Paging the Doctor

Candace walked down the dark street, her smart business pumps clicking on the dirty pavement. She’d had to work late, it wasn’t normally this dark when she came to see him. She could feel her chest getting tight, her breath growing labored quickly from too many years of sweet snow. Her work clothing, a smart dress suit, wasn’t doing anything to help. Click clacking around the corner, Candace picked up pace. She never liked the dark. Mama always said bad men came out after dark. Bad men like Jimmy.

Candace glanced over her shoulder, making sure to walk under the streetlights. Thinking of Jimmy, she felt her heart stutter. She could practically see his long hair; the five o’clock shadow on his pointed jaw. She could feel the way his eyes watched her. She thought of all the things Jimmy gave her, everything that he could ever give to her. She thought of the way he smelled like petrol; the way he drove his chevy; the ways he drove her mad. She stopped under a streetlight, sweat visible on her brow. She took off her jacket, shoving it deep into her handbag.

Candace jumped, the sudden noise of a passing cop car causing her to break her stride. She almost laughed. They were driving toward Jimmy’s. Everyone in this part of town knew that the cops were no good. They were only there to make it look like the ghetto was being cleaned. In reality, over here, the cops were made dirty. She thought back to a time when she’d been with Jimmy, down in the cellar, surrounded by her favorite fix and cash. A knock on the door, he’d pulled her up, whispered against her ear not to bother with clothes. He grabbed a fifty; he grabbed her hand, pulling up the steps and drawing her up in front of a uniformed man. He handed the cop the small amount of cash, pushing hard on her shoulder.
“Tha’s all I got for now,” She remembered the evil smirk on his face as he looked down at her, “To cover the rest, Candy ‘ere’ll blow ya, won’t you Candy? You can cut your own line if you do.”
Candy stopped under a streetlight, a smile on her face as she noticed how tight her hair was, pulling against her head. She took out her scrunchie, shaking her blonde hair loose around her.

Candy rounded another corner; she could see his house now. She looked at the run down façade, knowing inside there was a king who sat on a mountain of pure white gold. She could see the rotting porch and, right next to it, the shiny flaming chevy that Jimmy like to drive oh-so fast. She fidgeted with the buttons on her shirt, undoing them to show off her cleavage without really thinking about it. Walking toward the front of the house made her dizzy. She didn’t care, Jimmy would make her feel better, make her feel all right. She stopped at the bottom of the broken front stairs and hitched up her skirt; Jimmy would give her more lines for it, he was always saying how he loved her legs. She thought of her hand in his, trying desperately to calm down as she took up the three stairs. Her hands were tingly, her head throbbing. Even the smallest breath hurt her tight chest. She pushed the little doorbell button and waited.

It felt like hours before the door swung open. There he was, his long hair matted and filthy, his eyes a little glazed over. His shirt was dirty and stained, as were his jeans. He smelled like petrol, like sweat, like sweet sugar. He looked her up and down, his entire being exuding the hunger he had for her. That evil smirk lit up his dirty face, helped clear just a little of the fog in his eyes. She tried with all her might to hide the need in her eyes.She wanted her fix, and she wanted it now.
Candy did her best to talk through her breathlessness; to look sexy even though her head was swimming and her chest heaving, “Paging Doctor Feelgood.”