Burning Desire

by Rachel Maldonado

  Suzanne was still out of breath from running. “I couldn't let you walk out of my life. I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it. I said it in the heat of the argument. Please come back. I'm falling in love with you.”

  “Really?” The tears began to flow from Candi's eyes. “Because I'm falling in love with you, too.” She stood from where she was seated and allowed her bags to fall onto the floor. She jumped into Suzanne's arms and they embraced tightly. She was done waiting for Suzanne to always make the first move. Before Suzanne could say anything else, Candi kissed her.

  A few people on the bus clapped for them, and a couple of the women said, “Aww.”

  When Candi pulled away slowly, Suzanne grinned. “I was wondering when you were going to sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me,” she said, making reference to the Aretha Franklin song Respect.

  Candi's smirk turned into a wide smile. “You heard me singing in the shower, didn't you?”

  Suzanne giggled. “Uh huh. I thought it was cute. I wanted to sing along at the time, but didn't want to seem like a creeper wandering into the bathroom while you were taking a shower.”

  Suzanne took Candi's hand and helped her carry her things back to her truck. Even though they both had that Aretha Franklin song in their heads, they drove back to the apartment together in silence. Blissful silence.

  Chapter Seven

  “So I talked to Nina, the apartment lady. She says there should be an apartment available at the end of the month. One of the tenants thought the place was unsafe because we have so many elderly people living there.” Candi was full of energy and excitement when they finally got back to the apartment. She rushed into the bedroom and set her bags back down on the floor, then waltzed back into the living room where Suzanne had sat down and removed her shoes. “Oh, and I talked to Ms. Landers, and I was able to invite her over for dinner. I offered to make dinner at her place, but now that I don't have to cook at her place, I thought maybe you wouldn't mind picking her up tonight for steak and potato night.”

  Suzanne smiled. “Of course, I don't mind. It will be nice to finally meet her and sit down with her.” She shifted in her seat to turn to look at Candi. “You're really going to move out?”

  “It would be the right thing to do, wouldn't it? I mean, we can still date and all. I'm just thinking that it's awkward trying to date when we're already living together.”

  Suzanne crossed her legs underneath her as she sat on the couch. “Ordinarily I would think so, but I think we have amazing chemistry together. We get along great, we already have this cooking arrangement where we cook every other day. I guess I thought things were working out.”

  “What are you trying to say?” asking Candi, sitting down on the love seat across from her.

  “I'm trying to say, that I'd miss you. And I'm not so sure that I want you to go. I want someone to come home to.”

  “How about I think about it? Okay?” offered Candi. She changed the subject, “So, I noticed that she left a lot of her clothes behind, some costume jewelry, shoes and other things. Will she be coming back?”

  “Nope,” said Suzanne casually, shaking her head. “I told her to take what she could carry. Everything else is going in the trash with the rest of our relationship.”

  “You said that?” asked Candi raising her eyebrows.

  “Okay, no. I didn't say all that. Just the first part. I wish I'd said the last part. I didn't think of it until just now.” Suzanne grabbed the remote control to turn on the TV. She left it on Animal Planet. Toonces jumped up on the couch to sit beside her and began purring.

  Candi looked over at Toonces and frowned. “Traitor,” she said jokingly. “I was only gone for an hour or so, and you've already snuggled up to Suzanne. I see how you are. Remember who feeds you.”

  “I fed her while you were gone,” offered Suzanne grinning. “Toonces loves me now. Don't ya, Toonces?” she said in a cute baby voice.

  Candi rolled her eyes. “Do you mind if I keep some of her things? I can throw them out when I buy new stuff.”

  “Sure. Help yourself.”

  Candi wandered back into the bedroom and came back out with the dress she had worn. “Look, she left the gown. The bathrobe is still in there, too. I'm keeping it.”

  “Super. I'll think of a nickname for you that starts with P. How about Pandi? Or Panda? Do you like either of those?” Suzanne giggled to herself as Candi went back into the bedroom to hang the dresses.

  “Did you just say you were going to call me Pandi?” asked Candi as she came back out of the bedroom.

