Chapter Ninety-Five: Meet Candy

There was a young woman standing in the doorway when Ken answered it.  She wore a bright green sleeveless blouse and had dark orange hair.  “Candy,” she said.

“Sorry,” said Ken.  “We don’t eat it here.  Too much sugar.”

“No, no, no,” the woman said.  “That’s my name.  Well, it’s really Candyse, but everyone calls me Candy.”

“Oh,” said Ken.  “Please to meet you, Candy.  Why don’t you come in?”

“Thank you,” Candy said and walked in.  “I heard you were looking for someone who could bake.”

“Why don’t I get Marge?” Ken said.

Marge talked with Candy for a few minutes and then got Nancy.

“Is this really a commune?” Candy asked Nancy.

“It’s really a commune,” Nancy said, “and if you’re going to work here, you’ve got to live here.”

“That’s okay,” Candy said.  “As long as I can visit my folks whenever I like.”

“Where do your folks live?” Nancy asked.

“Over on Shady Pine Lane,” Candy said.

“Shady Pine Lane?  Isn’t that like three streets away?”

“Something like that,” Candy said.

“So you’re a local gal,” Nancy said.

“Yup.  Born and raised here.”

“So what do your folks think of this place?” Nancy asked.

Candy blushed.  “Umm,” she said.

“Do they know that you’ve come over here?”

“Yeah,” Candy said.  “They said I had to get a job soon and they said it might as well be at the commune.  I really would be glad to live here.  I’m sorta tired of sharing a room with my sister.”

                                                                    *

In the kitchen, Nancy introduced Candy to Zelda.

“Oh, wow,” Candy said.  “You look like my grandmother.”

“Well, you don’t look like any of my grandkids,” Zelda said.  “And that’s a very good thing.”

“At the last commune meeting we agreed that we’d get two new ovens,” Nancy said, “but we haven’t got them yet so you and I and Darren and Zelda will all be using the same oven.  What do you like baking?”

“Cookies!” yelled Candy.

“You know how to make maple apple ones?” Nancy asked.

“With cinnamon?” Candy asked.

“Okay,” Nancy said.  “You want to try it that way?”

“Sure,” Candy said.  And in fifteen minutes she presented the results to Nancy and Zelda.

“What do you think?” Nancy said to Zelda.

“I think that I wouldn’t turn down anyone who could make cookies like this,” Zelda said.

“Okay,” Nancy said.  “You’re in.  Go and get your stuff.  We’re moving you into Siberia House.”

“Wow, Siberia House,” said Candy.  “How far away is that?  Is it still on your commune?”

“Barely,” Nancy said.