I Know You

Joshua parked across the street from Candi's Cafe and sat in his rental. The corner of his lips curled as he watched patrons exit and enter the shop. He inhaled and held it, then his cheeks filled with air and released it slowly, reaching for a folded poem in his back pocket. He left it closed, but stroked the material with his thumb. After staring at it a while, it went back into his pocket before he turned off the car and opened the door.

"Okay Josh, you can do this," he said to himself, closing the door before tugging the bottom of his shirt. He tucked the keys away, giving another look around before going to the front of the car and crossing the street. The sidewalk was riddled with patrons and passersby, some folks sitting at wooden tables just outside of each establishment and others standing and chatting. Two women who were standing in front of the large cafe window exchanged soft whispers as Joshua brought himself to the door of the cafe.

"You certainly aren't from around here, are you?" One of them asked, the other's smile soft but with a raise of her brow.

"No, no I'm not." He answered, a chuckle slipping from his throat before clearing it. "I'm just here visiting someone."

"Visiting someone, hm? I bet that someone is a woman." The other woman said. Joshua couldn't resist a smirk and a small side-to-side motion of his head. Both ladies wore black and grey-streaked curls that shaped their faces, though one had longer than the other. He noted some relation between them, similar rounded cheeks and button noses standing a little more than a foot under his six foot one height.

"Nothing gets by you ladies, I see."

"Not if we can help it." The first one said, reaching out her hand.

"Name's Alice, and this is my cousin Marcie." Joshua accepting her hand, giving a soft shake before doing the same with Marcie.

"Pleasure to meet you both."

"Oh the pleasure is ours, I'm sure. So what lovely lady has brought you to these parts?" Alice asked, her head tilting as she caught Joshua scratching of the back of his neck.

"Well to be honest, I'm looking for the leading lady. Is Ms. Candice inside?"

"You're looking for Candice?" They asked in unison, sharing a glance with each other before their eyes met him again.

"What did you say your name was, again?" Marcie asked.

"Joshua."

"Joshua?" Alice repeated, "Joshua Scott?"

"Yes ma'am, that's me." He took a step forward with furrowed brows, watching another look exchange between the two before Alice moved toward the entrance of the cafe. "Do I know you?"

"Come on inside, now." Her eyes lingered on him, traveling up from his feet to his fade. With a nod, Joshua took the handle of the door and swung it open, gesturing for Alice to enter.

"Ah, you are quite the gentleman." Heading inside, she made her way across the dining hall and behind the bar. Joshua followed, taking a seat.

"Ms. Alice if I may ask, how do you know me?" Joshua folded his hands in front of him on the bar. Alice only smiled, moving down the counter and grabbing a copy of the menu. She came back to him and handed it over.

"Why don't you order yourself something? I'll be right back." She replied with a wink. Joshua's eyes narrowed, watching her walk away and greet a customer. He then turned away, eyes moving around the open space. He leaned back, eyes peering behind the counter toward the kitchen. With no sign of Candice he let out a soft breath, a crinkle above his forehead as he took a look at the menu.

"Always knew you'd do it." He muttered to himself, chuckling as his eyes scanned the laminated sheet from top to bottom. His free hand rubbed the top of his forehead back and forth with his thumb rested on his temple.

Then he saw it. He leaned forward, his eyelids forming thin lines as he moved the document closer. His lips parted, his left index finger moving over the words he couldn't stop reading.

"Scottie's Scones. They're a top hit around here.," Alice said, coming back to him with a glass of water and a straw. She placed the items in front of him with a knowing smile. Joshua looked up, catching her gaze.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, are you kidding? Took her quite a while to find someone else to follow her recipe to the letter so that girl could get some rest and live a little. She didn't trust anyone to make it just right."

"And the dates? Does she make those?"

"She sure does." Alice said, pointing toward the bottom of the menu.

"Davie's Dates," he read aloud, his Adam's apple jumping in his throat before cleared it. He blinked three times to erase the sting of tears.

"Mhm. She told me all about him, Lord rest his soul. And you. Brothers, right?"

"Yes ma'am. He was older."

"I see. She spoke of you both often."

"What did she say?" He asked. The ends of Alice's mouth curled up, leaning her body over the counter with her elbows popping her hands under her chin.

"She told me about the boy who's heart she won with pastries, and who stole her heart with his words." Joshua sat upright, his eyes only on Alice for a second longer before peering around the cafe.

"Where is she, Ms. Alice? Please." He said. Alice's teeth peeked through her lips.

"This is her mandatory day off, she should be home at the cottage. A GPS will be no good to you out in those woods. Just continue to head north into the trees and follow the path until you see the sign for 'Mary's Cottage.' It'll lead you straight to it. If you knock and she doesn't answer, go around back. She may be out there painting or in the garden." She took Joshua's hand in hers, giving gentle pats on the back of it.

"Thank you, thank you so much." Kissing the back of her hand, he gave her one more smile before letting go and taking swift steps to the exit. Through the door and across the street Joshua jogged, hopping into his rental.

His thumb tapped the steering wheel the entire drive, following the directions he was given to the letter. After bumping through the narrow dirt road, he came to a cottage with a sign that said "Mary's Place" a foot away from the stairs that led to the front porch. He pulled onto a patch of gravel next to a small black Nissan Rogue on the left of the house. Getting out of his rented Corolla, Joshua took in his surroundings with a hint of a smirk. The flowerbeds fencing the porch were filled with coneflowers, daylilies and black-eyed Susans. The wooden cottage was shaded with oak trees and southern magnolias. A single-pane door with a long glass window gave a glimpse of a den, along with two wide windows on either side.

He took a few steps toward the house, his head shifting in different directions, but was unable to spot her inside. Through the grass were two paths made of flagstone, one toward the front stairs and the other that led around the side of the building. Joshua inhaled deeply, letting it out slow as he followed the path to the back.

He saw her the moment he turned the corner. Sitting in a wooden chair at a round table Candice was painting just like Alice said, her back to him. Dark-brown locs draped down her back and shoulders, her head slightly tilted as she faced the table-top easel she worked on.

"Alright Ms. Alice, don't think you're gonna sneak up on me just because I'm in the zone." She called out, still making strokes on the canvas with a paint brush. Joshua stayed quiet, his chest rising high with each intake of air. He removed the paper he tucked away in his back pocket, trembling fingers unfolding it with eyes unmoved.

"Hi, Candice." He finally said. He swallowed hard when he saw her head slightly turn to the right, her mouth ajar. Her paintbrush was placed in a cup of paint water next to the easel. Then her head turned until he was in full view. Her jaw dropped further, a soft sound of losing her breath the only thing that broke the silence as her eyes fluttered. Joshua remained still while Candice pushed on the arms of the chair to stand, moving behind the chair to face him.

"Josh..." she said, voice soft as the sound of the leaves in the wind.

"I found you."

"You...you did. H-how?"

"I know someone who just happens to love Scottie's Scones," he said, a smile forming. Candice covered her mouth with her hand, attempting a step backward but was stopped with the wooden chair.

"You've been to the cafe?"

"Yeah. Ms. Alice showed me."

"Of course she did." Candice scoffed lightly, chuckling with a head shake as she stuffed her hands into her denim pockets. Taking another hard swallow, Candice met Josh's gaze again. He took her in, from her loose jeans to her hand-cut sleeveless t-shirt. His smile deepened when he caught sight of the paint palette earrings dangling in front of the hair tucked behind her ears.

"You still wear those." He said. She shrugged, but her eyes filling with tears.

"I can't believe you're here. After all this time, you really found me."

"I did. I know it's a little too late."

"Yeah. Five years."

"I know. There's nothing I can really say to show you how sorry I am."

"That's a surprise, from the man who always had a way with words." She said, looking down at the ground as the tip of her sneaker dug into the dirt between the flagstone.

"Candi, I'm so sorry. I admit I was kind of...I was very intimidated."

"By what, Josh?"

"Your faith. Your strength, your bravery, everything. You were always so certain."

"I had my doubts and fears too, Joshua. I had them and you were the only one that knew them."

"And that scared me. I never wanted to take your trust for granted. But I didn't have the same faith you had, or God or even in myself. I didn't think I had enough in me to continue being what you needed me to be. You put a lot of faith in me, Candi. I just didn't think I deserved that, I thought eventually you'd just see right through me and-"

"And leave. So you thought it would be better if you did?" She said. Joshua's eyes looked up to the trees and away from her tear streaked face. He gulped and closed his eyes. Candice watched him, head leaning to the right. Then she looked at his hands. She opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it.

"I didn't leave because I thought it would be a better choice. I left because I thought I could come back better. Either way it was a stupid thought, I know."

"You're right, it was stupid. All I wanted to do was show you what you meant to me, Joshua. I wanted to show you who I was. All of me, no matter how scary it was to do so." Her arms moved slowly across her torso, tucking her hands underneath them.

"I know who you are, Candi."

"Do you? Really, can you really say that?" Her question lingered in the silence. Joshua's grip tightened on the sheet of paper he held. Candice looked toward it, then returned her attention to his face.

"You wrote me something." She said. He gave a soft smile to her statement, then looked down at the poem. He held it firmly in both hands, eyes peaking up at her once more before going back to the words. Stepping forward with one foot after the other, he closed the distance between them. Her arms loosed from her body, one arm falling to her side with the other hand reaching for the paper.

"Josh..."

"Please." was all he said as their eyes met yet again. The only movements were the subtle shifts in her eyes as they searched his. She gave a short nod and looked back at the document.

"Do you remember that I know you?

The girl with skin of sunflowers and cocoa

a mind of grace that holds miracles

and a heart that outshines sunshine

I know you

that you like your locs laid down

cascading like the waterfalls

you loved to escape to

I know you..." She stopped reading aloud, taking a hard swallow while the back of her free hand wiping away the stray tears. Then she continued.

"...like birds know out of a hundred nests

just the right one they call home

never settling for what wasn't their own

I know you

stubborn, yet spirited

the one with the laugh of pure joy

and a voice that sings the angels to sleep

and I know

I'm the only one who saw you weep

that saw your tears as windows

you left open just for me." Dropping her arm to her side she looked away, stifling her sobs.

"Josh, please..."

"You think I don't know what you felt. This is the best way I know how to show you that I do." He said. Candice groaned, once more pulling the page up to her view with a sigh. Joshua took her empty hand, his four fingers caressing the back as his thumb stroked her palm. Looking down at their hands her heart jumped. She glanced up, his hazel eyes holding her in sight. With a slow nod, she turned back to the poem.

"I know

the fears you let no one see

the promises you thought wouldn't keep

like when I told you I'd never leave

I know

I was a man of little faith

I let my fears fail us

and found safety in words instead of your embrace

I know I messed up

I quietly let myself destruct

When you wanted to diffuse me

I'm sorry

that I couldn't be the man you used to see

Turned out I knew you

Better than I knew me

But I vow

With the words I hold dear

that though I can't rewind the stolen time

I will take whatever is left

To show you that my heart is yours

and yours mine

I will cherish you over my fear

Because despite what it may know

I know you more

and that is enough." The last two lines were read in sobs, Candice collapsing against Joshua's chest. They grew louder when she felt his embrace, arms tightening around her body as she clutched to the back of his shirt with her fists. The poem drifted to the ground between them.

"I love you, Candi. I'm ready to show you, if you'll let me." He whispered, hand making soothing strokes down her hair. Moving it away, he felt her pull back and loosened his hold. He caught her gaze and held it.

"All these years Josh, this is all I ever wanted you to say." She replied. They grew matching smiles, Joshua taking the knuckle of his index finger to swipe away another tear. She grabbed hold of it, bringing it away from her face before taking his in her hands.

"I love you too." Pushing up on her toes, Candice's eyes closed and her head leaned forward. Joshua followed her lead, taking her lips with his own. Their lips danced, Joshua's arms sliding around her waist. He lifted her and started to spin. Laughter pulled their lips apart and rang between them, reminding him of that sweet sound he'd missed.

When he put her down, she pulled back and held him at the arms. Looking him up and down she let out a breath.

"It looks like they don't have a lot of great food where you live." She said. Joshua's head fell back with another bout of laughter.

"Unfortunately we don't have a 'Candi's Cafe' back home. Who knows how much I'd gain if we did."

"Very unfortunate." She replied with a smirk. "Maybe I'll think of doing something about that."

"Sounds like an amazing idea. In the meantime, I'm pretty hungry now." He wriggled his eyebrows, Candice shaking her head in response.

"Well I guess I can take care of that." A grin spread across her face, Joshua taking her hand with a sweet grasp as she led him inside the cottage.