  Suzanne laughed. “I wasn't sure if you heard me. How about Pooky? I like that.”

  Candi grinned. “Pooky it is then.”

  Suzanne turned her attention back to Candi. “You're going to have to go with me to pick up Ms. Landers.”

  Candi nodded. “I will. Right now I think I need some egg salad sandwiches. We didn't eat breakfast, and I'm starting to feel drained. I need sustenance.”

  “Egg salad sounds great. I can actually make that. I'll get the eggs boiling while you continue your search for a perfect outfit, Pooky.” Suzanne grinned, then giggled immediately after using Candi's new nickname.

  Candi laughed. “I'll be sure to wear that robe every day as a reminder of my new nickname.”

  As soon as the girls were done eating, Candi felt so full and exhausted. She was in dire need of a nap. She made herself comfortable on the couch while Suzanne covered her with a Northern Nights quilted throw.

  When Candi drifted off to sleep, Suzanne crept out of the apartment to make a run to the pet store. She had intended to buy some ceramic cat dishes for Toonces, but the more she looked around the store, the more she was drawn to the Live Pet Sale that was occurring in the store. The puppies were selling like hot cakes, but the cats and kittens were all still in their cages.

  Suzanne smiled when she saw a cute orange, white, and gray Calico with blue eyes. She was climbing on top of all of the other kittens in the litter attempting to get better footing to try to leap out of the enclosure. She thought of Candi and Toonces spending long hours alone in her apartment when she would have to return to work, and she reasoned with herself that buying another pet was a good decision. Plus, in the event that Candi moved out after all, she would have something warm and snuggly to keep her company.

  Suzanne returned to the apartment with a pet carrier, pet bed, two sets of ceramic dishes, and kitten food. She was trying to be as quiet as possible when she set everything down in the living room, but Toonces woke up to greet her. As soon as Toonces realized there was another cat in the home, she began to hiss and swat at the kitten which caused Candi to wake up.

  “What's going on?” asked Candi, stirring on the sofa. She still had her eyes closed, but as she heard the tiny cries of a kitten mewing, she opened one eye to strain harder to listen. “Did I just hear a kitten?”

  Mew, mew, mew, cried the kitten that was less than one-year old.

  Candi sat up on the sofa and turned around to face Suzanne. “Whatcha got there?” she asked grinning.

  “I thought you and Toonces could use a new friend to keep you company when I go back to work.” Suzanne placed the kitten on the carpet. She mewed once more, but when Toonces approached her to take a gander at her, she swatted at her with her tiny kitten paw. Toonces turned tail to run into the bedroom, and all the girls caught sight of was Toonces' bare butt running cowardly underneath the bed. Both young women erupted with laughter.

  “I love her. Thank you,” remarked Candi. “What do you think we should name her?”

  “How about Tootsie? Like a cute, tiny Tootsie Roll?”

  “Tootsie and Toonces. I love it. Tootsie it is. Do you like your new name?” she asked the kitten as she picked her up. It mewed in response.

  The two women played with the kitten until it was near supper time. Toonces never made an appearance. The closest she got was to stand in the bedroom doorway peering out at the new cat that was surely there to t
ake her place in the home. That was what she must have thought, for sure. As soon as the girls were ready to leave, they put Tootsie in her carrier while they left to pick up Ms. Landers.

  As soon as the young couple returned with Ms. Landers, she sat down at the table while Candi began to season and sear some rib eye steaks. She placed three large potatoes in the microwave to bake realizing she didn't have time to bake them in the oven. Suzanne, noting that Toonces was still in hiding, opened the pet carrier door to allow Tootsie to roam freely.

  “Oh! You've got a new kitten!” exclaimed Ms. Landers with delight. “Isn't she darling!?”

  As Ms. Landers expressed her excitement, her dentures flopped out onto the table. “Oh, my word!” she shouted. “I must not have used enough denture adhesive!”

  “I'm sorry, Ms. Landers. We don't have any on hand. Would you like me to run out and get you some? Or maybe Suzanne could run out to the store. You wouldn't mind running to the store, would you?” asked Candi.

