Carl's Place

After college, I meet Shar by the college carpark. There, she gives me a kiss as we exchange small talk about how our days went as we walk to our destination. According to Shar, we didn't have far to go. As I look around, I got a feeling we weren't in the nicest of neighborhoods, but that might just be the nerves that come with venturing into the unknown.

Eventually, we arrive at a house that has a bright, if not admittedly cluttered front yard, packed with statues that seemingly have come from around the world. Once we're at the front door, Shar rings the doorbell, which summons a scrawny guy with long grey hair and a grey beard. He's easily in his fifties, if not older, and wears only flip-flops and sweat shorts.

"Hey there Shar. Long time no see." He says as he unleashes a grin.

"Hey Carl. How's it going?"

"Good good. So who's your friend here?" Carl asks.

"This is my boyfriend, Andrew."

His eyes go wide. "Boyfriend?"

Shar shrugs. "Yeah. Guess I'm getting old, huh?"

Carl lets out a slight chuckle before he turns to me. "Well, nice to meet ya dude."

He offers to shake my hand so I do. "Nice to meet you too Carl."

"Alrighty. So how about you come on in?"

We follow Carl into his house, where I'm hit by the strong odor of marijuana. Guess this is the right place.

"I assume you're here for some of the good stuff, right?" Carl asks.

Nodding, Shar says "Yeah. Got a party coming up and I need something to liven it up."

"Right on. I'll see what I have. You two just take a seat and I'll be right with you."

"Sure thing."

I follow Shar to the living room, which is host to various objects such as tribal drums, a well-used guitar, some sort of psychedelic flag, and of course, a copious amount of bongs. Certainly a bit cluttered, but it was relatively clean. Once we sat down, I watched Shar pull out a seemingly hefty amount of cash from her purse. Carl soon comes around with a duffel bag presumably filled with ****.

"So, whatcha need?" Carl asks.

"Certainly not that much. Jeez." Shar replies.

The two start discussing the details of their transaction. I can't say a **** deal was exactly what I'd call a romantic date, but at the same time, the night is still young. Eventually, the two come to an agreement. Once they shake hands, Carl asks "So, you guys wanna light up?"