The Candyman

"Tell me about her."

"She does well in school. Recess is still her favorite time at school, but she does like math and science so we'll see how it goes. She's well-behaved, does her homework, adores her cousin Audrey, and likes to color. Not much else to tell, I guess."

"Her father?"

"What about him?"

"Is he in her life?"

"Does child support every month count as 'in her life'?" she chuckled. "No. He lives in California somewhere. The last I heard he was married and had two other kids. We never hear from him personally. Even his support is a direct deposit."

"When did you guys divorce?"

"We were never married."

"If you don't wanna talk about this you don't have to."

"No, it's okay. We'd been together for almost a year when I got pregnant. It was an accident but I thought we were in love so I wasn't upset. I figured we'd get married but we didn't. He even suggested maybe it wasn't his."

"Asshole!" Henry scribbled.

"Yes, he was. DNA proved it was his and he's on the hook until she's 18. He makes good money so I don't think it's a big deal for him. He was gone right after she was born and she's never even met him. Someday I'm sure she'll want to know more but she seems happy with just me for now. Victor has been an amazing uncle, though."

Communication was slow since Henry had to write down everything he wanted to say, but it helped him keep the conversation focused on Selma rather than himself. And so, the day was passed with them either getting to know more about each other between Henry needing to rest and the visits from doctors, nurses, and the mental health professionals.

As night fell Henry began to wonder who was going to be on the night shift. While he would have preferred Selma stay he knew what a burden that would be on her and didn't want her to go through that. However, when it got later and no one arrived he finally asked, via his board, when the change was taking place and who was coming next.

"Well, unless you have some objection, you're stuck with me for the night."

Henry smiled as he wrote 'That's great' on his board and the evening continued much as the day had gone.

By the next morning his throat was starting to feel better and he could scratch out some words, though Selma admonished him if she thought he was talking too much. The doctor who came by in the morning said Henry would be staying another day, mostly at the insistence of the social workers but they agreed it would do his physical condition some good to stay as well. After that bit of news Selma pulled out her phone and gave Cara the update, including letting her know that she would stay with Henry for the rest of his stay. Henry just smiled.

The next 24 hours passed similarly to the previous 24 hours. Selma had actually brought a couple changes of clothes so she was able to stay relatively clean and fresh. Henry wished he could say the same.

When at last he was given a clean bill of health by the doctors and a relatively clean slate by the social workers, Henry was released. They climbed into Selma's Toyota Rav 4 and she drove him back to his house. He walked in to find the place all cleaned up, with Cara and Liz inside making lunch.

"After days of hospital food," Cara said, "we thought you could use a home-cooked meal."

Henry took a shower and shaved, and then they sat around the table and ate, talking about how awful hospitals were and studiously avoiding the subject of Henry's suicide attempt. For her part, Cara truly believed he wouldn't try it again. She had spent a lot of time talking to him over the past months and believed he was convinced that wasn't the way to go, but had succumbed to a weak moment. Liz and Selma weren't as convinced, and even Cara made a mental note to mark the accident's third anniversary on her calendar.

Henry refused attempts by Cara to get him to stay with her family for a while. He already felt guilty enough for having monopolized so much of their time and simply refused to consider it. They stayed for a few hours before Henry insisted they return to their own lives, with assurances that he'd be fine.

Not that he actually believed that.

*****

Another month passed without any events of note. The weather was starting to turn as autumn and winter approached, and the winter clothes started making their appearance.

The neighborhood socializing continued as it had, as groups of two or more of the families would get together on weekends, and even sometimes would have dinner together during the week. Everyone made the effort to invite Henry, since he was the only single person on the street. He came a majority of the time but didn't accept every invite.

What they didn't know was how hard it remained to go back to an empty house after spending the evening among families like the one he used to have, and his feelings on being able to handle that return to empty home generally controlled whether he accepted or not.

He tended to accept Cara's invitations more often than most because he felt he owed her for all she had done, as he also did with Liz's requests in hopes of spending a little more time talking to Selma. That was based mostly on the fact that she was single, and he was therefore not intruding on a family, and that he enjoyed talking to her because they had so much in common. They spoke smoothly and easily, and could go on for what seemed like hours. Liz and Victor often left them alone to do just that.

