“Dial Candy Benet,” he said out loud.
“Hello, you’ve reached Candace Benet, please leave your name and number after the tone.”
Gabriel sighed. “Candy, I need to talk to you. This is Gabriel. Please call me back right away. Please!”
* * *
“Here’s what I’m taking,” Candy explained to Dallas and Jasmine as they stood in her foyer with their airline information.
“It’s about time you agreed to go on one of these book club trips. How’d you get a passport renewal so fast?” Dallas asked as she helped Candy load her bag into the car. “You said yours was expired.”
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Candy smiled. “It helps to know people, I guess.”
“Well, we gotta get movin’,” Jasmine said as she got into the car. “What made you change your mind? I asked you about going to Egypt weeks ago, and you shot me down again.”
“I just needed to get away. I’ve never been before, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I need to get my head straight.”
“I tried to call you on the way over here, but the phone just went straight to voicemail,” Dallas mentioned as she got in the drivers seat and pulled out of Candy’s driveway.
“Yeah, I turned my phone off.” Candy’s stomach rippled as she thought back to the last call she received and the music that played while Quentin spoke. A vile taste filled her mouth. “Let’s just go, Ladies! I’m so excited,” Candy said as she looked around nervously as they proceeded down the street.”
“We are too!” Jasmine said as she opened a book and placed it on her lap. Dallas turned the radio on as they made their way to the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International airport.
* * *
“No, I need to go now. I can’t reach her on her phone,” Eric said as he stumbled about the hospital room. I’m callin’ a cab and goin’ over to her house,” Eric exclaimed to his mother.
“Eric, leave that poor girl alone!” His mother took his arm, trying desperately to hold him back.
“I’m not botherin’ her, Mama. She’s in trouble. Trust me on this! Something really bad could happen.”
“Eric, I don’t believe you. I think you’re goin’ over there to get another chance. She’s been through enough with you. Get yourself in AA and stay sober for a while, then think about datin’ her again. Now isn’t the time,” his mother warned.
Eric took his mother gently by the shoulders. “Mama, I promise you I’m not tryin’ to get her back. I love her, and I always will, but that’s not what’s goin’ on. Look me in my eyes.” Diane looked at her son closely.
“I’m not lyin’, Mama. There are some things goin’ on that she can’t get herself out of. I have to be there for her. It’s the right thing to do. For once in my life I’m thinkin’ about someone besides myself.” Eric hopped to the side of the bed and slid his jeans on. He sighed in pain as he tried to get his shirt over his head. Diane walked over to him.
“Come here, boy.” She slid the sweater over him, pulling it down gently along the hem. “I’ll drive you over there,” she said as she reached for her purse.
“No, Mama, I’m gonna handle this on my own.” Eric kissed her on the forehead then proceeded to check himself out of the hospital against his doctor’s wishes.
* * *
“Open this damn door!” Quentin pounded. “Candy, I know you’re in there! You can only ignore my calls for so long,” he mumbled as he looked in her garage window and smiled.
“Your car’s here! Open this door!” He looked around the house and across the street before walking into the backyard. He walked up to the rear patio door and pulled out a small cordless drill. After a couple of minutes, the last screw came out. He smiled at his achievement. Upon entering, he immediately went to the security system panel.
“I hope she didn’t change this shit!” he said under his breath as he punched in the code he remembered. He was successful, the alarm disarmed. He sighed with relief as he made his way from room to room.
“Candy?” He called, swinging open each door. His agitation grew and soon turned into rage. He squinted and opened up drawers and files, trying to find a clue to where she may be. “Even her damn computer’s gone!” he screamed as he tossed things around. “I should’ve never let her out of my sight. Damn it!” He picked up a large olive-green vase and cast it across her living room. Shards of glass flew in a million directions and landed in a field of debris on the pristine, white carpeted floor.
He raced back upstairs to her bedroom and went through each nightstand. Suddenly, he glanced up at the hardbound books on the shelf. Taking one down, he leafed through it. His eyes scanned the pages briskly.
