Chapter 31

• TWENTY SEVEN YEARS AGO
• Candice stood by the counter table chopping up onions and tomatoes in preparation for dinner. The aroma stung but her eyes did not water. She cut with precision. Each swift snip of the knife in her hand implied that she was mad at something. Anger tightened her stomach once the entire bulb had been chopped. Candice proceeded to pour the minced pieces into the boiling broth. As she poured the vegetables into the hot broth, a knock resonated from where she stood. A smile made its way to her straight face like she had been expecting someone. A lover perhaps.
• “You are late.” Candice said in a soft voice as she brushed away moist hair sticking to her skin. “David went out. If you ask me, he was mad. I think he believed you stood him up.”