Big Corp Inc. (G/T)

Part 39: Breaking Point

"Candy, you know you can always talk to me, right?" Martin encouraged, a note of quiet desperation seeping into his tone. "I won't judge you. You don't have to hide anything from me." Work had ended, and the couple was back in Martin's apartment together, eating dinner. Candy had barely touched her food, only taking small nibbles. Martin had bought her a human-scale dining table and chair that he placed on his own larger table.

"I know," Candy mumbled. She avoided Martin's eyes, poking at her dinner with her doll-sized fork. In her mind's eye she could only see darkness, hear the horrific sounds of a Giant's digestion. When she looked at her plate, she recalled being forced into a sandwich, or stuffed into a meatball, or scooped onto an ice cream sundae, or buttered on a biscuit. The memories nauseated her to the point where she couldn't bear the sight of food, much less ingest it.

"No matter what, I'll always be here for you. And I'll always love you. Whatever is bothering you, we can get through it together." Martin placed his hands on either side of Candy's little table and leaned in, holding his face close to her. "Please, Candy. I know something isn't right. Let me help you."

"It's nothing," she muttered, barely audible. Candy sank lower into her chair, continuing to avert her gaze. Martin was trying so hard to be empathetic and patient with her, but he was getting frustrated. He didn't understand why she was hiding secrets from him and trying to conceal her true feelings that were obviously tearing her up inside. He gingerly placed the tip of his finger under her chin and raised her head up, so she couldn't look away. He brought his face in so close that his enormous eye was right in front of her, seeking to gaze into her soul.

Candy lost herself in that big, stormy orb. His gigantic iris had depth to it like a gray raincloud. She even fancied she could see flashes of lightning if she looked close enough. His black pupil dilated as he searched her. He blinked. Candy could see so much swirling within that tempest, so much concern and sympathy, even fear. She registered, in some way, that he was scared of losing her. He could see her falling away from him and it caused him agony. Candy struggled to hold back tears, but her vision started to blur with moisture. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Martin. She was keeping him in the dark to protect him, after all.

She knew, if she told him what Mr. Hardon was doing to her, he'd fly into a rage and beat up the boss, and then he'd really be in trouble. After all, he didn't hesitate to retaliate against Ronny when he found her shoved into a meatball. He'd definitely lose his job then, since the boss would fire him, and he might even be liable for criminal charges. Candy couldn't let such a chain of events occur. She couldn't imagine the horror of Martin being arrested and going to prison, because of his efforts to protect her.

"Please," he insisted emphatically. "Is it something I did?" Candy shook her head, rotating her chin on his fingertip. Her eyes were waxing shiny with tears. A droplet overflowed out of one eye and ran down her cheek. "You're not... scared of me, are you? You don't feel pressured to be with me? Do you want me to escort you home, to the human side?" His voice was quavering.

"No," Candy denied. She couldn't stop her tears any longer. She wouldn't be able to tell him everything, but she felt compelled to at least admit the truth about her housing situation. "I... I have no home to go to. I'm homeless."

Martin's jaw dropped open. "What?" Of all the things he considered, he never even suspected she was homeless. He suddenly understood why she never had a lunch packed anymore. His heart bled for her.

"I lost my apartment because I ran out of human money. I've been living in the office. I was sleeping in the janitor closet for a while, until a monster spider attacked me, and now I just sleep on my desk out of sight," Candy admitted. She burned with shame, but somehow finally confessing her secret to Martin made her feel lighter, less weighed down by her tremendous burden.