Candy

CANDY:

You never take the green ones. The green ones are always stale and dry. They’ve been passed over too many times. You can taste the oily, dirty hands of children who had picked them up and then put them back. That’s why you always have to stick with the red ones. They go quick, so they are always fresh. This is one of the first things I learned in life. Going to the local convenience store in all its glory to look over the beautiful bounty that is the five cent candies. The green thumbs. Always stale. The red lips were always fresh. Of course, there were always other options than the five cent candies. The chocolate bars, the chips, the slushies. But it always felt that the red lips, the blue whales, the gummy bottles of coke…they always gave more bang for your buck. So that’s where I would go. Even at a young age I had already been programmed to value the importance of the almighty dollar.

As I stood in front of the five piece candies, the lady at the counter is eying me. She thinks I am getting ready to steal some of her candy. I’m not. I’m just thinking of what I feel like eating today. “Blue whales sound good”, I was probably thinking. So as I stand there looking at these candies, the owner yells, “Hey! I’m watching you!” Me, not knowing how to respond, did the only thing my tiny brain can process as a correct reaction, I smile back. “Wipe that stupid smirk off your face!” Stupid smirk? I was just trying to be nice. So I buy my candy and get out. Walking home in shame. Not knowing why exactly. I didn’t do anything wrong.

Oh, well. At least I got my candy.