6
How Candle Parties Destroyed my marriage
For 5 years, military wife Cyndi* and her husband were happily married, enjoying their lives with two beautiful children, a dog, and two cats.
"Everything was perfect when we lived close to my family," Cyndi sighs, "after we got posted to a new place, he started going away for weeks on end, I really started to feel like there was something missing in my life." With her husband away in training, Cyndi felt lonely and sought comfort the first place she could find it: at a neighbour's Partylite party.
"At first, I thought these women were crazy, spending that kind of money on candles." says Cyndi, "but I felt bad for being there, eating their hors d'ouvres and not buying anything. So I ended up picking up a small pack of tealights, and that's where the trouble started."
Cyndi, like so many others before her, was unaware of the dangerous situation she had put herself.
"The first time we see these girls, we know if we can make just one sale, they're hooked for good." gloats one independant consultant as she packs last night's orders in the trunk of her car.
"The scents are incredible and the decorative selection is fantastic. Of course people keep coming back for more."
When asked about the expense of the product compares to the cost-effective alternatives found at any dollar store, the consultant insists, "There's just no comparison, but our wicks are better, and there's no wax leftover. "
But Cyndi insists if she hadn't bought that first pack of tealights, she would never have heard of lead wicks and snuffers. "Those tealights represent a shift in my perception. they weren't just candles, they were a lifestyle change. I've become a happier, less isolated person since finding candle parties."
Cyndi's husband agrees. he explains that before partylite came into his wife's life, she was clingy, needy and actually spent time with him when he was home. He says that since she's started attending the parties, she has not only spent more of his paycheque, but even made an effort to better herself by going back to work.
"It's ridiculous." he retorts, "if she wants to buy candles, she can do it when we go shopping. It just seems kind of pointless to go to a party to buy something. When I want something, I go out and buy it, then I come home."
Then he shrugs, "I guess they do make the house smell nice."
* name changed