Free On the Streets of New Orleans by Lynn Lorenz

paper bag at him. Tony took it and looked inside. Apples, oranges, and bananas filled the sack.
    “Whoa! This is great! Thanks, Roscoe.” He looked up at the old man.
    “Well, go on. Git! I’m sure you got somewhere you need to be.”
    “Yessir!”
    “See you tomorrow, boy.” Roscoe headed for the cab of the truck.
    Tony waved at him, tucked the bag under his arm, and started toward the restaurant to pick up his boyfriend.
    Man, he liked the way that sounded. ’Course, they’d never said anything, made anything official or nothing, but still, Scott had come to live with him, hadn’t he?
    He reached Tiffany’s, and Scott came down the alley. “Hey, Tony!”
    Tony’s heart did a little flip at the big smile and warmth in Scott’s pale blue eyes.
    “Hey, man. Look what I got.” He showed Scott the bag.
    Scott peered inside and reached in. “An apple!” He took a bite. “Delicious, my favorite. Thanks.”
    “I made a lot of money today.” Tony almost busted with pride.
    “Great. I did okay too. Hey, on our way home, let’s stop at the drug store on Canal and pick up a few things.”
    They started walking down Decatur toward Canal, just strolling side by side, chatting about their day. When they reached Central Grocery, Tony stopped.
    “Hey, my treat for dinner, right?”
    “Yeah.”
    “How about we split a muffaletta?” Tony motioned to the door.
    “Sounds great!” They went inside, stood in line, and ordered. In no time the guys behind the high wooden counter built the large round sandwich, ladled on the olive salad, wrapped it up to go, and put in a bag. Tony added two sodas from the machine, paid, and Scott carried it out.
    “Where you want to eat?” Scott asked.
    “How about in the square? The riverfront will be too cold.”
    So they walked down to Jackson Square, found a bench in the sun, sat, and spread open the paper-wrapped sandwich, cut in quarters, between them. They each ate half, along with another apple for Scott, and a banana for Tony.
    Tony sat back as he took a long drink from his soda, staring at his man, at the landscaped square, and figured Man, it just doesn’t get any better than this .
     
     
    SCOTT WANDERED down the aisle and found the clocks. He picked out one with an illuminated dial that worked on batteries. It had an alarm and a snooze button. Then he moved over one aisle and found two flashlights, complete with batteries, and put those in the basket slung over his arm.
    Tony came around the corner and dumped six candy bars in.
    “Whoa! Sweet tooth attack!” Scott chuckled.
    Tony just shrugged. “You done?”
    “Almost. Come on.” Scott led the way to one of the last aisles and stopped in front of a shelf filled with condoms. He glanced at Tony, who stared at him wide-eyed.
    “Figured we might need some.” Scott kept his voice low, so no one would hear them.
    Tony just nodded. Scott wasn’t sure if fear or excitement burned in his lover’s eyes, but no matter which it was, it turned him on.
    Scott moved over a bit, searching for what else he’d need, and pulled a tube of lube off the rack. He tossed it in the basket and grinned up at Tony, who nearly choked as his head whipped around to see if anyone had seen Scott’s selection.
    “Relax.” Scott rolled his eyes. “No one cares, Tony.”
    They went to the counter and checked out. Scott paid for the clock, flashlights, and sex stuff, and Tony paid for the candy bars. They took the plastic bag, grabbed another one for the bag of fruit Tony still held, and left.
    Tony and Scott walked down Canal Street toward the Tchoupitoulas bus stop. They caught the bus and made it home just as it got dark.
     
     
    AFTER TWO quick, icy showers, they dried off, and with a wordless understanding between them, crawled into bed naked. Scott set the alarm, put the clock on the floor on his side of the bed, and rolled over to face Tony.
    The room’s darkness deepened as full night came on, and Tony’s face disappeared, less