But then the night would end and Henry would go back to his empty, lonely house. Even he wasn't entirely sure when the depression and sadness began to turn to anger and frustration, but it did, and the stage was set even though the show wouldn't arrive for another month.

It was an uncharacteristically warm evening in November. There was a major storm moving through the area, with expectation of thunder and lightning. The rain was expected to be heavy and go on for more than a day.

Cara and David had put the boys to bed and were just considering heading there themselves. It was Friday night and Marcus had basketball tomorrow early. As they were closing up the house Cara turned off the TV, allowing the noise from outside to finally permeate their brain.

"Do you hear that, David?"

"Yeah, it sounds like it's coming from outside, like someone's out there yelling."

They peeked out the window but couldn't see anything. Perhaps someone's TV was up really loud, but they doubted anyone in the neighborhood would be so thoughtless.

"I'm gonna check it out," David said as he pulled on his raincoat.

"Okay, just be careful."

Cara waited in the house waiting for David to come back and let him know what was going on, but soon twenty minutes had passed and he wasn't back. She pulled on her own coat and stepped outside. The yelling was coming from down the street. She had her face lowered against the weather but finally found David standing and staring at Henry's roof. She did the same.

"David, is that Henry up there?"

"Yep."

"My God, why are you just standing here? He's trying to kill himself again."

She made to go toward Henry's house but David stopped her.

"No, he's tethered to the chimney. You can see the line and the harness he's wearing."

"Well, then, he's gonna get himself killed."

"I'm pretty sure that's the idea, honey."

Cara paused and began actually listening to the words Henry was yelling as a huge crash of thunder rocked the sky and the rain poured down in sheets.

"C'MON YOU ASSHOLE, IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT? I'VE SEEN MORE POWER FROM A 9-VOLT BATTERY!"

"He can't kill himself and go to heaven so he's trying to get God to do it? That's ridiculous. We have to stop him."

She started to move toward the house but David again grabbed her arm and held her back.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT TOOK YOU SIX FUCKING DAYS TO CREATE THE UNIVERSE! AND THEN YOU RESTED? I COULD'VE SLAPPED THIS WHOLE THING TOGETHER IN A DAY AND A HALF!"

"We're just going the stand here and do nothing?"

"That's precisely what we're gonna do."

"WHAT'S THE MATTER, ASSHOLE? YOU AFRAID TO FACE ME?!"

"But David..."

David turned to his wife and looked her in the eyes.

"Cara, baby, what you've done is amazing. You're my hero for what you've done for him..."

"C'MON! YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME DOWN. YOU COULDN'T IF YOU TRIED!"

"...but you've taken him as far as you can on your own."

"David..."

"No, baby. It's between him and God now."

"YOU PANSY-ASS BASTARD. YOU REACH DOWN HERE AND PLUCK AWAY INNOCENT WOMEN AND CHILDREN. HOW ABOUT TRYING TO TAKE DOWN A MAN, HUH?"

"How in the hell is he gonna beat God, David?"

"If he dies, he wins. At least in his mind."

"ALL POWERFUL, MY ASS!"

"But if he doesn't," David continued, "Maybe he'll understand that it's just not his time yet. He'll have faced God and still be here."

"FUCK YOU, GOD! FUCK! YOU!"

"Go home, Cara. We've got this."

"We?"

For the first time, she looked around and was surprised to see the men from every house bundled up in rain gear and watching the performance playing out on Henry's roof. In some cases, their wives were there as well, and she imagined the conversation she had with David was being similarly repeated between all the other couples.

"David, it's dangerous out here."

"We're his friends, Cara, and he needs us now. You've done what you could. At the risk of sounding sexist, the woman's part is over. It's a man's pride at stake now. It's our turn. Please go inside and be safe. We'll be okay."

