I Want Candy (7 page)

“I told you,” he grinned. “It tastes even better than it looks and smells. Now eat up, Lady. I like my women well-fed,” he laughed as they took in the aromas, grabbed their forks and the hot sauce, and began their oral assault.

* * *

Candy let her head fall back. She felt her stomach slightly pushing against her dress. She closed her eyes and sighed.

“That was just wrong,” she smiled.

Eric slid his long legs under the table and relaxed. He resisted the urge to belch.

“If devouring this unbelievable food is wrong, I don’t want to be right,” he said, grinning. “Do you need to be carried outta here on a gurney?” he teased.

“I might,” Candy laughed as the last of the cornbread and butter flavors danced in her mouth.

“Well, just sit here and relax for a minute. I can tell you’re not used to eatin’ this much. You did good though,” he chuckled.

Candy’s thoughts immediately shifted to the “big girl” she was just three months prior. She shook the image loose and excused herself to go to the restroom. She walked inside the stall and closed the brown, chipped door behind herself. Standing there, she stared down into the toilet, deliberating whether she was going to try to purge for the first time in her life. She looked into the clear water as the smell of previous bowel movements mingled with cheap perfume floating past from neighboring stalls. She held her stomach and rocked on her heels, pondering.

“You were an absolute pig!” she scolded. “Fine, don’t throw up, but that means nothing to eat tomorrow, at all!” Candy pulled her stockings down and squatted over the toilet seat, hating herself as she urinated. Once she was finished, she flushed the toilet and hurriedly washed her hands, making her way back to Eric, who was sitting there with a large piece of pineapple upside down cake. Candy felt queasy as she got closer to the table.

“I got this to go, for you,” he explained. “I hope that’s OK. I thought you might like to take it with you.”

Candy smiled. “How thoughtful, Eric. Thanks.”

“I already paid the bill, so I’m just gonna run to the men’s room and we can go, OK?” he said as he stood up. Candy smiled weakly and nodded as he brushed past her, his sexiness leaking in her personal space.

As she stood there waiting, she observed the other patrons. She looked at two women in their early twenties. One was morbidly obese, with a hairstyle that was dipped in purple on the ends, heavily sprayed and feathered. Her eyeshadow job was impeccable, a perfect blend from light to dark purple with silver highlights. The cocoa woman laughed and slapped the table while she joked with her friend, who was also overweight but much smaller, and went to town on a chicken wing that was begging for mercy. Candy turned away and looked at another couple that seemed to be in their forties. A trim and proper woman, the color of bronze, sat astutely in what appeared to be her Sunday best even though it was Saturday night. Her large diamond engagement ring and thick wedding band shone brilliantly, even in the dim light. Her husband, a handsome, mahogany man with slightly uneven teeth, looked uninterested in his remaining pork rib tips. Their half-empty water glasses had stingy slices of lemon and mere remnants of ice. Candy’s eyes made their way towards the front door. She put her hand to her mouth and sighed as she saw Dallas’s husband, Andre, dining playfully with another woman.

“I thought they were going to the movies tonight?” Candy said to herself. Just then, Eric emerged from the bathroom, smiling.

“Sorry it took so long. Are you ready?” he asked as he walked towards the exit. Candy nodded and followed behind him hurriedly, turning her head away from what she had just seen.

Eric drove along, pointing out buildings he considered below standard.

“Are you OK? You seem upset,” he said as he reached a red light and looked over at her contemplative face.

“I’m so sorry. I know things were going well this evening, but I saw something and…” Candy hesitated.

Eric grinned. “OK, what’d I do? It was the cake, wasn’t it? Too presumptuous?” he teased.

Candy laughed. “No. Let me ask you something. What would you do if you saw your best friend’s wife out with another man?”

“Whoa!” Eric said as she shook his head. “Is that what you just saw? No wonder you’re shaken up. Well, it’s important to not assume the worst. It could’ve been a business meeting, an old friend, a relative, or something purely innocent,” he explained.

“But he held her hand and kissed her,” Candy added, turning towards the window to look out.

“Oh, I see,” Eric said, his voice lowering. “From what I’ve heard, the woman rarely believes her friend anyway, or she may already know how he is but prefers no one talks about it to her.”

“That’s not how my friend is at all, though. I’ve known her since we were in the eighth grade. She’d be really hurt. She’s very much in love with her husband and made a lot of sacrifices to be with him,” Candy added defensively.

“Well,” Eric responded calmly, gently taking Candy’s hand into his. “You could call her and tell her or you could say nothing. If you think she’d be hurt, she may be more hurt by the revelation, and not be grateful that you told her. On the other hand, since you two are so close, she may really want you to let her know. It’s a hard call, but if you think about her personality and how you two relate, that will help you make your decision.”

