Candy
Disclaimer: All characters belong their respective owner except Carmen and her parents, who belong to me.
Part 1: (Please review this story, if I get good reviews, I'll write a part 2)
"December 24th, 11:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time."
Mark Cohen whispered, walking down the street. The snow crunched lightly under his boots and he wrapped his scarf more tighter around his face. His eyes stared up at the darkened sky where softly falling snowflakes made the illusions of stars,
'Another year gone by, and what have I done?' He thought. His misery was as bitter as the sting of the icy wind. Mark began to think of the apartment. About now, Mimi would be home from work, Roger had probably been waiting for her. Mimi had moved in about a year ago and between his movies, her new waitress job, and Roger's occasional songs, they were able to pay the rent. Mark didn't mind that Mimi lived there, since she was dating Roger, but, it was hard to sleep at night sometimes. He had a separate room, but the paper thin walls made nights hell for him, and he often longed for someone to call his.
*********************
"Hey girl! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Called an angry voice from an alley ahead of him.
Curiosity pulled him to peer around the corner and he saw a homeless person yelling at a young woman. The girl held something in her hands that he couldn't make out and it was obviously upsetting the homeless person.
"I wasn't - I was just trying to - I'm sorry if I -" The woman sputtered, scared, but not willing to move.
The guy took a swipe at her and ended up knocking what the girl had been carrying out of her hands. It landed at Mark's feet and he recognized a camera that now needed repairs.
"Oh no!" Moaned the girl, running to retrieve her precious camera.
The man moved to follow her, but, upon seeing Mark, he turned and hurried off. The filmmaker guessed that the man had planned to do something that he didn't want any witnesses of. Kneeling in the snow at his feet, the girl fiddled with the camera, not even seeming to notice Mark or showing that she had any knowledge of the other man's thwarted attack. He felt no compulsion to move, as he stared down at her, wondering what she looked like.
Suddenly, spoke to him, but didn't look up, "That creep! He broke my camera."
The repairman in Mark came alive and he couldn't resist helping her. He knelt down and for the first time, looked at her face. The girl had pale skin, and shoulder length brown hair that flew around her face with each gust of wind. Her lips were turning blue, as were her cheeks due to the extreme cold. She reminded him of Mimi, Roger's girlfriend, when they had found her that night a year ago. The only thing about her that eluded warmth were her eyes. They were deep brown, puppy dog eyes.
"I can't believe this! It was my only camera and I needed that film!" She complained.
"Here, let me see it." He said, and she handed him the damaged item.
Turning it over, Mark realized that it was only slightly damaged and he had the tools to repair it back at the apartment.
"Hey, it's fixable." He said, and saw eyes lite up in hope. "There's a problem though. I only have the tools to fix it at my apartment, but if you wanna come with me, I'll repair it for free."
She looked at him doubtfully and thought, 'If I go with him, I'm taking my life in my hands. For all I know he could be a serial killer. He looks harmless enough though, and he's definitely a dork.'
She smiled to herself. He caught her smile and it forced the corners of his mouth to turn up too.
'This girl is bewitching.' Mark thought, 'and I like it.'
She looked back at him and nodded, "I'll go with you."
"Great! I don't live too far away."
"Let's go then," She urged, "I'm freezing to death out here."
She took his hand and he helped her to her feet. She followed him as walked quickly toward his building, "So, what'd you do to make that guy so mad at you?" He asked
"I was filming this piece on how some towns are falling apart. I went in there to shoot the alleyway and I didn't see him. He thought I meant to film him and he got mad at me."
Mark laughed, "I know the feeling. What's your name, anyway?"
"Carmen. Carmen Keller. What's yours?"
"Mark Cohen." He stated simply.
"The guy who filmed that riot that made nightly news last year?" She asked, surprised.
"That's me."
"Wow! I loved that piece, you did really good on it." Carmen praised.
"Thanks. So, what do you do?" He asked, changing the focus.
"I do some filming for a local news station every now and then. I make some of my own films of course, and, oh, my neighbors a painter, and he hires me to pose for him." She said, pulling her coat tighter around her.