“Well, well, Candy. You’ve been busier than I thought. Thanks for keepin’ track of your every move for me.” He put the book under his arm and picked the others up, looking for the latest entry to no avail.
“Where the fuck are you?” he screamed. He kept the journal detailing her romance with Gabriel tucked under his arm as he stormed out the house. He walked back out to the front to see a tall, caramel man wearing black sunglasses, his arms crossed and a look of disgust. He was leaning against Quentin’s rental car.
“Who are you?” he asked as he slowed his pace.
“You’re Quentin, aren’t you?” Eric asked as he worked through his pain and walked closer to him. “Leave Candace alone, Man. She may be afraid of you, but I’m not. Don’t come over here anymore,” Eric threatened. Quentin’s smile faded.
“Man, get the hell outta my way and stay outta our business.” Quentin tried to maneuver around him.
“I’m Candy’s ex-husband, Eric. She told me every disgusting thing you’ve done. I heard your little voicemail. You’re a Biggie fan, obviously. Well, I’m a Tupac fan, and I have a song for you – “Wonder Why They Call You Bitch!” Only a bitch-ass Nigga would do the shit you’re doin’. I have no problems callin’ the police on you. What were you doin’ in her house?”
“She gave me a key!” Quentin said as he got in Eric’s face. Eric’s eyes narrowed, he pushed his chest into Quentin’s, pushing him back.
“You lyin’ son of a bitch. Are you really so desperate you have blackmail a woman just to get laid? You’re just mad because she doesn’t want you anymore. I’ll beat your crazy ass into the ground.”
“Sounds to me like you’re mad because she doesn’t want you anymore!” Quentin laughed.
“No, I’m more of a man than that. I can take ‘no’ for an answer. I’ve never had to tell a woman I was gonna rape her and make it seem like it was some sort of gift. You’re a sick mothafucka, you know that?” Eric laughed. “She’s not home, anyway.” Eric added. “I was just here earlier. I saw you pull up and I watched everything you did. So now we have stalkin’, harassment, breakin’ and entering, and a planned sexual assault.” Eric laughed and clapped. “It’s takin’ everything in me right now to not mop this damn street up with you.”
Quentin spit on the sidewalk as he made his way past Eric. New snowflakes fell, sparkling like tiny diamonds as they bellowed down in soft, white waves.
“Don’t let me catch you over here again. I’ll make sure her house is watched from this point on,” Eric yelled.
Quentin threw up his middle finger and drove off. He telephoned various people trying desperately to find Candy. Eric pulled out his cell phone and huddled himself in the cold air.
“Yes,” answered Gabriel. “How are you?”
“I’ll survive. Look, Quentin was just over here at Candy’s snoopin’ around. She isn’t home though,” Eric informed.
Gabriel looked at the time. “Damn it. I was just on my way over there. She isn’t answering her phone which makes me more worried.”
“I know,” Eric agreed. “I even called Jasmine and Dallas, and their phones keep going straight to voicemail.”
“That’s interesting. Maybe they’re all together. I hope Candy’s with them. That would be safer for her,” Gabriel said
as he merged onto the interstate.
“I must say, I never thought that you and I would ever have a reason to speak after your divorce, and I’m disheartened that this is the reason why. I’m trying to keep my faculties about me, but I’m worried sick about her. He forced her to leave me, but I was too blinded by my own emotions to figure out what was going on.” Gabriel grimaced as he recalled the things he yelled at her on Christmas.
“Well, we can’t worry about that now. All I know is that she loves you a lot, and if she didn’t, she wouldn’t have done this and risked her sanity to keep you safe.” Eric looked around to ensure Quentin didn’t double back. “I’m gonna call a buddy of mine to help watch her house, and I’m gonna search for her and make some more calls. I already called her parents, and they don’t know where she is, so I’ll just go through the rest of her family tryin’ to figure this out.”
