into the woods (on hold)

76

she stops at a red light
wipes away the drop of blood that has gathered on her chin
from the incessant biting of her bottom lip
she rifles through her mother's glove box
finds the packet of wrapped ginger candies that her mother never neglected to offer her every time she was in the car
she usually declined
after all, you were only meant to eat them if you had a stomach ache
but, she'd do anything to get the metallic taste off her tongue
they weren't even candies, really
she muses, unwrapping one
more like chews
that tasted vaguely of cough drops
"just ginger!
gingembre candy"
the purple package advertises
glorified mushy lozenges, more like
and was gingembre even a word?
she takes a delicate bite of one
grimaces
before welcoming the bitter, melancholy taste
remembering a book she read in elementary school
because of winn dixie
she vaguely recalls there being some sort of candy in there that just
"tasted sad"
yes, this candy just
tasted sad
and it was exactly what she needed
being very sad herself
she's eaten five by the time she reaches isaac's house
realizes that she has no idea if his parents were home
or if she supposed to park in the driveway
or down the street
she fishes her phone out of her pocket
texts him an awkward fragment of a message
'i'm here . . . ?"
his response is almost immediate,
as if he's been waiting for her
"just park in the driveway
my dad's a heavy sleeper,
and he won't mind tomorrow"
the word 'tomorrow' makes it hard for her to swallow the absinthian candy
she knew that he loved her
and that there was no way that anything more than sleeping was going to be happening in his bed tonight
but,
what would his father think tomorrow?
was it normal for different girls to walk in and out of the house,
switching off like clockwork?
or was she the only isaac had allowed?
she really didn't know him at all, did she?