Rock Candy

by Giselle Fox

  “Candy, can I get you anything?” Shep called. “We have coffee, tea, even soda in the back for the staff. Just don’t tell the others when they get here or it’ll be a free for all.”

  “Sure, I’d love a soda water,” she said. Shep came back down the hall with sodas for all of us and we all popped the tops of our cans. I watched Candy take a long drink and then hiccup abruptly after. She covered her mouth and looked embarrassed.

  “Was that a real sound?” Shep laughed.

  Candy hiccuped again. It sounded more a chipmunk than a grown woman. I couldn’t help but laugh too.

  “That’s pretty adorable,” I said.

  Her eyes sparkled again as she tried to hold her breath but about five seconds later, the hiccups were back in full force.

  “You should do your magic trick on her,” Shep said to me.

  “Yes, please, do your magic trick on me,” Candy whimpered and then hiccuped again.

  “Well, I suppose we can’t have you disrupting the class,” I said. “Come... sit.” I led her to the benches beside the windows and directed her to the chair. She took a seat and tried again to conceal the sounds she was making behind her hand.

  I sat down across from her and put my can down on the table. This was a trick I’d done on hundreds of people over the years and it worked 99.9% of the time. “Ready?” I said and leaned forward.

  “Are you going to scare me?” she asked.

  “Nope.”

  “Okay,” she said and took another breath. “Ready.”

  I leaned a little closer and stared into her eyes. With a well-practiced tone, I began. “I want you to focus on my eyes.”

  Candy had been watching my lips but she nodded and lifted her eyes to meet mine. I watched her pupils focus for a split second and then felt that funny swizzle of nerves in my belly again. “Um...” I stumbled as I forgot what I was doing. I could see Shep in my periphery watching us and could tell he was grinning. Candy was grinning too and then she hiccuped again.

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be, they’ll be gone in a minute,” I said.

  Candy sat forward this time so that our knees were touching. “Alright. I’m all yours.”

  I focused on her eyes again but this time I didn’t waver. Candy let out a tiny exhale.

  “Take a deep breath...” I said.

  She inhaled deeply and then exhaled.

  “I have a hundred dollars in my pocket and it’s yours if you hiccup for me again,” I said calmly. Her eyes widened.

  “But you need to hiccup right now. Come on, you can do it,” I said without blinking. She was put on the spot. I could hear her breath rate increase.

  “You need to hiccup, though. Right now. Right... now,” I said and cued her with a snap of my fingers. “No?” I said as I saw a smile begin to curl her lips. “How about one more try... hiccup for me right... now,” I snapped my fingers again and Candy giggled.

  “I... can’t.”

  “Sure you can,” I said. “One little hiccup and a hundred dollars is yours.” I held her gaze but knew we were already in the clear.

  “Amazing,” she said. “I think they’re gone.”

  “Works every time,” I said and leaned back against the window.

  “Will it work the next time or is it a one-shot deal?”

  “You never know, it might,” I said.

  “Because I still have a pretty full can of soda and I’ll bet I’m going to get them again.”

  I grinned at her. “I dare you to get hiccups again.”

  “You dare me? Do I get a hundred dollars if I do?” she laughed.

  I shook my head. “Doesn’t work that way.”

  Candy placed her hand on my knee. “Well, thank you. Your magic definitely worked.” There was the sparkle in her eye again. I looked down at her hand and felt paralyzed but just then, the door opened and a group of students walked into the shop. Candy pulled her hand away and sat back in her chair. She crossed her legs and lifted her can of soda slowly to her lips.

  “Cheers,” she said and then took a long drink. She licked her lips and then smiled at me. I could hear Shep talking to the other students, telling them to hang their jackets. For whatever reason, my eyes were stuck on Candy as if watching her consume a can of soda was the most engaging thing I’d ever witnessed. She seemed to enjoy the attention and she watched me too. I tilted my head and studied her from a few different angles.