  “No, I don't mind. I can run to Wong's Grocery. I'll be back in ten minutes or so. She should still be open.” Suzanne took her keys and hurried out to the store forgetting to place Tootsie back in her carrier.

  “May I trouble you for a glass of water, dear?” asked Ms. Landers.

  “Of course! It's no trouble,” said Candi. She filled a glass with tap water and handed it to Ms. Landers who promptly dropped her dentures in it and set the glass on the table. “I like to soak them before putting them in.”

  “Oh. Okay,” said Candi. She hadn't expected Ms. Landers to drop her dentures in a glass. She had assumed she had asked for water to drink.

  No sooner had Ms. Landers placed her water glass on the table, then Tootsie was on the table curiously looking in the glass. A second later, she smacked the glass onto the floor sending water spilling and Ms. Landers' dentures flying out onto the carpet.

  Candi shouted, “Tootsie! No!” But it was too late.

  Startled, Tootsie jumped off of the table, but to Candi's surprise, she grabbed hold of the dentures and ran like lightning into the living room.

  Upon seeing Tootsie being mischievous, Toonces had to see what Tootsie had gotten herself into. She came running out of the bedroom doorway and ran straight toward Tootsie who was seated in front of the television.

  “My dentures!” cried Ms. Landers.

  “Don't worry, Ms. Landers. I'll get them.” Candi stormed after Tootsie, who ran into the bedroom, but Tootsie was being pursued by Toonces only seconds behind her. It was like a scene from a cartoon. The small cat was being chased by the larger cat with a shaved rear end, while Candi was in pursuit of both of them. In her chase, Candi knocked over a floor lamp, dropped some magazines on the floor, and broke a vase.

  When Suzanne returned, the house was a mess. Ms. Landers was still seated at the table without her dentures, but the apartment was in complete disarray, and Candi's voice could be heard coming from the bedroom. She was shouting, “Tootsie! Give me those dentures!”

  Both Tootsie and Toonces were hiding underneath the bed hissing at one another, but neither cat wanted to come out. Candi was laying on the carpet with her head under the bed. Only her back and legs were sticking out.

  Suzanne, hearing the commotion, ran towards the bedroom and stood in the open doorway. “I was only gone for ten minutes! What the hell happened!?” shouted Suzanne.

  Candi stuck her head out from under the bed. “Oh, you're back already?”

  “I have the denture cream, but something tells me we lost the dentures, didn't we?” Suzanne groaned.

  “Well? You see...” said Candi, trying to figure out a way to explain what happened.

  “Never mind. Let's just try to get the cats out.” Suzanne went to the kitchen to grab the cat treats and a broom, then returned shaking the bag of treats. Toonces promptly ran out to get a reward, while Tootsie needed a bit of coaxing with the brush side of the broom. She finally ran out from under the bed when Candi pushed her towards the bathroom door. She stopped her short sprint at the door, then strolled toward the bedroom door.

  Candi sighed. “That's just great. She ran out, but she left the dentures behind. They are right smack in the middle of the bed where I can't reach them.”

  Suzanne got down on the carpet beside Candi. “Here, give me the broom. I'll get them.”

  “You're going to use the dirty broom to get them out?” asked Candi disgusted.

  Suzanne nodded. “Do you have a better idea?”

  Suzanne turned the broom upside down to use the handle side.

  “I'll use this end if it will make you happy,” said Suzanne grinning.

  “It does. Thank you.”

  After retrieving the dentures from under the bed, both women breathed a sigh of relief. Suzanne rinsed off the dentures in the bathroom sink, then both women returned to the dining room with the denture adhesive and dentures.

  Ms. Landers was reeling from all of the activity. “I haven't had this much excitement in ages! I'll have to come over more often! And thank you so much for getting my dentures, dear. I don't know what I would have done without them.”

  “It was no problem,” said Candi as she washed her hands in the kitchen sink. Suzanne picked up the mess of magazines and picked up the floor lamp to stand upright, then put Tootsie in her carrier before sweeping and vacuuming the broken vase. Candi resumed serving dinner since the microwave timer had long since dinged. She added butter, sour cream, chives, and bacon bits to her potatoes, then served each of them a scrumptious rib eye steak.