Mark was a tad shocked at her announcement and she picked right up on it.
"I don't pose nude."
"Oh, okay." He commented, and then seeing his apartment building, he halted, "We're here."
They went inside and she asked him while brushing the off snow of her coat, "Do you live alone?"
"Uh, no, actually. There's Roger and Mimi. My best friends except for Collins. And Maureen and Joanne I guess." Mark replied, and his manner told Carmen and that he might not be on the best of terms with Maureen and Joanne.
"Cool, do I get to meet any of them?"
"Collins, Maureen, and Joanne are a no, but you might get to meet Roger and Mimi if they're still up."
"They won't mind if I'm there, will they? I don't want to disturb anyone." And her eyes took on an apologetic look as she spoke and she bit her lip slightly.
He smiled at her, "I don't think so. It won't take a minute to fix that camera. Only a few things got put outta place during the fall."
"That's good." She said with relief, "I live just across the street actually and I need to finish this tape before tomorrow."
"You're just across the street? I've never seen you." Said a surprised Mark
"I work at home so I don't leave much, and when I do, I leave at night usually."
"Hmm."
Suddenly, a beeping noise sounded and Carmen grabbed at something in her coat pocket.
"AZT break?" Mark asked, holding his breath.
"Nope. I need to call my mom. She lives in a different time zone and it's more convenient to call her around this time." Carmen replied, puzzled at his question.
Mark breathed a sigh of relief at this, "Oh, your beeper sounds like Mimi's cue to take her AZT."
"She has AIDS?"
"Yeah, both her and Roger, and Collins too. I don't have it."
"Neither do I. I practice."
"Practice? How do you practice not having AIDS?"
"By practicing celibacy." She smiled at him and then began to laugh, "I have no idea why I just told you that."
He began to laugh as well, "So, you're a virgin?"
"That's correct sir."
"Well, that's something no one's ever said to me in a conversation before."
"You learn something new everyday. Uh, don't you think we should be heading upstairs to fix the camera?"
Mark looked surprised, then embarrassed, "Sorry. It's just a few stories up." He pointed to the third story.
"Lead on then." She said, moving her outstretched hand in the direction of the staircase.
***************************
They began to walk up the stairs, Carmen following Mark until they reached the third floor. He opened the nearest door and walked in. Roger sat with his guitar, trying to pick a certain tune that would be appropriate for his next song. Mimi was in a housecoat, brushing her hair in front of a mirror. Every other time she brushed she'd have to pull and yank tangles out of the mess of brown hair.
"Trying to brush your hair after a shower again, Mimi?" Mark asked, pulling of his coat and placing it on a chair.
"Yeah. Damn hair doesn't brush good when it's wet."
She didn't see Carmen, but Roger did. "Hey Mark, who's this?"
"This is Carmen Keller. Some homeless guy broke her camera and I said I'd fix it for her."
"Cool. I'm Roger." He said, shaking Carmen's hand.
"Hello. It's nice to meet you." Carmen responded.
Mimi turned around, "Hi! I'm sorry I didn't say anything before, but I'm Mimi."
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance." Carmen said, shaking hands with her as well. As soon as Mimi felt Carmen's hand, she shivered.
"Gosh dear, you're hands are freezing! How long had you been outside?"
"A few hours."
"Geez, here, I think we've got some hot chocolate mix left. Take off your coat and sit near the fire."
"You don't have to do all this on my account, I'm fine." Carmen protested, raising her hands slightly.
"It's okay, now, give me your coat." Mimi demanded.
************************
Carmen realized that there was no sense in trying to argue. This Mimi girl was obviously used to getting her way. Mark took the camera from Carmen and walked over to the table where his equipment was. He tried his best to not stare at her, but it became impossible when she removed her coat.
Carmen was about 5 feet 5 inches, a little above average height, and had a beautiful body. A thin waist curved below an ample chest that had to been inherited, as thin as Carmen was. She was slim hipped with tight thighs to match.
Mark sucked in his breath fast and his heart pounded in the middle of his chest. He felt sore all over, but had to turn away to work on the camera. Mimi and Carmen sat down and made polite conversation while Mark worked. Carmen explained her job, her life, and answered whatever Mimi asked.
