Mark had decided that the time was right to introduce Brad to the deluxe terrarium that he had outfitted for him — not that Brad had much say in the matter.
The floor of the tank was lined with pebbles and some sort of moist potting mixture of soil and sand. Some plants had been rooted into the mixture, others placed in pots situated around the interior of the terrarium. Mark proudly introduced Brad to tiny containers holding a green, pulpy mixture and grains of pure sugar. A third container held a small pool of water.
Mark had just finished explaining everything to his still baffled husband when Russ returned.
“You and that fly,” Russ remarked with a chuckle as he removed his wide-brimmed straw hat and put aside a basket of radishes and carrots dug from his garden before he peeked into the new terrarium that Mark had placed on the kitchen counter.
He saw a tiny housefly buzz inside the glass container as he lowered the basket next to it.
Unencumbered, he gave Mark, standing in the kitchen in nothing but his boxers, a big hug and kiss.
“How is Brad?” Russ asked as they ended their embrace.
Mark lowered his face to peer inside the terrarium. “I upgraded his home, but he’s not his usual chipper self. Do you think he needs a bigger habitat?”
“You know my answer, babe,” Russ said. “I think you should release him into the wild. Free range is best.”
“No!” Mark exclaimed, horrified, a sentiment shared by Brad. “He would face all sorts of terrible dangers outdoors. A spider’s snack. A morsel for a bird… no, he’s staying put.”
Despite his dislike of the walls of his glass prison, Brad found he agreed with his husband, but he wished that Mark hadn’t been so blunt about all the potential perils that a tiny fly might face outdoors.
“If you say so, babe,” Russ said.
Brad, forced to watch the intimacy between his husband and his former neighbor, buzzed his wings in useless protest.