Candy nodded in agreement.

“That kinda put a damper on the evening, huh?” Eric asked as he squeezed her hand.

“Yeah, kinda,” Candy responded softly. “Why do men cheat on good women? I don’t understand it. Dallas is nice, caring, and…”

“It’s not about that, Candy. It’s not always about the woman we’re with and what she does or doesn’t have. It’s about us wanting some excitement, something new to get our blood flowing. Sometimes we can have a main squeeze but still need other women. Some men just aren’t good at being with one woman, and it does not matter how wonderful our wife or girlfriend is, it’s just a man thing. It may seem wrong, but it is what it is,” Eric explained as he pulled into her driveway.

“I’m sorry about how the mood turned depressing. I have a lot to think about. I did enjoy our date though,” she said, smiling weakly.

“It’s perfectly fine. I had a good time, too. I really hope to see you again.” He leaned over close to her. “Can I kiss you goodbye?” he asked softly as his rubbed the tip of his nose against hers playfully.

“I usually don’t kiss on a first date, Eric.” Candy smiled, his beauty tempting her to throw her rules out of the window.

“Well, then, I’ll respect that, and earn my way up the ladder,” he said seductively as he pulled away from her face and readjusted his pants before opening his car door. He walked over to her side and let her out, walking her up to her front door.

“I had a really good time,” Candy reiterated as she retrieved her keys from the bottom of her purse.

“So did I,” Eric said. “Is it OK if I call you later tonight, to make sure you’re OK?”

“Yes, of course. Thank you, Eric. You’re really a sweetheart.” Candy leaned over and kissed his cheek. He smiled appreciatively as he watched her walk into her house.

“Goodbye, Beautiful,” he said, waving as she closed the door and waved back. He looked at the closed door for a couple of seconds, raised his eyebrow, and grinned before walking back to his car and driving away.

* * *

Candy continued to read her diary, bracing herself for the next pages she had written so long ago. She then stopped, closed her eyes, and decided she needed something to drink before she continued. Stirring under the inviting sheets, she pulled herself up and headed down to her kitchen. She surveyed her beverages and decided upon milk. She filled a glass with cubed ice, pouring the milk over the frozen chunks. Taking a sip immediately, she shut her eyes then placed the milk back into the refrigerator and closed the stainless steel door. She got back into her bed and picked up the black, leather-bound book and shook her head as she turned the page and continued.

FIRST-DATE PARMESAN SPINACH DIP

10-ounce box chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tomato, diced (optional)

1 chopped green onion

Add some garlic in there, and you surely won’t be asked for a kiss!

* * *

CHAPTER 5

Candy enjoyed her long, warm bath as Najee played softly in the background. Her vanilla and lavender scented candles filled the bathroom with softened ambiance as she sipped on a glass of sparkling white wine. The foamy, white suds tickled her flesh. She reminisced over the date with Eric and smiled. His scent, his smile, and his voice sent chills up and down her spine. Although her grin widened, it soon disappeared as she stood up to dry off, listening to the water make its way down the drain. ‘Dallas,’ she thought as she slid her silk burgundy and gold robe over her freshly lotioned body. She made her way into her bedroom and rubbed her temples, then looked at her phone and turned away.

Finally she picked up the phone and dialed Dallas’s number. She almost hung up on the third ring when she heard Andre answer the phone.

“Hello,” he answered. The sound of cars driving past could be heard.

Candy stood frozen, holding the phone tightly in her hand.

“Hello?” Andre repeated, this time with annoyance.

“Uh, hi, Andre. It’s Candy,” she said, her voice shaking.

“Hi, Candy,” Andre said dryly. “Dallas is a little busy right now,” he offered before asked.

“Oh, OK. Would you please let her know that I called?” Candy’s thoughts raced frantically. ‘Did he see me there?’ she wondered.

“I will.” Andre hung up the phone abruptly. Candy exhaled deeply and sat on the edge of her bed as she hung up the phone. She ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head as she took hold of her remote control and turned on the television. The phone rang, interrupting her runaway train of thoughts. She grabbed it and sighed.

“Yes,” she said as she channel surfed.

“Wow, it went that well, huh?” Eric asked as he pulled at the top of his boxer shorts. He looked down at his feet then closed the shower door.

“I finally got the nerve to call, and he answered the phone,” Candy said, disgruntled.

“I bet that was awkward. Did you get to talk to her?” Eric asked as he sat down on the top of his toilet lid.

“I didn’t even get a chance. He told me she was busy and that was the end of the call. Maybe he saw me.”