Bottle
"So do you want the nacho cheese chips or the barbecue kind?" Freddie asked as him and Sam looked around the convenience store.
"Um, both," Sam replied.
"Of course," Freddie chuckled. "Did you grab the soda?"
"Uh-huh, three things of Mountain Fizz," Sam grinned, handing him the bottles. "Oh, and I threw in a few things of beef jerky too."
"Okay, well, I'll go check out then," Freddie said. "So we can get started on our movie day."
"Alright," Sam said. "I'm just going to look around some more."
"Please don't drink directly out of the slushie machine again," Freddie sighed.
"Relax, nub," Sam said. "I learned me lesson last time I did that…I had a brain freeze for two hours."
Freddie rolled his eyes as he left his girlfriend and headed up to the cashier.
"Wow…you having a party or something?" the cashier asked as she began bagging all of the items.
"Er, something," Freddie replied, noting that two bags of chips, three liters of soda, beef jerky, fourteen bags of candy and two giant tubs of ice cream did seem like a lot for just two people, but he knew if he didn't have a hefty supply of junk food during his and Sam's movie marathon, Sam wouldn't let him hear the end of it. And since him and Sam had just gotten back together a few weeks ago, he wanted to keep his girlfriend happy.
After Freddie had paid for all the snacks, he picked up the bags and looked around for Sam.
"Hey, just give me a second," Sam said, stepping out from one of the aisles with a bottle of iced tea and a hot dog in her hand. "I'm just gonna grab this."
"Oh, here, let me get that for you," Freddie said, reaching for his wallet again. "I told you the movie refreshments were one me."
"Nah, that's okay," Sam told him. "These aren't for me."
"Huh?" Freddie said, but Sam turned and handed the cashier a few bills.
"Alright," Sam said. "Let's head back to my place. Mama's ready for an afternoon of flicks. You want to start with the one where the dog goes back in time to fight in the Civil War? Or do you want to start with the one about the dude who gets his hand replaced with a shovel?"
"Um, the shovel one sounds interesting," Freddie said as they stepped out of the store. "So who'd you get the food for?"
"Oh, it's for Lou," Sam replied simply.
"Lou?"
"Yeah," Sam nodded. "It's Saturday. Every Saturday I bring him a hot dog and an iced tea. It's tradition."
"Okay…" Freddie said as they turned a corner. "Who's Lou?"
But before Sam had the chance to reply, Freddie suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. The couple had just turned into an alleyway where a man with long, unruly hair and torn, stained clothing was sitting next to a large shopping cart.
"Um, Sam, we-we should turn around," Freddie said softly, taking Sam's hand.
"What? No, that's Lou," Sam chuckled, stepping over to the man. "Hey, Lou!"
The man looked up and at the sight of Sam approaching, his weathered face broke into a toothless grin. "Sam! You came!"
"Course I did, it's Saturday," Sam said, sitting down in front of him and handing him the hot dog and iced tea. "And I got you lunch."
"You're too good to me," Lou beamed, taking a huge bite from his hot dog. "Oh…that's good stuff. Haven't had anything hot since last time you came. Hey! Who's that punk there behind you? He giving you trouble?"
"Huh? Oh, no," Sam said quickly. "That's my boyfriend, Freddie. I've told you about him."
"Oh! The boyfriend!" Lou nodded in a way that eerily made Freddie think of Uncle Carmine.
"Freddie, this is my friend Lou," Sam said.
"Er…nice-nice to meet you," Freddie said, still a bit confused as to what exactly was happening.
"You treating Sam here right?" Loud demanded at once. "She's a real good girl, you know. She's been talking with me for years."
"I-I think so," Freddie stammered.
"He's alright, Lou," Sam assured him. "We're actually on our way to spend the day together now. But I wanted to stop by and say hi first. Hey, did you figure out how to fix that possum problem you were having?"
"Yeah, I got that under control," Lou replied. "Those rotten creatures won't be giving me any problems anymore. But I don't want to keep you from your date. Go on now, have a good time."
"Alright, well I'll see you next week then," Sam said, getting to her feet. "Oh! I brought you this too!"
She reached into her backpack and pulled out an umbrella. "It's supposed to rain tonight, and I know you told me last week yours got broken."
"Thank you, dear," Lou said. He turned to Freddie. "You're a real lucky fellow, young man."
Freddie smiled. "I know."
As the two turned around and headed out of the alley, Freddie glanced down at Sam. "So…you've really been visiting him for years?"
"Yeah," Sam nodded. "He's had it kind of rough, lately. He has a real sad backstory. See, he used to be a pretty successful musician a few years back. But then his wife got sick, and he gave up playing to take care of her full-time. But, well, his wife died and he had invested everything they had in trying to get her better. After she died he lost his house, he couldn't find a job, and, well, he had nothing."
"Wow…" Freddie said softly. "That's-That's terrible."
"I know," Sam nodded. "That's why I like going to see him. I think having someone to talk to makes him feel a little better."
"I bet," Freddie agreed. "You know, it-it's really nice of you to do that. I don't know many people who would do something like that."
"Yeah, well, he doesn't deserve to have nobody," Sam shrugged. "Nobody does…"
"No, they don't," Freddie said, leaning down to give Sam a quick kiss. "And I am really lucky to have someone like you."
