"Oh, she'd be so cute in dis!" Randy held up a tiny pumpkin costume to show his seven-month-old daughter's mother, Mei, as he beamed proudly at his find.
"It is adorable, but what about this one?" Mei asked while pulling a similar sized ladybug costume to show to Penelope's father to see.
"Ah ha!" Randy laughed happily as he put the pumpkin costume back on the rack. "You win! Dat's da one fer sure!" Randy gave Mei a light hug, with one arm, as the feline woman held the outfit up to their daughter in the child's seat of their cart.
"She's so adorable!" Yet another passing by, fellow customer, praised while walking by the family of three. The seemingly family of three.
Proton had held back, more than a few feet away, from the proud parents as they shopped for their young girls first Halloween. He'd be lying if he tried to say he wasn't annoyed that his male lover had seemed to completely forgot about his presence in the store. And also, all the complaints the family of three got from others, as they just smiled and accepted them happily.
Proton recalled how Randy had admitted how in love he was with Mei before, and even refinding that feeling after the two men's first break up. Randy had been thrilled at the thought of getting back together whit her after their hooking up, but that never ended up happening. The older male squirrel finally pushed that aside until Randy brought up, drunkenly, a few months back that Mei admitted she had really been hoping she and the younger male squirrel could be a real couple right before finding out she was pregnant. But only held back on pushing for it once finding out Randy was already in a relationship. A gay relationship that Proton swore Mei had recently started to intentionally try to break apart.
"You had your chance and blew it!" Proton damned the woman in his head as he glared at the seeming happy couple continuing to shop for their child, without care, while he was left behind unnoticed.
"Such a cutie!" Another young woman applauded while stopping her cart and taking in the mixed couple's young girl as her male companion looked on at her interaction with the child with worry.
"Thanks!" Randy grinned with enthusiasm while pulling Mei in for a hug, again with only one arm, as he puffed his chest out proudly at his family.
"The family unit they both really want." Proton realized before turning abruptly and walking off. Randy had forgot he was even there, so why should he both follow behind and witness the fact that his soon to be husband wasn't truly happy with him?
Proton had made his way slowly down more than a few aisles of the store while thinking back on his own similar experience with his now ex wife nearly 20 years ago. Static, his oldest, was 11. His young daughter, Aashini, was 7. His wife at the time, Valery, was excited to have the whole family together for shopping for the event. However, Proton was tired and more than irritated to be drug into a store that day. Val, and the children, constantly came up to him joyfully with what they each other to dress up as, but he only nodded while showing how uninterested in the event he was. Even more so than times past.
"I was truly a bad father." He thought comparing his, and Randy's, efforts side by side. "No wonder they both hate me." Proton sighed while finding himself in the garden department. He had no real interest in this area, as he paid other to tend to such tasks for him, but looked around not sure what else to do. "Set him free." A thought creeped up on him right before his cell phone started to chime.
"My Love." The callers ID lite up. Proton bit his lip as he finally answered it while walking out into the parking lot. "Yes?" He quested trying not to let his voice shake.
"Where da heck are ya, babe? I've been looking around da last ten minutes." Randy sighed seemingly a tad upset.
"I've been gone over an hour." Proton stated with irritation while walking by the many cars parked far closer than his. "Seems you have more important things on your mind besides me." He lashed out the last bit as he slammed his car door and turned his key in the ignition.
"What da hell? We agreed to come here and get Penelope ready fer her first Halloween. Why are ya being so mean for no reason?!" Randy now yelled back showing off how upset he was.
"Seems you, and Mei, are made for each other what with your baby and all, so I'm pulling out!" Proton scolded while pulling his car out of its parking spot. "We are done!" Proton screamed before hanging up the phone and turning it off.
It took the purple squirrel over an hour to calm down and drive himself back home. The hours came and went, but Randy never showed up. Proton refused to even turn on his phone, even for work, as he didn't want to hear from his boyfriend in text vs in person. 4 days went by... before Proton started to find himself freaking out.
He turned on his phone and saw that Randy had tried to call him over 30 times... but no messages. Proton let out a large sigh and called back to his boyfriend, that he'd cut off, in the hopes they might be able to pull back from this most recent crash. Besides Randy's obvious continued obsession with Mei.
"Yeah?" Randy asked meekly on the other end of the line.
"I..." Proton started to push out there before becoming broken up and pulling himself away from his phone.
"It's ok." Randy mumbled. "Everyone hate's me, so ya don't gotta go inta extra reasons. I get it." The younger male squirrel admitted as if very embarrassed. "Sorry I wasted yer time, but I want ya ta know." He sighed again before his words became sterner. "I never loved no one like I loved ya. EVER. Ya are my best memory." Randy's words started to become broken up while seemingly giving up on the call.
"Where are you?" Proton now demanded, while finding himself edged on.
"Mei's Place." Randy replayed as if not thinking about it.
"I'll can be there in 15 minutes!" The older man stated before wondering if he'd be met happily. "Can I come?"
"Of course." Randy replayed seeming hurt.
"We need to talk." Proton asserted.
"I just miss ya." Randy replied with worry in his voice. "So, I don't care what ya gotta say ta me so long as I can hug ya." The younger male squirrel pleaded. "I've been so lost without ya, baby!" Randy now whined as if begging for his attention.
"You didn't seem that interested in me before." Proton said before he hung up and turned off his phone. He wanted to let Randy know the totally isolation he'd just felt himself. If only for the 15-minute drive he was about to make to see his younger lover in person. Letting the brown furred squirrel squirm a little more might not be the nicest thing to do, but he wanted to make a point. He was in charge and would not put up with being overlooked any further.
