I realized there were two men in the car. The driver slowly turned to look at me, and I was surprised to see an elderly man with snow-white hair. His ice blue eyes were almost shocking in their beauty, and his mouth was stunning as he slowly smiled. He gradually raised a hand and waved. Suddenly, the car lifted off the ground and bounced several times in rhythm with the beat of Low Rider. What appeared to be a bobble head bounced on the dashboard and I was almost sure it was a plastic depiction of the Holy mother. I told myself it couldn’t be, and that I was being ridiculous.
I stood there in shock and finally laughed before waving back. The man nodded and shut off the car. The music instantly ceased, leaving the street silent again. I watched him get out of the car and then slowly shut the creaky old door. He methodically leaned down and locked the car as the second man climbed out holding a carrier for small animals. He was surprisingly tall just like the first man. Also elderly, but he still had a full head of dark brown hair. When he turned to me and smiled, I was stunned to note he had beautiful eyes too. They were best described as a Bahama blue color. He slowly raised his hand and waved, calling out a greeting.
“Good morning!”
“Good morning!” I called back, turning on my brightest smile. The sun was barely beginning to crest over the horizon, so I knew I couldn’t stop and talk with the two old timers for long, but I just couldn’t help myself. They were both startlingly beautiful…and incredibly old.
The white haired one walked slowly around the car, moving at a snail’s pace, making sure he watched the ground as much as he looked up to see where he was going. When he met up with the second man, he took hold of the hand he held out. It was a sweet gesture, but it could have been construed in many ways. I decided then and there that the men were a couple. They most definitely looked like they could be happily joined at the hip.
They shuffled toward me and as they got closer, I saw that the white haired one was wearing a blue short sleeved shirt with an eagle patch from the United States Postal Service. He wore a name tag that read Jedidiah. Jesus, they walked slow. It took them three whole minutes to cross from their car to where I stood beside my Civic twenty yards away. Jedidiah had to be the slowest mail carrier I’d ever seen. He moved like a sloth. They both did.
The mail carrier stuck out his hand when he finally reached me. “Jedidiah Eubanks, at your service,” he said, deliberately enunciating each syllable.
I took his hand and shook it. “Vincent Lasco. Nice to meet you.” He nodded to me, and then I turned to the other man, shaking the hand he offered as well.
“This is my better half, Thaddeus Wells,” the postman said, introducing us.
“Nice to meet you,” I said as he stared at me with those startling blue eyes.
“Nice to meet you too.” He slowly turned to his partner and lifted the cage which I could now see held two small ferrets. As he lifted the carrier, I noticed he wore a wedding ring. I checked…and sure enough, Jedidiah wore a matching ring. “Gotta get these guys to Doc Baker,” he said slowly.
“Are they sick?” I asked, curiously. They seemed to be fine, happy, and playful ferrets.
Thaddeus slowly turned to me and smiled. I noted that he had amazing dimples. Both old guys were stunning in their own way.
“Nope. It’s just time for their checkup,” Thaddeus replied.
“Well, get goin’, darlin’. I’ll meet you at the diner for lunch,” Jedidiah said slowly. “That should give you time to have Orlando and William seen by the doc and do a little shoppin’.”
The white-haired Jedidiah had a southern drawl. I’d lived all over the US and I was sure his drawl had origins in Virginia or West Virginia…maybe Georgia? I couldn’t be precise.
When Jedidiah leaned close to Thaddeus and kissed him full on the mouth, I couldn’t help but be charmed as hell. The two old men who moved like sloths, were the sweetest couple I’d ever met. I felt a sudden jolt of electricity in my hand, and I looked down, realizing that it was the hand I’d used to shake the two men’s hands. My gaze shot back up as I stared at them, wondering whether the shock had come from the handshakes. It had to be…so why had it been delayed?
They moved as slow as snails…no, that wasn’t right. I narrowed my eyes.
“Are you sloth shifters?” I blurted. Apparently, I had absolutely no filter this morning. What was happening to me? Ever since meeting Romeo, everything about me seemed to be changing.
Both men threw back their heads and laughed. They slapped each other on the shoulders and shook their heads as they completely ignored my question and shuffled off, going their separate ways, leaving me standing and wondering in the middle of the street. I shook myself out of my musings and headed for Prosper Woods Antiques.
Greg
Sam and I stood in the sheriff’s kitchen the day after the only life I’ve ever known ended. What on earth was I thinking? Other wolves in our pack had always called me names because I was impulsive and didn’t always think things through, and they’d been right. If I hadn’t told Sam to try and make friends with Vincent the vampire
