Chili Con Corpses Read Online Free

tell you that they were all unattractive, acne-covered wimps or you’ll obsess about them.”
    Gillian took a sip of green tea. “That test question almost feels like a trick. Who can be truthful all of the time, unless you’re Buddha? Lucy, you poor thing, what did you put down in the end?”
    “I stared at that question until time started running out,” Lucy answered quietly. “Unfortunately, they asked that same question using different wording about ten times throughout the test. In the end, I just kind of circled an answer without really looking and handed in the test.” She shrugged nonchalantly, but James saw the tension in her shoulders by the way she slumped slightly forward in her chair. “Guess whatever the answer was, it didn’t keep me from passing.”
    The table fell silent. No one fully bought Lucy’s tale of blindly answering her test questions, but none of them felt as though they could have answered a similar question with more ease.
    “I think the worst lies are those of omission,” James spoke into the silence. “The ones you don’t even admit to yourself. I didn’t see those kinds of lies until I met all of you and starting thinking about all of the things I was burying inside my layers of fat.”
    Everyone nodded in empathetic agreement.
    He continued. “And I discovered one truth about myself when I was at the Y with Bennett. I want to take a break from being obsessed with dieting. I’m having so much fun tonight eating what I want and focusing more on the company than on counting calories.”
    Gillian sighed theatrically. “Oh, James! I am so glad you shared that with us! I too feel bogged down in the predictable, the routine food that we eat now. I love my exercise walks and my closet filled with new clothes,” she indicated her kelly green shirt covered with a design of yellow and brown spirals, “but I long for more spice in my life! I want exotic . I want my tongue to be reawakened, my nose to be invigorated, my senses to be transported to other places!” Gillian’s armful of silver bangles clinked noisily as she gesticulated wildly during this speech. “I want to savor the experience of eating! My friends,” she said more quietly, her energy spent, “I spend my days with animals. I love them, don’t misread me, but I need something more . Like the dying autumn,” she gazed out the window and sighed, “I feel as though my days have become more and more colorless.”
    At this poignant moment, the waiter appeared like a puff of silent wind and placed the bill on the corner of their table, quietly slipping away again without removing any of the dishes. He must have sensed the change in tone that had fallen upon the dinner party.
    Lindy began rummaging through her purse.
    “This is my treat, remember,” Lucy scolded her. “Because we’re supposed to be celebrating,” she added a bit ruefully.
    Lindy withdrew a strip of newspaper from her bag. “We know, Lucy, and we’re so proud of you. You’re the only one who is looking forward to a major change, a new chapter in your life. The rest of us are feeling kind of like sticks in the mud.” She beamed her hundred-watt smile at the rest of her friends. “I can’t fix everything, but at least I can bring some zest back into our dinner meetings.”
    “Oh, wonderful!” Gillian squealed. “How, my dear, how?”
    “Once a week, on Saturday nights, we’re going to take a break from all of this dieting,” Lindy announced. “We’re going to stick to our light and healthy routines during the rest of the week, but on Saturdays, we’re bustin’ loose!” Her brown eyes twinkled with anticipation. “Pack your bags, my friends, ’cause we are about to embark on a culinary trip around the world!” Her eyes flickered over the piece of newspaper. “Well, the Spanish-speaking world, in any case, but get your aprons cleaned and gas up your cars. Next Saturday, we’re heading out on a new adventure!”
    Even though he