Excerpt: Sweet Addiction

Chapter 3

The loud static of the alarm clock woke me at 6 the next morning. Apparently the station we had on at the old house didn't get reception here. I hit snooze and rolled over. Hugh pulled the covers off as he got out of bed, and I made a protesting mumble. I got up anyway and fumbled my way down to the kitchen while Hugh got ready to go to the gym. I didn't know how he did it; he would get up so early and have the energy to exercise, all without having a drop of coffee.

Speaking of coffee, although I put coffee and a filter in the coffee maker, I forgot to program it. I turned it on and stared at it, willing it to brew. It spit tiny drops of coffee into the pot just to spite me.

Hugh skipped down the stairs and kissed me on the cheek. "Good morning, honey!"

"Morning," I mumbled. He knew the rules, no being cheery around me until I had my coffee. He just smiled and headed out for the gym.

The liquid brown caffeine-infused essence gathered in the bottom of the pot. I poured it into a mug and stumbled to the front door to pick up the newspaper. I sat on a box, half stared at the words printed on the page, and half read the rest until I heard the final puff of steam from the coffee-maker. I discarded the news on top of another box, downed the remaining coffee in my cup, and headed back towards the kitchen.

I prepared my second cup of coffee in a travel mug. This time, I put a couple spoons of sugar in the bottom, and a spoon of cocoa from the stash in the cupboard. I added the coffee, and a bit of milk, stirred it all together, and topped it off with a nicely sealed lid. I carried the mug around with me for the rest of the morning while I got ready for work. I'd savor each small sip, but save the majority of the mocha for the commute. Once Hugh got home from the gym, I savored a bit more discreetly.

On the drive to work, I sipped less and gulped more. No, I couldn't truely savor it, but the coffee kept me calm as I navigated through downtown traffic. The mug was empty by time I arrived at the office, but I carried it in with me. My travel mug, especially when spiked with cocoa, didn't leave my sight until I had a chance to wash it out. And I wasn't done with it yet.

Although I was early, Sally was still in the office before me. She was the controller's secretary, but she wasn't very well liked. She was good at eavesdropping and spreading rumors. But as far as I could tell, she didn't really have any friends, and I felt sorry for her. I smiled and said, "Good morning," as I walked by her office. She gave me half a smile and waved back. When she wasn't gossiping, she didn't talk much, and I didn't know much about her. I had been trying to be friendly to her, and even invited her over for dinner, but I constantly felt like I was hitting a brick wall. I settled just for waving as we passed in the hall.

I deposited my purse in my office and fired up the computer. As it was booting, I made my way to the break room. At least Sally made coffee. I refilled my cup, but didn't bother putting the lid back on. I nearly ran into Sally as I walked back into the hall. Had she been watching me? It didn't really matter, I didn't do anything suspicious. At least I didn't think so. But as she passed me, she actually spoke to me. "Mm, your coffee smells good."

Was there really that much cocoa left in the cup? "Um, thanks, I guess. I... had flavored coffee in it at home." What could smell close enough to cocoa? "Some sort of nut, almond maybe. It was pretty good."

Sally stood in the hall as I nonchalantly walked back towards my office as I spoke. "Oh, I might have to get me some of that," she said.

"I'll let you know what it is tomorrow morning," I lied. I ducked into my office, leaving her standing there. So much for trying to be friendly with her. I tested the coffee, the taste of cocoa was practically non-existent. I was thinking about putting some of my emergency chocolate I kept stashed in my file drawer into the mug, but I changed my mind. If Sally could smell the trace of cocoa, how would her nose react to a nugget of chocolate melting in the bottom of my full cup?

I answered emails as the rest of the office filed in. Human Resources emailed yesterday about a company meeting today. Something about changes to the employee handbook. I hated those meetings, this one especially, since I needed to get caught up from my day off. Last time they scheduled one of these meetings, it was just to tell us that they'd pay for the day after Thanksgiving off. Consequently, that meeting took place in December, and it wasn't retroactive. I was afraid that in this meeting they might change their minds and take the day back.

