGS
December 25th, 2014
It's Christmas, 3 PM. Michael's up early.
Normally he doesnāt spend any time in bed once heās awake, but he feels cozy and calm like heās had a good dream for once, and there are a couple texts waiting on his phone from Wolfgang. Thatās a good present. He peruses them lazily under the covers and writes back with a bearable level of shyness, trying for the billionth time not to think about kissing and touching. Heās been distracted at work all week. Stan is starting to ask questions about his ācell-phone girlfriend.ā
Thereās only so long Michael can feel peaceful as he is, though, because his dad is blasting the TV in the other room. Itās hard to fight past the reflex to call to him through the door, Turn it down, Pop, come on!ābut he regrets now all the other times he fought with Morris about the volume, in the months and years before he knew his own ears were the problem. So he says nothing, opting instead to cut his own comfort short and head outside. Being free on Christmas in New York City isnāt something everyone gets to experience, and this year heās freer than usual.
The texts from Wolfgang said that the shop is going to remain open today in case anyone has āholiday emergencies,ā and they're going to work the normal sort of hours, no arbitrary breaks. Michael had replied saying that was fine and he understood, but heās learning how Wolfgang isāif you leave them alone, theyāll get so absorbed in whatever theyāre doing that they wonāt eat or drink or breathe until something interrupts them and reminds them theyāre alive. God knows what theyāve been doing all day, because there canāt be that many mutants rushing in and out of there. They probably havenāt had lunch yet, so Michael decides to surprise them with some.
A lot of places he checks are closed, but itās not as much of a pain in the ass to look around as it used to beāstaying in the dark and feeling out the city is a lot faster than making a bunch of annoying calls. Eventually he finds one of the good burrito joints has kept its doors open, and rewards them with some business and a few compliments (āNothing even smells weird in here!ā) before heading over to the District.
The shop is the easiest place to travel to now, even simpler than Madison Avenue. The minute he steps through to the in-between, he wants to reach for it, look for itāand much of the time he does, just a brief check to make sure Wolfgang is okay. Itās almost harder not to. He only looks in the front of the shop, because looking in the back would feel wrong, but the front is where they are most of the time anyway. Sometimes he steps over so quickly he doesnāt really watch whatās happening on the other side before he gets there.
Thatās what happens now.