Sandy's Candies

Start writing... This was it! It had to stop! This addiction would kill her! Here Martina stood, naked in her kitchen with chocolate cake crumbs scattered across her lips afraid to look down at the scale. She did not want to see the number. She had just inhaled another piece of delicious triple chocolate cake topped with mint chocolate shavings and filled with maraschino cherries from Sandy's Candies, her go-to chocolate shop. When she sat down on her sofa to watch some tv the button on her pants burst off, it flew across the room and landed in the kitchen with a sickening clink. She jumped up and ran to the hallway closet to dig out her scale. It was crammed in the bottom under mounds of unused sports equipment racquets, a softball bat, boxing gloves, of course multiple shoes that were little more than one time use such as snow boots, ballet slippers, snorkeling flippers. She stripped off her clothes in the middle of her breakdown and threw her unfastenable pants straight into the trash bin. She would not mend them. Those pants were dead to her.

So again here she was standing in her kitchen naked. The cake box and wrapper are still on the kitchen counter, empty now, and the cake demolished. Martina looked down the scale read 280. She was devastated. Tears started streaming down her face. She never ever thought she could get this savagely overweight. Here she was 5 foot 4 inches and 280 lbs! She knew she was superbly unhealthy. She could barely breathe when she spoke on the phone. She did very little exercise. She would never take the stairs over an elevator, she would even chuckle when she came across any flight of stairs and say no thank you to herself. She drove anywhere she possibly could and parked as close as possible to every entrance ensuring the least amount of walking from the parking lot. Extremely lazy. And extremely addicted to chocolate. She'd always been this way. In love with chocolate. It just made her feel better even if it did help pack on the pounds. She'd have chocolate three or four, maybe six times a day. She had stashes everywhere, in her car, at work (in multiple places) and of course at home in her bedroom, in the kitchen, in the cupboards, in the refrigerator and in the freezer. Who doesn't have a chocolate drumstick on hand at all times? But it was more than that there was Sandy's Candies. Right down the street from her home. And they had a drive thru. She would be there pretty much daily. Most mornings before work she'd have a hot chocolate with a mint chocolate candy stirring stick with a cinnamon bun. Some evenings, especially after a long day's work, she would stop by to browse inside and see what type of chocolate truffles and pieces were available. She always got a sample along with whatever she purchased, sometimes just a couple pieces of chocolate, sometimes a candy bar, sometimes a whole box of chocolate to herself, but she absolutely loved their chocolate cake. They were always putting in new flavors and fillings but always stuck with the chocolate frosting. It was her crack. That chocolate frosting.

And it was killing her! She stopped going out because she couldn't fit her clothes anymore. She hated how she looked. She would rather stay inside watching tv alone than get ready and go out sociably. She was too self conscious about her weight and appearance.

But that was going to change. She decided she wanted to feel like a lady again and 280 was no lady in her book. 280 was a cow or even a whale. She could not look at herself in the mirror anymore. And it hurt. Martina threw on some clothes a pair of sweat pants and a sweatshirt. She found some running shoes stashed in the back of her closet.

She headed to the nearest gym going in the opposite direction of her friendly Chocolatier. She started making drastic changes with her sweets. She decided to only indulge once a week. She worked out at the gym 5 times a week. She ate much healthier and started loving herself more. Sandy noticed the change. He had his eye on Martina for a long time now. He had thought of her as a friend if not more from her previous frequent visits to his shop. He was always there to listen to her woes or help her celebrate with his chocolate cakes. He missed her terribly not only for the income she had given him but also he missed her company. Martina missed Sandy too she did not realize how much he meant to her. She had started to notice the build up of suspense between her visits to Sandy's. She wanted to quit the chocolate shop cold turkey but she could never drop Sandy like that. Now that she was losing weight and caring about her appearance more she'd try new outfits hair styles and make up to impress Sandy. He loved this healthier happier version of Martina but it meant they rarely seen each other. He had to do something about it. He started giving her extra candy and free cakes hoping to persuade her to come in more. Every time he slipped something in she'd tell him "you and your chocolate will be the death of me!" He'd laugh and laugh. She'd smile wink and leave. Eventually he got up the courage to ask her out to dinner. She gladly accepted. She could not believe she was finally going to be social again go out on a date have a love life again. It had been so long since she had let her chocolate addiction take over her happiness.

Sandy met Martina at the restaurant they had chose for their first date. He was so nervous he hoped Martina was happy to be seen with him after her transformation had begun. He was after all a candy shop owner he was overweight and in his 40s he was no young bull. She had changed from a somewhat hopeless food addict into someone who cares about what goes into her body. He didnt know if he could impress her or if she seen him as more than friend material. He wanted to be husband or at least boyfriend material. Sandy didnt know it but Martina wanted the same. She had longed for him for some time now. She didnt care that he was overweight all she cared about was how his smile seeing those dimples and shiny white teeth against his dark chocolate skin made her feel. It sent tingles down her spine and gave her butterflies in her stomach. She thought who could love someone as hideous as her? She just could not love herself as she was but now that she had been working on herself she had a little more confidence and wasnt scared to go on their date. She put on her dress and make up and gave it her best shot with Sandy. They enjoyed each others company. There were hardly any awkward moments at dinner. Everything was fine until it was time for dessert. The special was chocolate cake. Martina refused. She told Sandy the only cake she wanted was his. He could not stop smiling. They paid the check and left straight to the candy shop. He let her in the back entrance. She felt so special clearly not just a regular customer anymore. He found a piece of cake just for her. She was so happy to spend time with him she didnt care about the cake. She just wanted to feel his lips on hers. He sensed it and bent down for their first kiss. Fireworks explosions that kiss was amazing! As soon as it was over Sandy handed Martina the cake, she took a bite. He leaned over and whispered in Martina's ear "I've loved you since you were my best customer and fat." She choked a little bit and spit out the cake she could not believe he said that. She laughed told him "You and your Chocolate really will be the death of me!"