Cindy, my boss, walked into my office. "Good morning Katelynn. How's the unpacking going?"

"Pretty well. I got lucky and all the utilities were turned on yesterday." I looked at the few files in my inbox. I was expecting a lot more. "Did I miss anything yesterday?"

"Keevin Electronics had a rush job again, but Justin took care of it." Justin was the other graphic designer, this was his first job out of college. He did okay, but his jobs often took longer than expected. Cindy had anticipated my questions. "He got it done in time, and they liked it. I got it to the printer before the end of the day."

She loitered a minute while I looked through the files. "Is Dr. Johnson changing his mind on the logo again?" I asked her.

"It seems so. I think he's been showing it to his wife again." I shook my head and added the folder to the pile. "Let me know if you need anything."

The morning went by quickly. The mocha had given me an energy boost, and my mood got better. It was noon before I realized it, and I nearly had my desk cleared. Oh yeah, I rock, I thought to myself. I deserved a treat. I peaked around my doorway at Sally's office. Her light was off, she left for lunch, good. I opened the file drawer all the way, and pulled the files forward so I could get to the back. Stashed at the bottom of the drawer was a small, black gift box. I opened it up, took a foil wrapped morsel out, and replaced the lid. I pushed the files back, then jiggled the drawer to get them all evenly spaced out. I put the bit of foil in the bottom of my purse, and headed out to lunch.

It was another beautiful day, so I headed to The Midtown Deli. They had the best salami sandwiches, and they had outdoor seating. They were running a free drink and side special, and the line was particularly long. Once I finally got my sandwich, chips, and Coke, I headed back outside to find my favorite tables were taken. Figures. I found a table with just one chair out near the street. I sat my food down, and caught my cup as the table tipped with the weight. I sat my food on the chair as I took a look at the table legs. It looked like one of the feet were missing. I wadded up a few napkins and shoved them underneath. The table still tipped. I sighed, and took another look around. A man and woman were saying their goodbyes at a nearby table. They talked, they laughed, they kissed. They were cute, but they were taking forever. Finally they left, and I stole the table.

I took a bit of my sandwich and looked at my watch. It was almost time to head back. I quickly finished the sandwich, and took the chips with me, eating them as I walked to my car and drove back to the office. I hadn't left soon enough, and I was late. Normally, that wasn't a big deal, except for the HR meeting. I rushed up to my office and sat my purse on my desk. Then I remember the chocolate at the bottom of it. I quickly fished it out, tore of the foil, and put the chocolate in my mouth to melt. Luckily, I wouldn't have to talk to anyone, since the meeting had probably begun.

I snuck into the conference room, and took a packet off the table by the door. The cover page had, "Drug and alcohol policy," typed in an ornate font. I could tell Justin had put this together for them, he loved to use that font. I wondered how long it had taken him to put this together, and flipped through the pages looking for his trademark cheesy clip art. There was none. That's right, I remembered, this is an addendum to the handbook, it couldn't be too fancy.

The mousey-haired Human Resources director was up front outlining the details of the new policy. "As you may have seen in the news, the state is encouraging businesses to crack down on drug use in their work force." I always thought it was funny that the expression was "work force." I got an image in my mind of the office staff dressed in suits of armor building a fortress in the parking lot. I giggled to myself. The chocolate melted throughly on my tongue and was making me giddy.

"We are enacting a zero tolerance policy. Anyone found with or under the influence of drugs and alcohol will be terminated immediately. This includes cocaine, marijuana, and cacao." The velvetly remains of the chocolate in my mouth suddenly felt very dry. I swallowed hard, and the melted chocolate stuck in my throat. I started to choke. Coughing, I excused myself from the room using hand gestures, and raced to the bathroom.

I started to take a drink from the water fountain, when I felt the bile rising up in my throat. I ran through the bathroom door, swinging it shut, but not bothering to lock in behind me. I painfully lost my lunch, the chocolate, and the mocha into the toilet. It came up through my nose, suffocating me even more. I gasped for air, and blew my nose into some toilet paper. The tissue was stained brown from the chocolate. Getting up from the floor, I approached the sink and splashed cold water onto my face. I cupped my hands, and gulped the water out of them. My reflection in the mirror was a bit red faced, but I didn't see any traces of brown.