The women somehow ended up at Liz's house, which afforded the best view of the spectacle. The men withstood the pouring rain, their eyes never wavering as Henry fought his battle with God. He went from daring God to kill him to begging him to do it, and then back to daring him again. All the while the thunder clapped and the lighting flashed and the wind roared around them. And through it all the men stood as sentries, ready to step in when their friend, their brother, needed them.

They were impressed with the stamina Henry displayed. Fueled by a seemingly never-ending supply of adrenaline, Henry railed at God and the universe for over two hours until he began to noticeably slow. Acting as if they had been given orders, the men all moved forward simultaneously, as if this happened every day and they knew exactly when their assistance would be required. They came together at the base of Henry's driveway.

"He must have a ladder somewhere," Chris theorized. "Probably around back."

He and Monty headed up the driveway in search while the rest of the guys continued to plan.

"It's gonna be slippery. We'll need to be careful."

"Wait until he's really exhausted; otherwise he might fight against us."

"I've got a knife so we can cut the harness line if we have to."

The guys on the driveway responded to a summons from Chris to come around back, where the ladder was set up against a flatter section of roof that would be easier to walk on. David went first and made his way to where Henry was on his knees still trying to summon the energy to continue his fight. But it was over.

"Henry."

Henry's head turned to look into the eyes of the 6-foot tall man standing over him. Even with the rain pouring down as it still was, the tears on Henry's face were evident.

"Why won't He take me, David? What did I do to deserve this?"

"You didn't do anything, buddy. It's just the way things are right now. He has something else in mind for you."

"It's not fair, David. I shouldn't have to be without them."

David got on to his knees next to Henry and took the sides of his friend's head in his hands.

"I know it, my friend. I know it."

Finally, it was too much, and Henry broke down. David hugged him close to him as Henry's body was wracked with sobs. Monty appeared next to the embracing men and waited silently to lend a hand. They helped Henry to his feet and guided him to the ladder. Scott, another of the husbands on the street, and Chris, the two largest of the group, anchored the ladder from the bottom. Victor stood on the ladder and helped Monty and David guide Henry's feet safely to one of the rungs, and slowly they all descended until they all had feet on the ground.

They helped Henry into the house and peeled him out of his wet clothes. Yes, even his boxers had to go, but this wasn't the time for modesty or discomfort. They got him dressed and put him into bed. Stacy and Monty volunteered to stay and make sure all was well and the rest of the husbands returned to their homes. Cara did not care for the men's plan and was on the phone immediately.

"Tell the guys to go home," she told David as soon as she was off the phone. "The men did their part. The women have truly got this."

Her tone left no room for discussion so David simply called Monty and told him they had been relieved, at Cara's insistence, and they, too, knew better than to argue. They made one final check on Henry and then made their way back to their wives.

*****

Henry awoke to the silence of the room. He vaguely remembered the guys helping him from the roof but it was more of a blur in his mind. What wasn't a blur was the smell of breakfast. That, he was pretty sure, was real. He stumbled out of bed and into the kitchen and was more than surprised to see Selma standing over his cooktop.

"Oh good, you're awake. Breakfast is almost ready. You didn't have much but I made some eggs and some fried potatoes."

"Selma, what're you..."

"Cara called me last night and said my services were needed."

"You don't have to..."

"Quiet. I'm right where I need to be, and where I wanna be, too. Okay?"

"Where's Marisela?"

"At Liz's. Now wash your hands."

They ate in companionable silence, though Selma spent more time watching Henry than actually eating. She had asked Cara after the time in the hospital to call her immediately, day or night, if Henry ever needed anyone, and Cara had done that very thing last night. Despite the weather, which had actually calmed quite a bit by the time Henry was being pulled from his roof, she bundled Marisela up and brought her to Victor and Liz's house, then went to Henry's house to take care of him. The guys had already left so there was just the two of them in the house.

She had set the alarm on her phone to ensure she was up before Henry. She looked in on him and he was still sleeping; it had been a long night after all. He was at peace, at least for the moment, so she took inventory of the kitchen to see about breakfast. There had been very little and hoped the eggs were still good, which they were. She found some russet potatoes in the pantry and cut them up for frying. It wasn't much but it would do.

"I suppose you know what happened last night."

