Page 54 of A Master's Destiny
I pass the little candle shop every day on my way to class, and every day, it reminds me of my mistake and I inwardly shudder.
Even though I have no use for more candles, I decide to return to the shop, unable to reconcile how I could have made such a grievous error.
The woman behind the counter lights up when she sees me. “Are you here for another set of candles, young man?”
I smile. “Do you mind pointing me to the soy candles again?”
This time she walks out from behind the counter and takes me to them herself. They are exactly where I expected them to be.
“Let me show you my beeswax candles,” she insists. “They have the same pretty colors but are made from one hundred percent beeswax. Not only are they good for the environment, but they burn brighter and longer.”
I know beeswax is not safe for wax play because its melting point is too hot, so I follow her, curious to see where she has them set up. She leads me near the window display. Sure enough, the candles look the same, but there is no way I could have mistakenly purchased them instead of the soy candles since the displays are in two separate areas.
Which leaves only one other option.
Laughing, I tell her, “The candles do look alike. Have you ever mixed them up?”
“Oh, no!” she assures me. “Beeswax is much more expensive, so I check the label on the bottom of every candle before I set them out on display, just to be sure. Plus, I always double-check when I ring them up.” She giggles. “It would be disastrous for my bottom line if I didn’t.”
I smile at her, although her answer leaves me confused. I know I didn’t pay a lot for the candles, and if she’s as diligent about checking them as she claims she is, then there shouldn’t have been a mix-up.
“Thank you,” I tell her, starting toward the door.
“What?” she cries. “Didn’t you come to buy candles?”
“Sorry, no. Not this time.”
I leave the store feeling even more unsettled than before. The chances of me purchasing the wrong candles and her not catching the mistake seem highly unlikely.
I run it by Anderson when I get home.
I catch him in the kitchen, peeling potatoes over the sink. “That makes zero sense to me.”
I sigh in frustration. “I don’t get it.”
He stops what he’s doing and dries his hands. “Hey, get your candles so we can check the labels.”
“I would, but I threw the fucking things away the night of the practicum.”
“Well, damn, buddy!”
I growl in irritation. “I know. It was an idiot move.”
Anderson walks over and pats me on the back. “You were upset. I get it.”
I look him in the eyes. “Honestly, I just wanted to get rid of the evidence of my stupidity.”
“You’re always so rough on yourself, man. When are you going to loosen up?”
My lips twitch. It takes a moment for me to answer him honestly. “Possibly never, but I’m trying.”
He puts his arm around me, laughing kindly. “Well, that’s all we can ask for.”
Wanting to change the subject, I ask him, “How did the meetings go this week with the grocery chain?”
He grins, slapping me on the back enthusiastically. “All I had to do was cook up several different cuts of meat for the big wigs, and you’ll never guess what happened.”
I chuckle. “What?”
