She loved candy but it did not love her.. it clung to her belly and thighs, rotted her teeth. She brushed so hard her gums bled, but still the cavities came. She hated the dentist, the way he smelled like mouthwash and plastic. Dr. Brannen held her down when she was small, so he could give her a shot of novacaine and drill for her first filling. Now getting into his chair made her short of breath and claustrophobic. Even as she became a teenager she still felt five years old in his cold office filled with metal things and medicinal smells. Every time she got up from the chair, sticking to it with sweat, she vowed that she would never buy another chocolate bar, never eat another piece of cake or scoop of ice cream. Somehow it never lasted, somehow the sweets found their way into her mouth and she forgot again.