"I do."

"I can't imagine what you must think of me."

She placed her hand on top of his.

"I think you're a man that loved his wife and kids and is angry at having lost them, and you are dealing with it the best way that you can. That's what I think."

"I think I need to lie down some more."

"Okay. I'll keep myself busy. Just let me know if you need anything."

Henry nodded his head and started for the bedroom, then stopped. The memory of Cara lying next to him in the hospital came to mind.

"Selma?"

"Yes, Henry."

"Would it...would it be too much to ask for...for you to just lay in bed with me?"

"It wouldn't be too much to ask at all," Selma responded as a smile came to her face. "I'd be happy to."

Selma climbed into the bed first and got herself settled, and then Henry got in next to her. The end result was Henry resting his head on Selma's shoulder while she stroked his hair and face to help him relax. He was asleep in no time.

About 45 minutes later there was a knock on the door, which Selma ignored and Henry apparently didn't hear. Next, the doorbell rang with similar results. Finally, the door opened and Selma could hear Cara calling Henry's name through the house. Eventually she opened the door to the bedroom to and found Henry cuddled up to Selma, while Selma put her finger to her lips in the universal gesture for quiet. Cara moved to Selma's side of the bed.

"He was up earlier and ate some breakfast. He's been asleep again for almost an hour."

"I wanted to check on him. I made him give me a key after the...after we had to break into his house. Would you like to take a break?"

"Nope. I'd rather stay with him. Liz and Victor have got Marisela covered."

"So, you've got this."

"I've got this."

Cara just nodded and took her leave. She was aware of the growing relationship between them, and Selma had confessed to Liz that she was developing feelings for Henry and hoped he could somehow move on and look for love again. The suicide attempt was a definite setback. She wasn't sure about this most recent event but hoped it might serve as a turning point.

Selma ended up spending both days of the weekend, though they both joined Victor, Selma, and the kids for dinner on both Saturday and Sunday, and Selma slept In Liz's guest room. There were no outward signs of affection between them but Victor and Liz both noticed Henry become anxious whenever Selma was out of sight.

*****

The next week passed without incident, and with nice weather predicted for that weekend Kalina and Stacy planned a party in their backyard that would be much like the summer barbecues.

It was fully attended and the weather proved to very cooperative. The news had quickly spread among the wives that something seemed to be developing between Henry and Selma but they hadn't clued in the men for fear one of them would say something and spook Henry.

As dinner was served Henry and Chris were sitting off to the side of the yard discussing some of the services that Henry's company offered that may be of interest to Chris'. Selma approached them carrying two plates of food and Henry's head turned as he heard her approaching.

"I made you a plate, Henry. I hope that's okay."

"That's great, Selma. Thank you."

"Is that other plate for me?" Chris asked.

"No."

Selma just stared at Chris, waiting for him to understand what was going on. Henry looked at him as well, but it still took him a few seconds to understand, and then find a way to make a graceful exit.

"Okay, well, I think I'll find my wife and have something to eat," he said as he worked his bulk out of the low-slung chair and walked away without another word.

"I seem to have lost my companion, Selma. Would you care to join me?"

"I would, thank you."

Chris found his wife, who had already put a plate together for him.

"Hey Kris, what's going on with Henry and Selma?"

She followed his gaze to the couple in the corner and smiled, knowing very well what was going on.

"I'm not sure, babe. Maybe a miracle."

Soon, the rest of the party was forgotten as Selma and Henry got lost in their own conversation and their own world. As the party went on the word quietly spread and the (hopefully) budding couple was left to themselves.

"Would you like to take a walk?" Henry asked as they finished eating.

"I would, very much."

They disposed of their plates and headed out through the side gate, and it's not an exaggeration to say that every eye in that yard was on them as they slipped out, and the possibilities immediately became the primary topic of conversation.

Outside the gate, Selma grasped Henry's arm, thinking that holding hands might be a little much right now. There was little said, and what was said was mostly banal talk about how nice the weather was and things like that. If one could read their minds, that person would know that they both wanted the same thing but that Henry was scared to try and Selma was worried about pushing him away.