“Thank you, Eric. Call me back when you get any more information, and I’ll do the same with you.” Gabriel hung up the phone and tried to slow his breathing.
“Candy, please be safe. Well, at least we know Quentin isn’t with you. That’s a good thing.”
* * *
CHAPTER 17
“I’m just gonna go in here and chill. That was the longest flight of my entire life!” Candy laughed as she wrapped a sheer orange scarf over her messy tresses. Jasmine and Dallas moved about the small shop as Candy stood next to an oscillating fan.
“After bein’ in the ice and snow, I’ll take this heat for a while,” Dallas said as she looked at postcards, turning them from front to back with her red painted fingernails. Candy smiled with relief. She watched Dallas and Jasmine shop while she fanned herself with the back of an Egyptian Cairo tour booklet.
“I wanna see the mummies, the Sphinx, where Nefertiti lived – everything,” Jasmine said excitedly. “There’s something magical about Cairo. It’s a whole different world.” Her eyes jumped from item to item as she browsed.
“Hey, you two, meet me in the cafe when you’re done. I’m gonna get somethin’ to drink,” Candy said. Dallas and Jasmine nodded. Candy made her way down the narrow, winding staircase. Her heart was heavy even though her mind was clear. Images of Gabriel drifted in and out of her thoughts.
“May I have a Qasab?” Candy asked as she took out her coin purse. The man behind the counter nodded as he handed her the frothy, light brown drink. She sat down at a small silver table decorated with fresh flowers. She crossed her ankles and took a book out of her bag, turning the pages carefully. She removed a Blue Sun ink pen from behind her ear and started updating her journal. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a tall Egyptian gentleman beaming at her. His honey skin looked as if it had never seen a pimple. She looked at his upturned lips, fleshy and pink. His facial hair was jet-black, contrasting deeply against his fair skin. He covered his black hair with a cream-colored knit cap. She looked down at his worn sandals and took notice of his well-pedicured feet.
“May I?” he asked, pointing to the empty chair.
“Yes,” Candy said as she moved her bag out of the way.
“You’re American?” he asked, with a thick Egyptian accent. “My language is Arabic, but I speak English,” he smiled, exposing beautiful teeth and one deep dimple on his right cheek.
‘Wait ’til I show this man to Jasmine,’ Candy thought. “He’s gorgeous. I’ll have to introduce them so she can get her mind off ‘Mr. Officer.’”
“You’re very beautiful,” the stranger said to her.
“Thank you,” Candy smiled. “My name is Candy, and yes, I’m American,” she laughed.
“‘Candy?’” he said inquisitively. “Like the food?” he asked.
Candy looked down in her lap and laughed. “Yes. ‘Candy’ is short for ‘Candace’ though. Most people call me ‘Candy.’”
“Sweet, sweet food for children and those of us with a sweet tooth, right?” he asked, smiling brightly.
“Yes, you could say that,” Candy said as she looked back up then glanced back down at her journal.
“My name is Kafele,” he said. “What are you reading and writing?” he asked as he placed his glass of water on the table.
“Oh, these are just my own thoughts, like a diary,” Candy explained.
“I see. That’s very good to have. You should meditate on things and write them down. I do that as well. I’m a teacher,” he said.
“Oh, really? That’s wonderful. What do you teach?” Candy asked as she put her journal away.
“I teach dentistry at the Smuha Center for Dental Research in Alexandria, Egypt. My family lives here though.”
“That would explain your stunning smile,” Candy said.
Kafele grinned. “Thank you.”
“Are you Muslim?” Candy asked before taking another sip of her drink.
“Yes. I practice Islam and serve Allah,” Kafele answered. “And you?”
Candy shook her head. “No, I’m Christian. Can I ask you a question about your religion? I never understood the multiple prayer times. How does that work?”