  “Do you like what you see?” she asked softly so the rest of the group, which had quickly grown in number, couldn’t hear.

  “You have a great look,” I said trying to stay cool. “But you already know that I think.”

  Candy shrugged and smiled again. “And you have great eyes. Penetrating, actually. It felt like you were inside me.”

  I exhaled involuntarily. Her eyes dropped to my lips again. “You also have a great look. But you already know that I think.” It caught me off guard. I heard Shep call my name so I looked up.

  Candy rose from her chair. “I can’t wait to see what you’re going to teach us tonight.”

  Whenever I looked at Candy during class, she met my eye directly. After awhile it was like a secret staring contest was going on between us. I knew I wasn’t imagining it. She was doing her best to unnerve me and I was trying my best to keep cool and not grin like a fool the entire time.

  At the half-time break, most of the group went out to get a coffee at the cafe down the street. A few lingered on the sidewalk and smoked. Candy asked if she could use the washroom and Shep motioned for me to show her where it was.

  As we both walked down the hallway, side by side, neither of us said anything and then both of us started to speak at once.

  “You’re a great teacher,” she gushed.

  “You’re very talented,” I said at the same time.

  “Really?” she said just as I blurted “Thanks.”

  Our conversation was as out of sync as a lopsided wheel. We both stopped speaking and there was an awkward moment of silence as we waited for the other to take over. I realized how goofy I was acting and had to laugh. Soon we were standing outside the bathroom door and I had nowhere else to go but leave her.

  “Here it is,” I said.

  “Thanks,” she smiled.

  “I’ll... see you back there.” I pointed back down the hall.

  “Yeah, okay.”

  I turned and walked back toward the front. I could hear Shep in his office singing a little tune, “Candy-O, I need you so...”

  I popped my head into his office and shot him a look. He peered over my shoulder. “You didn’t follow her in? Such restraint!”

  “Shut up,” I said softly.

  “You two are something. Are you going to take her home?”

  “Do you think I should ask her again?”

  “Are you kidding? Yes! Show her your cool motorbike. She’ll be putty in your hands.”

  “I don’t know, look what happened last night.”

  Shep gave me a look like I’d lost my mind. “You’ve been flirting uncontrollably for the last hour with a woman who’s totally crushing on you. She lives in the same building, you have nothing to lose.” Then he grinned. “Except maybe your six-month celibacy run.”

  “It’s been a lot longer than that believe me, and shush, she might hear you,” I said as I peered back down the hallway. But Candy hadn’t emerged from the bathroom yet.

  “She’s either making herself look pretty for you or she’s dropping the kids off at the pool,” Shep said.

  “You’re gross.” But then we both heard the latch of the bathroom door click and Candy’s heels on the concrete floor.

  “One, two, three...” Shep counted softly.

  I stepped back out into the hallway. Candy smiled when she saw me and I couldn’t help but smile right back. She’d reapplied her lipstick and fluffed her hair. It seemed that she’d added a little extra sway to her hips too but I wasn’t sure if I was just imagining that. She walked slowly toward me wit
h a cheeky grin on her face. No, I was definitely not imagining things. Should I ask her now or wait until after? I wondered. Now, I answered. No, later! It had to seem spontaneous like I’d just thought of it at the very last minute. Like, sure, yeah, we live in the same building and I’m driving and it makes perfect neighborly sense after all. That whole monologue went through my head as Candy swayed her way toward me.

  “Wanna drive me home tonight?” she purred.

  “Yes,” I said without a moment’s hesitation. We both smiled.

  “Perfect,” she said.

  As she stood beside me I had a premonition of her body wrapped around the back of mine, of the feeling of her legs against me, of her arms around my waist. It was so intense I had to close my eyes for a second. I took a deep breath and opened them again. Shep started to hum his little tune again.