"So, what are your parents like?"
"They're really sweet, but they live far away. My mom's name is Hannah Keller, it used to be Hannah Stein, and my dad is Johnathon Keller."
"Stein? Are you Jewish?"
"Half, I was kinda raised in the middle. One year we celebrated one religion, the next year we celebrated the other." Carmen said, sipping the hot chocolate.
Roger stopped playing long enough to say, "Mark's Jewish."
"I thought so. Cohen is a pretty common Jewish name." Agreed Carmen.
Mimi smiled at Roger and he smiled back at her. She suddenly got up and walked over to him for a kiss. However, when she tried to get away, Roger pulled her onto his lap and any conversations were forgotten in the embrace.
Carmen stood up and walked over to where Mark was. She pulled up a chair next to him, "How's it going? Is there anything I can do to help?"
He smiled at her, "Well, it's almost done. I told you that there wasn't much damage. The snow must've stopped the fall."
"That's good. Look, I wanna thank you again for helping me, cause you didn't have to, but you did, and - "
He cut her off, "It's okay, I wanted to help you. That's stuffs happened to me before and I know what a pain it is."
"Yeah, do you want some candy? It's about all I have to give."
"Sure."
"That's where I got my nickname."
"People call you Candy?"
"Uh huh, which is really weird because my name isn't Candice or anything."
"I like that nickname." Mark said, nodding slightly.
She laughed and once again, he laughed with her, although neither knew what they were laughing at. Over near the fireplace, Mimi and Roger watched the scene.
"Mark seriously likes that girl. I haven't seen him laugh in months." Roger whispered to Mimi.
She grinned and whispered into Roger's ear, "All they need is a little push. We'll have to tell Mark to invite her out to the Life Cafe tomorrow with the gang."
"Sounds like a plan." Roger whispered back.
The couple hugged in delight and watched the two filmmakers repair Carmen's camera.
Mark turned the last small screw on the camera an held it up, "That should do it. Then, he switched it on, "Close on Carmen, her camera's now repaired and it's midnight eastern standard time. Technically, December 25th."
She began to laugh and her eyes were smiling and warm. Mimi and Roger exchanged knowing looks, and Mimi got up, giving a wink to Roger. Walking over to Carmen, Mimi said, "Hey, can you cook?"
"Sure, I love to cook."
"Then, will you help me with something in the kitchen real quick, it's for tonight's dinner. We've been saving a long time for the food and I want another girl's opinion."
"Okay." Carmen said, and they walked into the kitchen.
Roger took his cue, "Mark, c'mere."
"What?" Mark asked, getting up and striding over to his friend.
"You like that chick don't you?"
"Yeah, I... I think I do."
"Then invite her to come with us to the Life Cafe tomorrow."
"Don't you think it's a little too early? What if she has a boyfriend?"
"So? She seems to like you Mark. Remember, no day but today, and it technically is the day we're going to the cafe." Roger gave Mark a look that made him think.
"You're right Roger."
"As always." Roger commented, strumming the guitar strings. That was Mimi's signal and she brought Carmen back, reluctantly.
"This girl can cook!" Mimi announced, and Carmen hid a shy smile behind her hand.
Mark walked up to her, "Carmen?"
"Yeah?"
"Got any plans for later on today?"
"Nope, I get Christmas day off."
"Do you wanna come to the Life Cafe with us and about three of our friends around 5 o'clock or so?"
"I didn't think they'd be open, but, yeah, I'd love to."
"That's great!" Mark said, almost unable to contain his joy, "We'll come by your apartment tomorrow to get you, okay?"
"Sure. Thanks again Mark, for everything." Carmen said, as he handed her the repaired camera. His hand brushed past hers and she placed something in his palm.
"Bye guys, thanks again. See you tomorrow!" Carmen said, walking out the door. After she left, Mark held up his palm, still closed around the small circular object.
"What's that Mark?" Roger asked, and Mark slowly opened his palm.
He smiled when he saw what she'd given him,
"Candy."
