Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 30747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Joey giggled. “Of course I remember you, Andy Andrew. I’ve been waiting for you to call me so that we can play together. Is that why you’re calling? Do you want to play?”
My heart slammed against my ribs. It was what I wanted more than anything, but I knew I shouldn't. I was a grown man who should be writing out bills and taking care of business instead of dreaming about playing children's games.
But I was dreaming of it; every night, without fail, when my mind was free of restraint, it drifted onto sweet dreams of dolls and teddy bears. I was disappointed every morning when I woke up and the playtime stopped. But now I had the chance to experience it for real; to know what it felt like to play without worry or hiding.
"I do," I answered in a whisper. I was afraid to admit it too loudly, but hoped that Joey heard me.
"Great! Want to come over to my apartment? I've got lots of toys."
I nodded my head in excitement although he couldn't see me. "Where do you live?"
"I live in the big apartment building on Main Street."
"Oh," I answered sadly. It was much too far for me to walk, and I didn't have any money for a cab.
"What's wrong?" he asked, sounding just as sad. "Is it because they're vampire apartments? You don't have to be afraid; vampires are very nice. Especially me."
I held the phone away from my ear and blinked at it before putting it to my ear again. "You're a vampire?" I knew there were many different species in the city, especially vampires, but I'd never met any personally.
"Yep! Wait, if you didn't know that, why did you sound worried about coming over to play? Am I being too pushy? Daddy says I can sound pushy sometimes when I'm excited. I just really want to be your friend; I don't mean to be rude."
"You're not rude," I answered quickly. "I want to be your friend too. It's just that I live on the other side of town and I can't drive."
"Oh, is that all? Don't worry; Daddy and I can come pick you up. Where do you live?"
Maybe I should have been leery about giving my address to a (mostly) stranger, but I instinctively trusted Joey. And I really wanted someone to talk to. I gave him the address to my own apartment and he answered, "Great. We'll be there soon to get you. Bring all of your favorite toys to play with. Bye, Andy Andrew!"
"Bye," I barely got out before the line went dead. My head spun from our conversation; Joey was full of energy, and he left me with dizzying thoughts. For one, it was hard to wrap my mind around the fact that Joey was a different species.
And hearing him say ‘Daddy’ was just as confusing as the first time I’d heard it. When I saw the two men together, they didn’t look like father and son; they acted romantically towards one another. I was left with many questions which I hoped would be answered by spending some time with Joey.
I stood from the table and went into my bedroom, kneeling on the floor beside my bed. I reached my arm beneath my mattress and pulled out my Barbie doll. I thought I’d lost her forever when Dalton threw her away in the alley. When he went to work, I snuck back to the dumpster to look for her, but found that someone had placed her on a cinder block, as if for me to find.
I hadn’t played with her or even held her since I brought her back to the apartment; not even since Dalton had been in jail. I knew that he was gone, but I kept envisioning him bursting through the door and yelling at me again.
I kept Barbie cradled against my chest as I walked back into the kitchen, eyeballing the bills on the table again. As excited as I was to have an escape, I couldn’t totally forget about my problems or responsibilities. Hoping that Joey or his ‘Daddy’ could offer some guidance, I slipped the envelopes into the back pocket of my jeans before pacing the floor as I waited.
It wasn’t long before there was a knock on my door. I hustled over and took a deep breath before opening it, finding Joey smiling from ear to ear and holding hands with the man he called Daddy.
While Joey was tall and thin, the other man was built more like me; short and stout, though he wasn’t quite as short or round as I was. My hair was curly like Joey’s, but mine was black, and I had thick-framed glasses in the same color.
“Hey Andy Andrew!” Joey greeted, smiling even brighter. “Are you ready to go play? Do you have your toys?” I nodded and held up my Barbie for him to see, and his grin shifted into a confused expression. “Is that the only one you're bringing?”