Kafele put his small bag of hand-dipped incense on the table and finished his water. “No problem. I’ll explain this simply. Many Westerners who are Christian and Jewish don’t understand what we are doing,” Kafele grinned. “Allah wants us to remember him and pray at certain times of the day, five times to be exact. There is the dawn prayer, it is called ‘Fajr.’ There is the noon Prayer, it is called ‘Zuher.’ There is the afternoon prayer, it is called ‘Asr’. There is the fourth prayer, the sunset prayer, it is called ‘Maghrib.’ Finally, there is the night prayer, it is called ‘Isha.’ Did that help?” A dimple appeared in Kafele’s cheek as he grinned.
“Yes, thank you!” Candy said. “You did explain that well. I appreciate the information.”
“I want to tell you that I came over here because I find you to be very exotic and pretty. I don’t have a wife yet, so I wanted to sit here and talk with you to see what type of woman you are,” he explained. “I’d prefer to marry a Muslim woman, but I would marry a Christian woman if she was willing to convert.”
Candy’s eyebrows rose. “Wow! That’s pretty direct,” she laughed. “I don’t have a husband either, but I’m…”
“In a relationship?” Kafele asked, a look of disappointment washed over his face.
“Well, not exactly. It’s complicated,” Candy answered.
“It can’t be complicated. This is a black or white thing,” Kafele explained. “Either you are with someone or you are not. Americans make things too difficult. Commitment is black and white. There are no gray areas.”
Candy laughed. “Well, we’ll have to agree to disagree.”
“No, we don’t. We agree, and I can prove this to you. You’re in love with a man, yes?” Kafele asked.
Candy hesitated, then looked around to see if Jasmine or Dallas were approaching. “Well, yes,” she whispered.
“This man is not with you in a relationship right now, but you still love him?” Kafele asked.
“Yes, you could say that,” Candy answered quietly.
“Does he love you? Let me rephrase. Did he love you a month ago?” Kafele inquired.
“I believe so, yes,” Candy responded.
“Then that can’t change abruptly, regardless of what happens. This is not complicated at all. That’s a relationship. A relationship is defined by your terms, as between two people. However, if you are still in love with a former lover, and that person loves you, regardless of whether you are presently in a relationship, that bond is not broken until your heart, your core, is no longer connected to him. You have not said so yet. You are still involved with him because your heart says so. So from your point of view, it is still a relationship. This is not complicated. It is easy to see,” Kafele added.
Candy smiled. “You’re a very interesting person. You have a unique perspective.”
Kafele laughed. “I have been told that before. Not to impose, but if you love him and he loves you, why a
ren’t you together? He should be here with you, no?” he asked.
Candy turned away, looking out into the piercing sun that crept brightly through the window blinds. “I wish it were that simple. My past came back to haunt me and destroyed my relationship. Someone put me in a bind, and out of love for him, I protected him from the truth.”
“Shielding the truth from someone is not love. It may seem as such during a desperate situation, but it rarely is the right answer. You should tell him the truth. Lies hurt way more.” Kafele stood up. “Well, I have taken enough of your time. I hope you enjoy your stay here. If you need a tour guide or decide that you no longer want this man to have your heart, you can stop by here and ask that man behind the counter for Kafele. He is my brother. I can see your heart and soul, Candy. They are good. You are a good person and a striking woman and will make a good wife to some blessed man.” Kafele walked away, disappearing onto the street until he could no longer be seen. Candy’s heart sank as she deliberated over what he said.
“Lies hurt,” she repeated to herself. Jasmine came down to the cafe swinging a small taupe bag while Dallas slid on a brass bracelet she had just purchased.
“Candy, I could shop in there all day. The tour guide was right. They’ve got great prices. Jasmine and I are gonna get a quick drink, then we can go if you want. We should go back to the hotel and get settled anyway.” Candy nodded as she watched her two best friends walk up to the front counter and look over the menu.
Candy looked away and closed her eyes. She imagined Gabriel whispering in her ear, the way he often did. His deep, peaceful voice vibrating close to her eardrum as he teased her, soothed her, said naughty things. “I miss you,” she said aloud.
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