Disclaimer: All characters belong their respective owner except Carmen and her parents, who belong to me.
Part 1: (Please review this story, if I get good reviews, I'll write a part 2)
"December 24th, 11:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time."
Mark Cohen whispered, walking down the street. The snow crunched lightly under his boots and he wrapped his scarf more tighter around his face. His eyes stared up at the darkened sky where softly falling snowflakes made the illusions of stars,
'Another year gone by, and what have I done?' He thought. His misery was as bitter as the sting of the icy wind. Mark began to think of the apartment. About now, Mimi would be home from work, Roger had probably been waiting for her. Mimi had moved in about a year ago and between his movies, her new waitress job, and Roger's occasional songs, they were able to pay the rent. Mark didn't mind that Mimi lived there, since she was dating Roger, but, it was hard to sleep at night sometimes. He had a separate room, but the paper thin walls made nights hell for him, and he often longed for someone to call his.
*********************
"Hey girl! What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Called an angry voice from an alley ahead of him.
Curiosity pulled him to peer around the corner and he saw a homeless person yelling at a young woman. The girl held something in her hands that he couldn't make out and it was obviously upsetting the homeless person.
"I wasn't - I was just trying to - I'm sorry if I -" The woman sputtered, scared, but not willing to move.
The guy took a swipe at her and ended up knocking what the girl had been carrying out of her hands. It landed at Mark's feet and he recognized a camera that now needed repairs.
"Oh no!" Moaned the girl, running to retrieve her precious camera.
The man moved to follow her, but, upon seeing Mark, he turned and hurried off. The filmmaker guessed that the man had planned to do something that he didn't want any witnesses of. Kneeling in the snow at his feet, the girl fiddled with the camera, not even seeming to notice Mark or showing that she had any knowledge of the other man's thwarted attack. He felt no compulsion to move, as he stared down at her, wondering what she looked like.
Suddenly, spoke to him, but didn't look up, "That creep! He broke my camera."
The repairman in Mark came alive and he couldn't resist helping her. He knelt down and for the first time, looked at her face. The girl had pale skin, and shoulder length brown hair that flew around her face with each gust of wind. Her lips were turning blue, as were her cheeks due to the extreme cold. She reminded him of Mimi, Roger's girlfriend, when they had found her that night a year ago. The only thing about her that eluded warmth were her eyes. They were deep brown, puppy dog eyes.
"I can't believe this! It was my only camera and I needed that film!" She complained.
"Here, let me see it." He said, and she handed him the damaged item.
Turning it over, Mark realized that it was only slightly damaged and he had the tools to repair it back at the apartment.
"Hey, it's fixable." He said, and saw eyes lite up in hope. "There's a problem though. I only have the tools to fix it at my apartment, but if you wanna come with me, I'll repair it for free."
She looked at him doubtfully and thought, 'If I go with him, I'm taking my life in my hands. For all I know he could be a serial killer. He looks harmless enough though, and he's definitely a dork.'
She smiled to herself. He caught her smile and it forced the corners of his mouth to turn up too.
'This girl is bewitching.' Mark thought, 'and I like it.'
She looked back at him and nodded, "I'll go with you."
"Great! I don't live too far away."
"Let's go then," She urged, "I'm freezing to death out here."
She took his hand and he helped her to her feet. She followed him as walked quickly toward his building, "So, what'd you do to make that guy so mad at you?" He asked
"I was filming this piece on how some towns are falling apart. I went in there to shoot the alleyway and I didn't see him. He thought I meant to film him and he got mad at me."
Mark laughed, "I know the feeling. What's your name, anyway?"
"Carmen. Carmen Keller. What's yours?"
"Mark Cohen." He stated simply.
"The guy who filmed that riot that made nightly news last year?" She asked, surprised.
"That's me."
"Wow! I loved that piece, you did really good on it." Carmen praised.
"Thanks. So, what do you do?" He asked, changing the focus.
"I do some filming for a local news station every now and then. I make some of my own films of course, and, oh, my neighbors a painter, and he hires me to pose for him." She said, pulling her coat tighter around her.
