Page 13 of First Class Feelings

“How about something with tacos? A variety. That seems like it would give us plenty of options.”

She smiles. "Yes, sir, there's plenty of those around here. If you head out onto the main street and take a left, you will find both sides of the road are covered in things from shops you could go and sit down at, to carts where you can grab something on the go and keep walking. Just follow your nose."

Her words make me laugh. I thank her before tucking Foster to my side again. We take off in the direction she said. He moves like he knows where we're going, though I can tell he's also letting me guide him with my hand on his back.

He's teetering between his big and little sides. While I could tell him which one to choose, I know that this is something he has to feel out for himself.

All this seems new to him, both the dynamics that we have and his choice to be nonverbal. I've seen him looking at me several times as if he wants to speak, but he doesn't have the words.

As we walk, I point out different things to him, noting how they're interesting and might be something we could do together at another time.

“If anything smells good, just tell me. We can stop and look at any menu options. We're in no hurry,” I say.

As we pass a cart, the man there is warming up tortillas, and he's got a vast selection of meats. They look delicious, but since my boy doesn't stop, I keep on moving.

A few more blocks go by before I see him freeze. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in, then turns to look across the street. Traffic is fairly busy, but people are moving about as if it's normal.

I see a sign with bright colors, just like the rest of the city, but it's also got this cartoonish style to it. There are pictures on the sign too. It looks as if it's some place dedicated to families and little kids rather than grown men.

Not that that would stop me. If it's what Foster wants, it's what he'll get.

He looks from me to the sign, then points.

“Okay little one, let's go check it out,” I tell him before linking our fingers together and jumping into the fray of things. We weave through bodies and traffic to cross the street.

At the restaurant door, we're greeted by a friendly woman wearing a colorful smock. She greets us in Spanish. Thankfully, I'm fluent enough to speak with her.

"Welcome," she says.

"Thank you," I reply. "We followed the smell. It's enticing. Do you have a menu?"

She nods, pulling out a folded piece of paper from her pocket. It's obvious this is a mom and pop type of place. Somewhere that doesn't see a lot of heavy traffic but clearly has delicious enough food to stay in business.

On the page is a small typed up list of what they have. Once I look over, I show Foster. He nods eagerly, but he doesn't point to one specific thing.

I tilt my head and look at him. "Would you like to try all of it?"

He bites his lip and gives me a slow nod this time, as if he's worried I won't agree.

Silly boy. He’ll learn that I’ll give him anything he wants. All he has to do is tell me.

I tell the woman, "We would like one of everything, please. Well, two of them, actually. And then we might need more depending on what we like.”

Her eyes widen as she takes back the menu and waves us in eagerly.

"Come, come sit," she tells me, switching to English.

When she opens the door, I see that it is… a Little's paradise, basically. There are crayons, markers, and coloring books laid out on a long table on one side. There’s a carpeted area with books on short bookshelves. It looks like a cozy place to sit. There's also a screen playing an animated movie, and a wall full of sippy cups, bottles, and divided plates.

What I also notice is that there is not a single child in sight. The room is filled with men like us and even some women. I spot a few androgynous people as well, so I hold off the rest of my gender speculation.

But, wow, what a varied group.

The woman sees me looking around and grins up at me. I wonder if maybe we've just been pegged for what we are.

"Your boy will be happy here," she tells me in perfect English. I gape at her as she laughs and twirls away.

Yeah, we've just been bamboozled.

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