Big Corp Inc. (G/T)

Part 29: The Birds and the Bees (and a Spider)

Candy was happy for Bianca as she observed her friend walking away with her date in hand. She was relieved that she had been able to smooth things over to facilitate a successful first interaction, and she had faith that the date would go well between the two. She debated what to do next. Given the choice of sleeping on a bench outside, or spending the night in a closet, she opted for going back into the Big Corp building. Last night had been intolerable, with how cold and stressed and restless she had been. If she were indoors, she wouldn't be exposed to the elements, or in danger of running into gigantic wild animals or even a malicious Giant on a late-night stroll. She dreaded turning into a midnight snack for a hungry belly.

The building had mostly cleared out for the day, but the doors hadn't been locked yet, and some Giants were still working overtime inside. Candy entered the lobby and loitered by the elevator for a while, hoping somebody would help her. After a few minutes, she was lucky enough for the elevator to ding and the doors swung open. She was stunned to recognize the portly Giant who stranded her in the vending machine the other day. She only had a millisecond to debate whether it would be prudent to ask him for help, but she didn't know if anybody else would show up.

"Excuse me, sir!" Candy called, projecting her voice so he could hear her from so high up. He stopped, halfway out of the elevator, and looked down with surprise. When he saw Candy, an odd expression spread over his face.

"Oh. Hi," he uttered awkwardly. "What can I do for you?"

"I need to get up to the third floor. Would you mind helping me with the elevator?" Candy asked. She hoped asking him, when he had been so heartless before, wouldn't be a mistake.

He stared at her for a moment. "Uh... yeah. Sure," he agreed. Candy hopped into the elevator and the Giant stepped back inside and pushed the button.

"Thank you," Candy said. She felt uncomfortable around him but was grateful he was willing to help her this time.

"No problem." He rubbed the back of his neck with his thick hand. "I suppose I do owe you a favor, after that whole incident with the vending machine. Um... I'm sorry about that, by the way."

"I forgive you," Candy replied. "I got out okay, so don't worry about it." Admittedly, she was still a little bitter about how he just left her, but Candy wasn't the type to hold a grudge.

"I just... I didn't know what to do, you know? I didn't see any way to get you out. I couldn't even get my chips out. And I suppose, since you're so small and all, I didn't really..." He paused. "I know this statement will be very offensive to you, but I didn't really see you as much of a person. But, the more I thought about leaving you in there, the worse I felt. I wanted to apologize, but I was embarrassed by my actions. So, when I say I'm sorry, I really do mean it. I'm very sorry. I regret what I did."

Candy gaped up at him. She hadn't expected the elevator to turn into a confessional. Plus, he was so blunt with his thoughts, even the ones he knew she'd find insulting. He didn't hold back, and Candy respected that. The elevator opened on the third floor and Candy got out. "Thank you for your honesty," she expressed. "I appreciate that." She smiled, and the Giant seemed relieved, as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. The doors slid shut and Candy was alone again.

Candy's day had been wonderful, with how lucky she had been, but her mood dropped as she surveyed the empty office. She didn't want to be here all night. She wanted to be home, or with Martin. With a despondent sigh, she retreated to the broom closet. She was dismayed to find her corner coated in fresh spiderwebs. She cleaned the sticky threads away and threw herself on her sponge bed, pulling out her phone. She realized her cell service was discontinued, since she hadn't paid her phone bill. She sighed again and tossed her phone to the side. Her mood soured further, like milk that had been left out of the fridge for too long. Without her phone, she couldn't call anyone, and she felt even more isolated.