Mark was a tad shocked at her announcement and she picked right up on it.
"I don't pose nude."
"Oh, okay." He commented, and then seeing his apartment building, he halted, "We're here."
They went inside and she asked him while brushing the off snow of her coat, "Do you live alone?"
"Uh, no, actually. There's Roger and Mimi. My best friends except for Collins. And Maureen and Joanne I guess." Mark replied, and his manner told Carmen and that he might not be on the best of terms with Maureen and Joanne.
"Cool, do I get to meet any of them?"
"Collins, Maureen, and Joanne are a no, but you might get to meet Roger and Mimi if they're still up."
"They won't mind if I'm there, will they? I don't want to disturb anyone." And her eyes took on an apologetic look as she spoke and she bit her lip slightly.
He smiled at her, "I don't think so. It won't take a minute to fix that camera. Only a few things got put outta place during the fall."
"That's good." She said with relief, "I live just across the street actually and I need to finish this tape before tomorrow."
"You're just across the street? I've never seen you." Said a surprised Mark
"I work at home so I don't leave much, and when I do, I leave at night usually."
"Hmm."
Suddenly, a beeping noise sounded and Carmen grabbed at something in her coat pocket.
"AZT break?" Mark asked, holding his breath.
"Nope. I need to call my mom. She lives in a different time zone and it's more convenient to call her around this time." Carmen replied, puzzled at his question.
Mark breathed a sigh of relief at this, "Oh, your beeper sounds like Mimi's cue to take her AZT."
"She has AIDS?"
"Yeah, both her and Roger, and Collins too. I don't have it."
"Neither do I. I practice."
"Practice? How do you practice not having AIDS?"
"By practicing celibacy." She smiled at him and then began to laugh, "I have no idea why I just told you that."
He began to laugh as well, "So, you're a virgin?"
"That's correct sir."
"Well, that's something no one's ever said to me in a conversation before."
"You learn something new everyday. Uh, don't you think we should be heading upstairs to fix the camera?"
Mark looked surprised, then embarrassed, "Sorry. It's just a few stories up." He pointed to the third story.
"Lead on then." She said, moving her outstretched hand in the direction of the staircase.
***************************
They began to walk up the stairs, Carmen following Mark until they reached the third floor. He opened the nearest door and walked in. Roger sat with his guitar, trying to pick a certain tune that would be appropriate for his next song. Mimi was in a housecoat, brushing her hair in front of a mirror. Every other time she brushed she'd have to pull and yank tangles out of the mess of brown hair.
"Trying to brush your hair after a shower again, Mimi?" Mark asked, pulling of his coat and placing it on a chair.
"Yeah. Damn hair doesn't brush good when it's wet."
She didn't see Carmen, but Roger did. "Hey Mark, who's this?"
"This is Carmen Keller. Some homeless guy broke her camera and I said I'd fix it for her."
"Cool. I'm Roger." He said, shaking Carmen's hand.
"Hello. It's nice to meet you." Carmen responded.
Mimi turned around, "Hi! I'm sorry I didn't say anything before, but I'm Mimi."
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance." Carmen said, shaking hands with her as well. As soon as Mimi felt Carmen's hand, she shivered.
"Gosh dear, you're hands are freezing! How long had you been outside?"
"A few hours."
"Geez, here, I think we've got some hot chocolate mix left. Take off your coat and sit near the fire."
"You don't have to do all this on my account, I'm fine." Carmen protested, raising her hands slightly.
"It's okay, now, give me your coat." Mimi demanded.
************************
Carmen realized that there was no sense in trying to argue. This Mimi girl was obviously used to getting her way. Mark took the camera from Carmen and walked over to the table where his equipment was. He tried his best to not stare at her, but it became impossible when she removed her coat.
Carmen was about 5 feet 5 inches, a little above average height, and had a beautiful body. A thin waist curved below an ample chest that had to been inherited, as thin as Carmen was. She was slim hipped with tight thighs to match.
Mark sucked in his breath fast and his heart pounded in the middle of his chest. He felt sore all over, but had to turn away to work on the camera. Mimi and Carmen sat down and made polite conversation while Mark worked. Carmen explained her job, her life, and answered whatever Mimi asked.
