The sordid tale continues.
Horatio sat in his office, sipping his usual coffee. His area was a maze of folders strewn about, books, markers, and pictures of experimental gummies. In the corner was a file cabinet. On top was a coffee can containing a small pole bean plant. Its stalks intertwined through the handles of the file cabinet. Co-workers laughed about this, figuring it had been ages since any filing had ever been performed.
Coffee consumed, Horatio donned his white lab smock and set off to the tasting lab. Seeing his reflection in a window, he marveled, "How fine. Mighty fine indeed."
Sid peeked through a window of Mulberry Confections Inc. Workers dashed about carrying trays of chocolates and other delicacies. Suddenly, a bell rang. Trays were set down, and workers disappeared for lunch. Sid slipped unnoticed through a side door. On the wall, a sign pointed toward the gummy tasting lab. Yes! thought Sid. That's what that oaf is eating every day... looking so smug. That's why Flabby gave him the golden gummy. It all made sense now. He rushed to the lab, where a tray of experimental gummies lay in wait. He dug the gold beauty out of his pocket, picked off some lint, then added it to the gummy pile. Soon he was back in his alley home... laughing.
During lunch, Horatio was in the loo, draining his pouch when the return-to-work bell tolled. Hurriedly, he cleaned the bag seal surfaces, folded and secured the Velcro, and with a flourish, gave the drain a single fold and attached his trusty IGGIE clip. Bumbling out of the stall, his pantaloons inflated like a bellows minus the pleats; Horatio resembled a Venetian character in an Italian commedia dell'arte. A quick peek in the mirror, and soon he was back in the tasting lab. Immediately, the golden gummy caught his eye.
In his youth, Horatio attended university studying sugar biology. A popular member of the Bio-Sci club, he was always up for a good time, sugar rush, or a dare. One fateful night, Sheila Sinclair waltzed into his life. Toast of the girls' Glee club, she was the most tasty gal he had ever encountered. Eager to impress, he invited her to his laboratory. It was there... it happened.
After spying on her all semester from afar, Horatio ginned up his courage and invited her to his laboratory.
A bright, full moon cast faint shadows as Horatio escorted Sheila through the gardens surrounding the student lab building. Timidly, he reached for her hand. "Oh Horatio!" she purred. "We've just met."
Climbing the entrance steps, a voice rang out. "Hey Horie! What's ya got there, pal?" Damn. It was his lab mate Warrior. Skipping up the steps, Warrior looked Sheila up and down, letting out a low whistle. "Boy Horie, you can sure pick 'em." Embarrassed, Horatio ignored Warrior, opened the door, and left Warrior out in the cold.
The lab was neat, tidy, and smelling of burnt sugar. Wanting to impress, he showed her his current field of study: a slender beaker filled with yellowish fluid sprouting wires attached to analog meters. "This experiment separates carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms from a cube of sugar," he intoned. "The way these atoms are connected determines the resultant carbohydrate." "Oh Horatio, so clever," Sheila huskily whispered. Looking into her blue eyes, he could feel his trousers tighten. "Tell you what," she brightly said. "Let's have some fun." This... was music to Horatio's reddening ears. She dug in her clutch purse and pulled out a shiny Kennedy 50-cent piece. "I'm gonna put it between my lips. You try and snatch it away." She slid it in, half sticking out, motioned for Horatio to get close... closer. His heart was pounding as his lips closed over the coin. Their lips touched; he tightly bit down, pulling it. He almost had it out....
Stay tuned... will Horatio nab that coin and a kiss? What's with that Flabby broad? More to come in... Part 3.