  It was definitely a well-deserved feast, considering that they were all exhausted from the adventures of the mischievous felines and the missing dentures.

  When the women finished dining, Ms. Landers dug around in her large purse and pulled out an envelope. “Before I go, there's something that I'd like to talk to you about, Candi.”

  “Okay, what is it?” inquired Candi as she began to put dirty dishes in the sink.

  Suzanne helped to clear the table, then began arranging plates and glasses in the dishwasher to set the load for the week. Ms. Landers handed Candi the envelope and Candi pulled out the folded letter and sat down. She unfolded it carefully to read it over. “This is a deed to a house. Where did you get this? Who sent you this?”

  “It's my house,” said Ms. Landers beaming. “My parents left it to me when they passed in the hopes that I would one day marry and have children, but I never did. The house was too big for me to take care of all by myself, and so, I had the windows boarded up and the utilities turned off. But everything is still in there. It's fully furnished and every so often the neighbor down the road mows the lawn for me.”

  Suzanne started the dishwasher, cleaned the stove, and wiped down the table before washing her hands and sitting down. She was intrigued by the woman's story. She sat silently and listened intently. Candi said nothing, but allowed for the elderly woman to continue.

  “I had a lover for many years. Gertie Rogers. Everyone else called her Gertrude but, to me, she was always sweet, little Gertie with the blonde curls and the white shiny bicycle with the basket in the front. She visited me nearly every day for six years, but when the townspeople began talking about us, she started coming over less and less. One day, she messaged me that she was going to be married to Ethan Harris, the young farmer's boy that lived a few miles down from us. After that was when I decided to leave the house. I moved into an apartment, and I've lived alone ever since.”

  Candi's eyes filled with tears. It was heartbreaking to hear her story, to know that she was in love with a woman once and that she never fell in love again after that same woman broke her heart. She glanced over at Suzanne and noticed that her eyes were also tearing up.

  “Anyway, my dear. I am getting up in years and I want to make sure that my home is well taken care of and that it is filled with love and joy. I meant to give this house to you in my Last Will and Testament, but I would rather give it to you now so that you may bring it back to life. I'd love
to see it come alive again like it was when I was young. Open the windows wide to feel the fresh breeze in the spring, play the Victrola loud so that the music carries in the air, and most important, dance. Dance the night away as if there is no one else watching because Gertie and I always did. We spent many nights in that house getting to know one another and falling in love.”

  “I don't know what to say,” said Candi crying.

  “You don't have to say a thing, dear. You've been so good to me the past two years and I had already planned on leaving you the home. I figured you were a lesbian. It wasn't that you were artsy and it wasn't that you never had any gentleman callers. It was more women's intuition, if you know what I mean.”

  Suzanne smiled. “Your gaydar works well.”

  Ms. Landers chuckled. “Yes, dear. You could say that.” Her laughter lulled, then she continued. “With times changing and gay marriage being legal these days, I'm sure you and your spouse will live the life that Gertie and I couldn't have together.”

  “Thank you,” said Candi. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. She stood up and leaned over Ms. Landers, hugging her tightly. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you so very much!”

  “Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go see the house!” exclaimed Ms. Landers.

  The women walked out the door together in a haste, leaving the lights on as they rushed out.

  Chapter Eight

  “It's absolutely gorgeous!” shouted Candi as Suzanne pulled up to the house. It was only thirty minutes away from town. The shudders needed some paint and the windows were boarded shut, but the lawn was well kept and the property itself was large enough to have a couple of horses if they wished.

  Ms. Landers exited the truck slowly with the help of Suzanne. She walked over to the house and stood in front. It was as if the years hadn't passed her by. She stared at it and took a deep breath. The tears suddenly started to flow down like rain. Ms. Landers began to sob. “I just had to see it one last time,” she cried. “But even looking at it now, some fifty years later, the memories of Gertie and I are still fresh on my mind. I can still feel her here. I can still picture us dancing, running around the yard, staying up late, and wishing upon the stars.”