"So, what are your parents like?"
"They're really sweet, but they live far away. My mom's name is Hannah Keller, it used to be Hannah Stein, and my dad is Johnathon Keller."
"Stein? Are you Jewish?"
"Half, I was kinda raised in the middle. One year we celebrated one religion, the next year we celebrated the other." Carmen said, sipping the hot chocolate.
Roger stopped playing long enough to say, "Mark's Jewish."
"I thought so. Cohen is a pretty common Jewish name." Agreed Carmen.
Mimi smiled at Roger and he smiled back at her. She suddenly got up and walked over to him for a kiss. However, when she tried to get away, Roger pulled her onto his lap and any conversations were forgotten in the embrace.
Carmen stood up and walked over to where Mark was. She pulled up a chair next to him, "How's it going? Is there anything I can do to help?"
He smiled at her, "Well, it's almost done. I told you that there wasn't much damage. The snow must've stopped the fall."
"That's good. Look, I wanna thank you again for helping me, cause you didn't have to, but you did, and - "
He cut her off, "It's okay, I wanted to help you. That's stuffs happened to me before and I know what a pain it is."
"Yeah, do you want some candy? It's about all I have to give."
"Sure."
"That's where I got my nickname."
"People call you Candy?"
"Uh huh, which is really weird because my name isn't Candice or anything."
"I like that nickname." Mark said, nodding slightly.
She laughed and once again, he laughed with her, although neither knew what they were laughing at. Over near the fireplace, Mimi and Roger watched the scene.
"Mark seriously likes that girl. I haven't seen him laugh in months." Roger whispered to Mimi.
She grinned and whispered into Roger's ear, "All they need is a little push. We'll have to tell Mark to invite her out to the Life Cafe tomorrow with the gang."
"Sounds like a plan." Roger whispered back.
The couple hugged in delight and watched the two filmmakers repair Carmen's camera.
Mark turned the last small screw on the camera an held it up, "That should do it. Then, he switched it on, "Close on Carmen, her camera's now repaired and it's midnight eastern standard time. Technically, December 25th."
She began to laugh and her eyes were smiling and warm. Mimi and Roger exchanged knowing looks, and Mimi got up, giving a wink to Roger. Walking over to Carmen, Mimi said, "Hey, can you cook?"
"Sure, I love to cook."
"Then, will you help me with something in the kitchen real quick, it's for tonight's dinner. We've been saving a long time for the food and I want another girl's opinion."
"Okay." Carmen said, and they walked into the kitchen.
Roger took his cue, "Mark, c'mere."
"What?" Mark asked, getting up and striding over to his friend.
"You like that chick don't you?"
"Yeah, I... I think I do."
"Then invite her to come with us to the Life Cafe tomorrow."
"Don't you think it's a little too early? What if she has a boyfriend?"
"So? She seems to like you Mark. Remember, no day but today, and it technically is the day we're going to the cafe." Roger gave Mark a look that made him think.
"You're right Roger."
"As always." Roger commented, strumming the guitar strings. That was Mimi's signal and she brought Carmen back, reluctantly.
"This girl can cook!" Mimi announced, and Carmen hid a shy smile behind her hand.
Mark walked up to her, "Carmen?"
"Yeah?"
"Got any plans for later on today?"
"Nope, I get Christmas day off."
"Do you wanna come to the Life Cafe with us and about three of our friends around 5 o'clock or so?"
"I didn't think they'd be open, but, yeah, I'd love to."
"That's great!" Mark said, almost unable to contain his joy, "We'll come by your apartment tomorrow to get you, okay?"
"Sure. Thanks again Mark, for everything." Carmen said, as he handed her the repaired camera. His hand brushed past hers and she placed something in his palm.
"Bye guys, thanks again. See you tomorrow!" Carmen said, walking out the door. After she left, Mark held up his palm, still closed around the small circular object.
"What's that Mark?" Roger asked, and Mark slowly opened his palm.
He smiled when he saw what she'd given him,
"Candy."