  It was after ten by the time the class was done. Everyone thanked Shep and me, and they packed up their things. Candy lingered off to the side and perused the frames of work we had up on the walls. Every now and then she’d shake her head and smile. When she caught me watching, she pointed to three pieces, a triptych I’d designed for Wilco for one of their early shows. “This is amazing,” she said.

  I glanced over at Shep who was smiling to himself. “Go on,” he said, “I can lock-up.” I took him up on it since I was usually the last to leave most nights. By that point, the anticipation of getting Candy on my bike was killing me. As if she knew I was thinking about her, she looked at me again.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  “When you are,” she said and picked up her bag.

  I gave Shep some skin on the way past and he winked at me. “Nice work, Candy,” he said.

  “Thanks, Shep. Great class.”

  “See you tomorrow?”

  “Looking forward to it,” she said. I pushed open the lab door and held it for her.

  “Thank you,” she said. “So, I guess I need a helmet.”

  I pointed to the front wall of the shop where most of the vintage helmets I’d painted over the years were displayed. “Take your pick. I think most of the ones on the bottom row are your size.”

  “For all the lucky ladies you give rides home to,” she grinned.

  I shook my head. “Um no, not exactly. I just like to switch it up every now and then.”

  Candy looked over the rows and chose the white one with the octopus. Its long pink and purple tentacles curved up and around the back of the head and held a beautiful woman up front right at the crown.

  “I had a feeling you’d pick that one,” I smiled.

  “It’s amazing. Did you paint it?” she asked as she turned it over in her hands.

  “Yes,” I said. “I had a lot of spare time this summer. These all used to be in my apartment but I went through a de-cluttering phase and brought them here. Shep says they add atmosphere.”

  “He’s right. This place is definitely yours.”

  I looked around the shop and saw it for what it was. The concrete floors, high white walls, and drop lighting made it look like any art gallery but the displays were wildly colorful. There were rows of album covers and posters that I’d designed over the years; some well known, others that I just liked. There was the collection of vintage motorcycle helmets. Beside that was the cluster of photos I’d taken of my all time favorite street artists, Swoon, Banksy, Faith47, and LadyMax. On the opposite wall hung beer bottles, skateboards, snowboards, and surfboards.

  “You’ve done well,” Candy said. “I hope I get a chance to leave a mark like you have.”

  I looked back at her. “Is that what you want?”

  “Doesn’t every designer?”

  I shrugged. I’d been lucky. I had one or two people looking out for me when I was starting out. Without their help, I may not have gotten as far as I had. “You do good work,” I said.

  “You think so? Really?” she asked.

  “I do. You have a style. It reminds me of...”

  “Yours?” she laughed.

  “No. I mean, I can see the influence and that’s flattering but... there’s a sensibility and a choice about what you reference and what you make yours. Can you draw?”

  “Not as well as you can but... I do okay.”

  “Do you have a book?”

  “Yes, I have a few. Would you like to...?”

  “I’d like to see one. Bring it in tomorrow maybe.”

  “Wow! Thank you, I will,” she said. She smiled at me and then I remembered we were going to go for a ride.

  “I guess we should go,” I said and motioned for the door.

  “You took Skip home already.”

  “I did, before class.”

  “Something told you you’d be going out for a ride tonight?” she grinned.

  “Well, I was thinking it would be nice. Good riding days are numbered. It’s going to get cold and wet soon.”

  Candy’s eyes sparkled. “It’s definitely going to get wet.”

  “Um,” I grinned shyly and she laughed. “Shall we?” I held the door open and locked it behind us.

  I usually arrived early enough to get a parking spot right out front but that morning I’d been a little later than usual and parked down the street. When we got to the bike, I started it up and let it idle for a minute to warm up. The old European engine was quiet enough that it wasn’t a nuisance; most of the buildings in the area were commercial anyway.

