Page 9 of Finding Frankenstein a Date

“I work every weekday from eleven until seven,” Vince told him. “And there’s a dish or three I would recommend.”

“Then I’ll definitely have to come back and give them all a try.”

“Then, I guess I’ll see you again,” Vince said as he stood.

Franky nodded. “Yeah, I guess you will.”

“Excellent.”

Franky watched him go, admiring Vince’s ass. He was very well put together.

“Did you just make a date with our server?” Drac asked.

“No, I did not.” He hadn’t. Had he? No, a date was a set time when two people met to have dinner or watch a movie, or even just go for a walk. He was just coming back to try the food.

“But you are coming back,” Drac insisted.

“Well, the food is good and I need to eat.”

“Well, then…” Drac waggled his eyebrows.

“Leave him alone, Drac.” Bob took a few bills out of his wallet and set them on the table. “It’s been a rough day.”

Drac pouted, but he also nodded. “I’m sorry, Franky. I was just teasing.”

“That’s okay.” And really, Franky meant that. It was okay. He was okay. The attempt to find a date had been a flop, but he wasn’t feeling particularly upset about it right now. He’d take it.

Chapter Three

Franky loved Halloween night. He loved being able to hand out candies to the trick-or-treaters and wander the streets and not worry about people saying anything about how he looked. Or even thinking he looked out of place or strange. He fit right in on Halloween.

The doorbell rang again, triggering sounds of ghosts and screams, and he flung open the door.

“Who dares darken my door this night?” He used his best monster voice.

There were a couple of screams amongst the half dozen kids at the door but mostly giggles and smiles, and as one, they all held up their treat collectors and shouted, “Trick or treat!”

“Hrmmm.” He pretended to contemplate which one he was going to go for, and then he nodded his head. “Treat!”

Smiling, he put two full-sized candy bars into each receptacle. “Great costumes, guys. Happy Halloween.”

“Happy Halloween!”

“Thank you, mister.”

“Did you see that? Two whole bars!”

“Told you it was worth coming up to the haunted house.”

The kids ran down the walkway like the hounds of hell were after them, but they were happy with their haul and themselves for bravely facing Franky and Drac’s old house.

Franky shook his head as he closed the door, but he didn’t mind. The house was old and unique on the street, and it very much earned its role as haunted. In fact, he and Drac cultivated the look. The outside appeared quite dilapidated, but once you went in, they’d kept the place in its original splendor. Its appearance kept people at bay. Except for real estate agents. For some reason, the old place seemed to draw in the most annoyingly persistent of that breed, wanting to sell the place for them. Why would they want to sell their home?

The last guy had been so annoying, coming back a half dozen times to try to convince them, that Franky had almost let Drac feast on him. Almost. If he came back again, Franky was strongly inclined to let Drac have at him, and that wasn’t a sentiment he ever spent a lot of time on.

The doorbell moaned and groaned a few more times, and Franky admired costumes and handed out chocolate bars, admiring the moon that hung fat and bright in the sky overhead. It really added to the ambiance.

By nine, things had slowed considerably, the doorbell only going off a couple times in the last hour.