In Mad Hands: A Novella by Jon Athan

Author:Jon Athan [Athan, Jon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2026-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

8

PUPPY LOVE

Yoselyn stood in line at the concession stand in the movie theater’s lobby, cradling an empty popcorn bucket near her stomach. She was watching the customers at the neighboring cashier, though. A couple with two kids—an older boy and a younger girl—were ordering their snacks.

Face pressed against the snack display, the boy jabbed his index finger at the glass and said, “Twizzlers, Dad! I want Twizzlers! Dad, Twizzlers!”

The girl stood next to him and watched popcorn overflow from the kettle in a popcorn machine, hypnotized by the sight. She yawned, already sleepy.

Yoselyn smirked and thought: A little late for a movie, isn’t it?

She assumed they were there to watch the only kid’s movie playing at that theater—Max Keeble’s Big Move. Her smile grew as memories of her son shuffled through her mind. She wondered which movie they would watch with him for his first movie theater experience.

“Next!” The male voice broke her trance.

She looked straight ahead and saw the cashier beckoning to her. She stepped forward and placed her order—a refill of popcorn and a box of Milk Duds. While the cashier prepared her order, she heard the boy crying in the next line. It sounded like his world was ending.

His dad had passed on the Twizzlers.

Yoselyn’s motherly instincts told her to go comfort him, but she knew it wasn’t her place. She could see the boy’s parents were already trying to get him to cheer up anyway. With her popcorn and candy, she headed back. She had to show her ticket once more to return to her auditorium. She wasn’t really ‘getting’ Mulholland Drive, so she wasn’t in a big hurry, checking out all of the posters in the hall while flicking some popcorn into her mouth.

In the auditorium, she ducked her head and crept her way to a seat in the back next to Joel. They looked at each other. Joel could tell she wasn’t enjoying the movie. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t want to ruin the mood for everyone else. It wasn’t exactly a full house, but he respected cinema etiquette. So, he smiled at her and gave a little shrug: Hey, I’m liking it so far. Yoselyn handed him the bucket of popcorn before giving him a playful nudge with her elbow.

Joel mixed the Milk Duds into the popcorn.

They continued watching the movie. Joel was fully immersed in the mystery. For Yoselyn, the minutes dragged by. Her eyelids got heavier by the second.

The film transitioned to a sex scene between Betty, played by Naomi Watts, and Rita, played by Laura Harring. It remedied Yoselyn’s drowsiness, piquing her curiosity in an instant. She adjusted herself in her seat and concentrated on the movie. As if startled by a jump scare, she flinched as Joel took her hand.

They made eye contact through the darkness. She snickered and blushed. He nodded and beamed. They had a wordless conversation, totally on the same wavelength. Their gestures said: ‘When was the last time we had a little bit of fun?’

Their sex lives were put on life support when River was born.

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