Simon was unsure, the pig....too embarrassing, the monkey...too hot and scratchy! Minute by minute passed as he scanned the boundless options in indecision.
From behind, he heard Mister E audibly sigh.
Simon knew he had to decide, but the overall pressure he was feeling was starting to mount. He was already getting flustered from Clark's pestering on the ride over and his friend's emphasis on meeting someone was only making it worse. Clark was basically his only friend and he just wanted to find a few more and go from there. A relationship...or a hookup...could wait!
"Tik tok Simon" Mister E muttered from over by the entry way looking at a pocket watch "When I said a moment, I didn't mean all day"
The added pressure was no help. Simon was already nervous in such big crowds and definitely nervous when people were looking to hook up. Sure he'd gotten laid in college, but that wasn't on his own volition. Just like this party, Clark had been the one who pushed him into it. It was pretty nice though. Simon smirked at the memory.
Since, however, he'd had a perpetual dry period. Since he started working, he found he had little time like he did in college. Parties were plentiful then, and getting laid was easy...even for a guy like him! As a working adult, he often wished he could go back. More specifically, he'd wished he had the confidence of Clark and his friends. While Clark didn't play, early in college he'd made fast friends with many of the guys on the football team. Well muscled, confident, and self-assured those guys never had any challenges picking up girls, or even guys in a few cases. Simon glanced down at his thin, diminutive form and sighed. He wished he could have been like them in college, both the confidence and the time to hook up, socialize, and explore. Instead, he was here at this party with only one real friend and without the confidence to even pick a costume.
He heard another sigh "Alright Simon, times up. The party's got to get started at some point."
"Oh...er...sorrry...I.."
Mister E brushed him off "No need to apologize, sometimes guests just need me to decide for them. Thankfully, I'm something of an artist when it comes to putting characters together!"
Simon watched as Mister E rummaged through the costumes, tossing articles of clothing and masks around the tables. "Ah! Of course. this will be perfect for a boy like you"
The host turned and presented Simon with the rubber donkey mask he'd seen earlier, and what looked like a football jersey. Simon grabbed the costume from the host, and hesitated slightly.
"Won't that shirt be a bit - big on me?" He said, looking over the garment which was clearly designed for a well-muscled linebacker "And this mask...can you even drink with it on?"
"Now now, no time for questions. This will suit you perfectly" Mister E replied, largely ignoring the questions as he gently pushed Simon towards the door.
Simon sighed, resigned to the seemingly random assemblage of costume items, but somewhat glad a decision had been made. Turning to make his way to the party he felt a hand grasp his shoulder.
"Oh! One second my boy, almost forgot. Since you didn't have a costume, I can't expect you to have a character in mind! Thankfully, I always put together a few character ideas for when this happens. In fact, I think this one might be the last of the three I prepared....I already put together a character for another young man and....oh yes, a young lady as well." Rummaging through his coat pockets, Mister E pulled out a small piece of paper scribbled with text - the character description.
"Here you are!" he said, handing it to Simon "Now make sure you give that a read once you are inside. Everyone is expected to have a character after all! I'm sure you'll love what I have in mind for your donkey mask."
Simon nodded and gave the mysterious host a half smile "Er...thanks." He rubbed the back of his head in uncertainty, "I'll be sure to give it a read and...ah...get into character"
"Oh I'm sure you will" Mister E said with a grin "And once you are inside, do look out for the other two I gave characters to, I'm sure you can't miss them...people always look a bit more uncertain when I've had to costume them. Would be good for you to meet though, having others in the same circumstance certainly makes it easier to get into character."
"yea. Sure I guess." Simon replied. Taking a deep breath, he slipped the jersey over his shirt and put the mask on his head. "well I guess this is it"
He pushed open the doors and walked into the bustling party.