Mrs. Mazel's Marvelous Men

Chapter 1

"Buying a man is decidedly better than eating a bar of chocolate." -Mrs. Mazel

Mimi gazed at the document, the contract sealing her fate. All she needed to do was sign. Sign, and he would be hers. Could a woman really wholly own a man? Mimi swallowed hard only to feel her mouth again fill with saliva. Mimi had been alone most her twenties. Well wait, that wasn't true, she had companions, friends, confidants, but she never had the heat from a body warm her bed. Would his body give off heat?

The delivery man, dressed in pink coveralls, with a backwards matching pink cap, cleared his throat and popped his chewing gum.

"Ma'am I need ya ta sign so I can be on my way."

Mimi shook herself from her thoughts,

"Oh, sorry. Yes. Of Course."

Mimi took the clipboard extended to her, and signed the document, releasing him to her. The delivery man tucked the clipboard under his arm, and hollered to his partner,

"Aye, Sammy-boy she signed, let one of 'em off the truck!"

Sammy, who was leaning against the hood of their pink delivery truck, gave a salute,

"Right-o-boss-man!"

Sammy made his way to the back of the truck and thrust open the sliding door. It made a large banging sound that made Mimi jump. The man with the clipboard eyed Mimi, and smirked,

“First purchase?"

Mimi blinked confused, "I beg your pardon?"

The man popped his chewing gum again, and said slowly,

"Is. This. Your. First. Purchase, with our company?"

Indignant, Mimi pulled at the apron covering her black shirt-waist dress. She cleared her throat and said,

"Why does that matter?"

The man laughed,

"It doesn't, but I like to play a little game with myself to see if I can sniff out the new buyers."

Defiant, Mimi asked,

“...and?"

The delivery man leaned against her front door's frame, and accessed her. He moved his gaze slowly starting at her black kitten heels, pausing momentarily at her wide hips, narrow waist, and stopping at her soft chestnut curls. Mimi felt nervous in her stomach. She licked her lips and forced herself to look the man in his eyes. He smiled,

"Oh, you're most decidedly a new buyer."

At that moment Sammy had a tall and tapered box leaning on a dolly, and he was rolling it down the truck's ramp. The box, Mimi noticed, had large words on the side that read: Mrs. Mazel's Marvelous Men




Chapter 2

"Naiveté is so last season." -Mrs. Mazel

Sammy rolled the box to Mimi’s front door. He brought the dolly up right, wiped his brow, and said,

"Okay, where ya want him?”

The other delivery man whose name was still unknown cut in,

“Probably in the living room to start, yes …” —he looked at the signed clipboard again to remind himself of her name—“…Miss. Mythglow?” He looked up from his clipboard and gave Mimi a smirk. Mimi gave a curt nod and clarified,

“Yes, I will unbox him in the living room.”

Sammy, sensing the subtle teasing his partner was doing, gave a quick nod and started to move the box through Mimi’s front door. Mimi pointed to her right,

“The living room is just over there.”

Sammy gave another quick nod. Mimi backed away from the front door so as to give him space. The no-name-delivery-man was still leaning on the front door’s frame, and she could feel his stare. Mimi, able to see the living-room from where she stood, watched as Sammy gingerly placed the box down a final time. Sammy wiped his brow a second time. The poor man sweats an awful lot, Mimi thought, and as if the no-name-delivery-man could read her thoughts said,

“He sweats because he’s nervous. He’s afraid of the damn things. I think he soaks through at least five bandanas a day.”

Mimi bit the inside of her bottom lip to keep from smiling. Sammy, hearing what his partner said, rapped the box with his knuckles and said,

“These are unholy things, Duke, and it would serve you right to be afraid of them.”

Sammy continued his rant as he walked from the living room to his partners side,

“I don’t mean ‘ta make you feel self-conscious ma’am, but there is something about these . . . these . . . contraptions, that just ain’t right, and I think a woman like—”

 “—Sammy,” Duke cut in, “it ain’t our business. Go start the truck.”


Immediately, Sammy knew he had said too much. With his hat in hand, Sammy murmured an apology and gave a bow of his head for good measure.

Mimi’s cheeks felt warm, but she appreciated Sammy’s honesty. She knew he was not coming from a malicious place. It was true, these knew robotic men were something out of, Rod Sterling’s, Twilight Zone. They were unsettling to some, but a way of the future for most. Moreover, Mimi found it quite hypocritical that this Duke fellow could make teasing implications, but, at the same time, chastise Sammy for his comments.

“Sammy, I respect your opinion. Although, I do believe I will be fine.”

Sammy, relieved that he had not offended her too badly, smiled and bowed his head again then made his way back to the truck. Mimi turned her attention to Duke,

“Is there anything else, Duke?”

Duke, entertained by by Mimi’s informality, said,

“Oh, that is all I need from you, Miss Mythglow. Unless, of course, there is something you need from me?”

Tired of the his teasing nature, Mimi shook her head no, and shut the door, hopefully on his nose.