There was a knock on the door. "Katelynn, are you okay," said Cindy. She cracked the door open.

I quickly took two steps to the toilet. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a coughing fit that got a bit out of hand. I'll be back out in a bit."

"I'll be standing right outside in case you need me." I need you to go far away, I thought, but nodded instead. She closed the door behind her.

I took a look at the toilet. Drops of brown saliva were scattered on the seat. I quickly wiped down the toilet, inside and out, with a paper towel, and flushed it all down. After another look, I decided that it was clean.

I opened the door, and Cindy was standing right outside, just where she said she would be. "Sorry about that," I said. "I'm okay now."

"The meeting is over now anyway. Here's your packet." I stifled another cough as she handed it to me.

I went back to my office, and put the packet with my purse. I wanted to take it home and read over it throughly.

The drive home seemed to take forever. Hugh's car was already in the driveway as I pulled in. I glanced in my rearview mirror, and saw Mrs. Tanner in her front window with a pair of binoculars. So, she was a nosy neighbor after all. And a cat killer. I got out of my car and imitated her scowl as I frowned at her house.

I opened the door to find Hugh setting up the TV. "Hey honey, can you help me with this?" He motioned to the entertainment center. He was trying to put the tv on it, but kept tilting the shelves.

I held onto them, and he slid the tv in place. He continued setting up the stereo and DVD player.

I put my hands on my hips and watched. "You wouldn't believe what I just saw," I said. "Mrs. Tanner was in her front window looking through binoculars at our house."

"Actually, I think she's a bird watcher." Hugh finished plugging the devices into the tv. "I saw her when I came home too, but she was looking at a cardinal in her tree."

I looked out our front window at the tree next to the driveway. I saw a flash of red in the branches, then the bird flew away. "Oh. Yeah." I felt silly. The stress of the day, and the waste of chocolate, made me grumpy. "I should go to the grocery store. Do you want anything special for supper?"

"Nah, whatever sounds good to you." He turned on the tv, but got only static. It would be better to leave him alone while he set it up anyway.

The grocery store was busy. I got a wobbly cart, and wandered my way through the produce. Tammy was right, there was a marked improvement in the quality of the fruits and vegetables today. I stocked up, and passed the deli counter. At the far end there was a case of precooked meals. I grabbed a turkey and gravy dinner and some mashed potatoes for an easy supper when I got home.

When I approached the meat counter, the same kid was there from yesterday. I didn't see Tommy, and was a bit relieved. Perhaps it was his possible relationship to Tammy that made me uncomfortable. As the kid started packing up my order, Tommy appeared beside me. "I can help you with that Miss Alden," he said with a huge smile, and walked around to the back of the counter. I thought about correcting him, but decided that would be rude. The kid finished wrapping up my hamburger, plopped the package on top of the case, and sulked away to do something in the back.

"So, what do you like?" Tommy beamed. "I'll get you some more steak. We just got some fresh salmon in. Do you like fish?" I did like fish, but I was reluctant to say so. I knew Tommy would mislabel it again, and I felt guilty.

"I do, but I don't think I need any right now." I had planned to get some, but I'd just get it from the frozen food section. Tommy grinned again, and went to the back. He walked in and out of the cooler, but I couldn't see what he had. He wrapped everything up in white paper, and handed me an armful of packages. All the tags were for cheap items. The large "pig's feet" package felt suspiciously like crab legs. I was flabberghasted, but I didn't know what to do. I nodded in thanks, and slinked off.

When I got home, I inspected the white bundles. T-bone. Prime rib. Shrimp. Salmon. And sure enough, snow crab legs. Hugh came into the kitchen and helped me put it all in the freezer. "Wow, how much did this cost?"

I showed him the receipt and told him about my suspicions about Tommy and Tammy. "Maybe I should go with you the next time you go grocery shopping," Hugh suggested. I agreed.