Aphrodisiac

by Toby Tucker Hecht

A middle-aged couple is seated at a table in an upscale restaurant — the kind where anniversaries are celebrated. They are both reading: she, a novel, and he, a biography. When the waiter arrives they order and then return to their books. And so it goes, throughout the meal: chewing, sipping, and page-turning. It is only when a single dessert is set down — a huge brownie sundae with marshmallow sauce, whipped cream, and crushed nuts — do their eyes meet. They each pick up a spoon, smile at each other, and begin the night.

6S

Toby Tucker Hecht lives and writes in Bethesda, Maryland. Her publication credits include stories in THEMA, The MacGuffin, Spindrift, RE:AL, The Powhatan Review, and The Baltimore Review. A short story is forthcoming in Red Wheelbarrow this spring. When not writing, Toby can be found at the National Cancer Institute where she works in the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis.