Short Story

On Mulberry Street

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for Sadje’s What Do You See #306.
Here’s where the photo prompt took me.

© Egor Myznik @ Unsplash

As I was walking into my favorite pizza place on Mulberry Street, I bumped into an old friend. I waited for him to get his food and we sat together eating and catching up. He was doing well but had recently stopped seeing a woman he enjoyed spending time with …. one of those ‘friends with benefits’ arrangements. I’m not one to judge; I’ve had many of those myself. Easy come, easy go. 

“Gio, the worst mistake we make in these relationships is getting too attached. There’s no point beating ourselves up every time we break things off” I told my friend, popping a piece of meatball into my mouth.

“Funny thing is, Marco, I didn’t break it off; she did.”

“How’d ya feel about that?” I asked him.

“You know, man, I didn’t believe she’d do it” Gio replied somewhat wistfully. “She’d broken things off before but we always got back together. We were drawn to each other like magnets. She was special …. different, older, sexy as hell. She was a one off, Marco, not easy to forget.”

“So what happened?” I questioned.

“She had some ‘stuff’ that was eating at her. She needed to deal with it, straighten out her life, so she made a break. And this time she meant it. You know, it’s crazy but I miss her and I keep expecting to hear from her.”

“Yeah …. she misses you too, Gio.”

“And how do you know that, Marco?” Gio asked suspiciously, surprise and curiosity peeking from under hooded eyes.

“Because I know who she is. It’s Angie …. she works with my sister, Carmella, at the hair salon. She’s been up to the house a few times. I heard them talking” I answered my friend.

“You heard them? Marco, tell me what she said.”

“You sure, Gio?” I asked and he nodded in assent.

“Angie said she thought she’d be able to have a casual thing with you but it got intense, too ‘real’ for her.

Gio sat there picking at his food, lost in thought.

“Listen, bro.” I interrupted Gio’s reverie. “There’s more.”

Gio glanced up at me as if he just realized I was there. “What is it, Marco?”

“Angie said being with you was easy; letting go was torture. But they were the two best things she ever did. She said she’d never forget you.”

Gio managed a half smile and we ate in silence for a while.

“Good meatball parm, eh?” I said after a few minutes.

“Yeah. The best”  Gio replied.

We finished our lunch, talked about the big game this weekend, gave each other a bro hug and went our separate ways. When I looked back, Gio was having a laugh with Sal, another friend of ours.

Easy come, easy go.

NAR©2025

This is “For No One” by the Beatles

What do you see #306- 15 September’25

All text and graphics are copyright for Nancy Richy and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

24 thoughts on “On Mulberry Street”

  1. Pingback: WDYS # 306-A roundup post – Keep it alive

  6. Nice story, Nancy with very believable characters. Feeling regrets of loneliness, missing the companion or sexual intimacy from ending a causal relationship is a great learning experience and maybe he will do better in his next one.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. 🎶she no longer needs you! 🎶…. But, yes, Nancy, ..…I agree with Dorothy, … Gio, phone!! … 🎶 cries for no-one, a love that should have lasted years! 🎶….and Penn exits, stage left!! …singing….💙

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Tell me what you're thinking. 🖊️