Day 2: Fall Candle
soundtrack: 'St Clare' by Suzanne Vega
Despite the throng of volunteers, Kate and Scott have always been expected to help out around the church; once they started public high school, the more rigid schedule and various school activities meant that Momma and Daddy let them off a lot of their former duties.
One job that Kate had made sure she kept, though, was lighting the candles for Sunday evening services. It's simple, quick, and Daddy lets Miss Marcus, the owner of 'To Light Your Way', run her candle-making classes in the church's main hall, in exchange for a steady supply of candles for the altar.
Kate flicks the long barbeque lighter, and watches the flame take hold of the wick. She waits a few seconds for the scent of the candle to be released, and leans forward; not enough to singe her hair or eyelashes, but enough so that she can drink in the fragrance of cranberry and apples, lightly laced with cinnamon.
One time Miss Marcus came by with an extra delivery, and caught her lingering over the candles; when Kate explained how much she loved the scents, Miss Marcus chuckled sort of knowingly, and said that Kate was a born sensualist – and that it would come in handy when she was old enough to be interested in men.
Kate blushed hotly in response; but she's thought about it since, and decided that she wants to marry a man who appreciates things like scent and taste.
(Several years and several hundred miles later, Seth Gecko will give Kate an intense lecture on how to properly appreciate tequila, and how to tell a good one by taste. Kate gives him an odd sort of approving smile the whole time; Seth decides not to ask why.)