My Boyfriend Is A Flesh Walker

Mr. Mystery

Grandma lived in a quiet neighborhood. The only noise she would complain about was how some of the neighbor's kids would rev the engines of their brand-new cars before speeding off to school in the morning. I was always her favorite, she said she helped my mother choose my name, Evangaline. She likes to enjoy her morning tea alone, in peace, watching the birds build their nests in early spring. She enjoyed gardening and every once in a while would send me morning glory seeds to plant in the early spring. But this year I am traveling back from the city to come to see her. This year we could plant our morning glories together.

    My grandmother owns a salon that she built off the side of her home. She is good at what she does, but recently she needs some help. I came down to offer my help with her work. “My darling!” I stood on her porch, bags in hand. “Welcome home.” She welcomed me in with a hug that smelled like fresh apple pie and helped me get my bags upstairs into one of the guest rooms. One of the upstairs rooms was closed, which was odd. These were my cousin's old rooms and grandma always kept the doors open for the cats to come in and out.

    “Grans, why is Mandie’s old room closed?” Grans looked at me with a look of remembrance.

    “Sweet boy, Ian!” What? Who was Ian, what was Ian, and why was Ian? “I rented out one of these old rooms to a super sweet kid, he’s helping me with the shop and pays rent.” Why am I here if she already got help? “He’s around your age, you know.”

    “Thanks, Grams,” I started to get myself settled in my room, “But I can mingle on my own time, I’m only here for a week.” I started to hook my clothes onto hangers. Grams went back downstairs to feed the cats, the upstairs fridge was packed with food. Grabbing a yogurt and a beer, I made myself to the upstairs lounge. All of our old consoles and video games were still up here. My sketchpads and supplies are still on the desk. “Place never changed.” Popping open my beer, I heard strange noises coming from the new kid's room. I hope she didn’t bring in a druggie.

    After finishing my sorry attempt at breakfast, I went downstairs to help Grams open the shop. I wiped down the widows, swept the floors, and emptied her bins. Grams said she’d do my nails in return but she wasn’t so thrilled when I told her I wanted black stilettos. “I need a smoke,” I said to myself, wiping sweat and hair off of my arms.

    “That stuff kills you, ya know?” Mr. Mystry himself.

    “Ian?” I lit a cig and slipped it between my lips.

    “Yeah?”

    “Nice to meet you, Ian,” I blew a small cloud of grey towards him, “Mind your own.” He balled his fist around the broom he picked up. I let Grams know I finished prepping the shop and went out for the day. Not far, just out in the backyard. I lay there for what could have been hours, watching those same morning birds, reminding myself of all the good times spent in this backyard.

            "It's nearly night." Mr. Mystery.

            "I could have figured that out." I sat up from the grass and looked up at him, "You drink?"

    “Why would I?” What a buzz kill.

    “Ok, Mr. Health,” I opened the back door with buzz kill following behind me, “I’ll just crack one with Grams.”

    “Murine is out, she had to pick up cosmetic supplies down at Sam’s Beauty.” He was still following me as I went up the stairs. I sat down on the couch next to Juni, Grams's fluffy black cat. Me and Juni curled under a blanket and settled in with a book. Beer and a book, just like Gramps used to do it.

    “Which one of your family members was the artist?” Ian was flipping through my sketchbooks. “I’ve been looking at these since I got here, but can’t figure them out.”

    “What’s to figure out?”

    “Why these drawings look so familiar to me.” He emphasized the word familiar as if he weren’t sure about what to say.

    “Their my books.” He looked over at me, more or less like a deer in headlights. “When I was sixteen I started having these waves of nausea, I fell really sick and was bedridden for like a month. I got really into sci-fi movies and started to draw the monsters I would see.”

    “You drew all of these?” He set the sketch pad back down on the desk.

    “When I was sixteen.” I reiterated. I guess he was done talking because he stormed right off to his room. “What is up with Mr. Mystery?” I asked Juni, who just looked up at me as confused as I was.
   
Grams started my morning with a full table. Eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, anything she knew how to cook. Ian was already At the table when I went down. “He eats with us too?” Grams gave me the ‘don’t be rude’ look while stirring sweet and low into her coffee.

“Murine offers, but I always give her extra with my rent for it.” Grams gave him a shocked look.

“No work today, Eva, why don’t you and Ian go and do something?” She raised her eyebrows at me. Oh, don’t you dare woman. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen Eva with a boy.”

“Ron is waiting for me back in Phili, you know?”

“The same Ron who has never come with you to meet your family?” Touche. “My point still stands.”

“I’m down to go anywhere.” No one asked you, Mr. Mystery.

    After breakfast, I went back up to look at those sketchbooks. The same ones Ian spends so much time ogling at. He left it open on a drawing of a tall slender, white and black fleshy being. His lanky limbs were shadowy with a black ashy color that faded up his legs and arms. Strong boney horns the same color as its body.