  Candy pulled her helmet on her head. I strapped mine on. I could see she was having a hard time with the frayed edge of the strap so I reached to help her.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  She watched my face as I flipped the strap through the D-rings and back through. My hands were shaking so much that I was thankful she couldn’t see. When I was done, I pulled my leather gloves from my pockets and slipped them on. Candy pulled her sleeves down and bunched them around her fists. I climbed on first and then she climbed on behind me.

  “Is it better for you if I hold on to the back?” she asked.

  “You can hold onto me if you like. It’ll be more comfortable.”

  “I was hoping you would say that,” she said. She wrapped her arms around my waist. Then she tucked her hands into my pockets.

  “Are you... in a hurry to get home?”

  “No, not really. Why?”

  “I was thinking since it’s a nice night I could take you for a longer ride. Maybe over to the North Shore and back. But I can take you straight home if you prefer.”

  “No. A ride sounds really nice,” she said. She hugged her arms around me tighter. “You’re so warm.”

  “I am right now.”

  “Mmm, lucky me.”

  I pulled away from the curb and headed down Commercial Street. Even on the bike, the air was balmy for that time of year. I couldn’t help but think that something insidious was to blame, but at the time I was thankful. Where else in Canada could you ride a motorcycle in early November?

  I drove toward the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge. Back when it was being built, a part of it had collapsed and buried a bunch of workers under its frame. It was something I thought about every time I crossed it. How some poor guys had gone to work one morning and then perished under a pile of steel.

  As we merged onto the bridge and picked up speed, I felt Candy curl into me even tighter. With the lights of the bridge around us, the North Shore mountains ahead and the beautiful black waters of the narrows below, I had a moment of calm and peace. A woman’s body was wrapped around me. It had been a long time since anyone had been so close. I could feel her warmth. I felt her hands against my stomach as they tucked tight into the pockets of my jacket. Then I felt the side of her helmet on my shoulder as she rested her head on me. It was an amazing feeling even if it meant nothing. Even if this was for her just a scenic ride home on a cool vintage bike.

  We crossed the long bridge and headed back along the old industrial roads that lined the water’s edge toward the Lions Gate. It was a loop I did often at night to clear my h
ead. I fell into the zone. My body got used to having Candy’s weight on the back. It had been a while since anyone had ridden with me. The novelty of my bike had worn off for most of my friends. At one point Candy saw something up ahead, and she stroked my leg and pointed to it. There was a deer in the underbrush beside the road that bounded it’s way swiftly into the night. For a moment after, she left her hand on my leg before she tucked it back into my pocket.

  I steered us onto the Lions Gate and we crossed the old bridge that emptied into Stanley park. Before long, we were heading back along Georgia Street. The big tower clock on Granville said 10:40 pm. I figured Skip was probably curled up on his love seat by the window. I knew he would hear the sound of the bike and would meet me at the door with his leash to go for a pee before settling back into his spot for the night.

  Soon, we were back at our building. I headed down the ramp into the underground garage. The ride was over. I felt great. I cut the engine and Candy climbed off first. Then I pulled off my helmet.

  “That was so fun,” she said. I could tell by her eyes that she meant it.

  “Yeah, it’s a nice way to finish off the day,” I said.

  Candy handed back her helmet and I placed it into the sidecar and snapped the cover over top.

  “For next time,” she said and smiled at me.

  “Sure. Next time.”

  She ran her fingers through her bangs at the front.

  “I like the pink,” I said.

  “Thanks. I just had it done.”

  I smiled at her and then realized we were both just standing in my parking space. “Long day,” I laughed.

  “Yeah.”

  We walked through the garage toward the elevator and Candy hit the button. We both stood quietly and waited for it to arrive and when it finally did, we climbed aboard. I leaned back into the left corner where I usually did. Candy pressed the button for the seventh floor and I reached across her and pressed mine. As the elevator doors closed I was struck with the déjà vu of being in the elevator with the mystery woman. I looked at Candy for a moment and tried to figure out how to frame the question that had been burning in my mind all night.

  “Your friend that came to pick you up last night, Jeff, you’ve known each other long?”