Beautiful Cake
The couch sat in the middle of a very purple room: purple carpet, purple walls, and a clean glass light fixture in the middle of the ceiling. Alice was sitting on the couch writing her latest string quartet, her twin, Margaret was in the kitchen cooking for a wedding she was catering, and their niece Patricia was in the corner of the purple room building a rather large castle out of blocks. Finally there was a knock on the door that made Alice jump and Margaret curse loudly. Patricia got up from her spot on the floor and went to answer it.
“Good evening, little lady,” the visitor at the door said bowing. “Are your aunts at home?”
“They’re busy,” Patricia said, but Alice intercepted and gently stepped in front of Patricia and shook the visitor’s hand.
“Please come in, Mr. Sheitower.”
“Thank you, Miss Tailor.”
“Go to your room,” Alice turned around and herded Patricia up the stairs. “No eavesdropping!”
“I hope everything is going well?” Mr. Sheitower asked.
“Oh yes,” Alice said.
“Everything is going according to plan right on schedule,” Margaret called from the kitchen. “If you’ll just excuse me, this must be stirred constantly.”
“Of course,” Mr. Sheitower said and turned to Alice once again.
“Is everything all right?”
“Well, the wedding has been momentarily halted.”
Alice gasped appropriately. “Why what’s wrong?”
“The bride seems to be having second thoughts. At least since she was seen last week with someone else.”
“That’s awful! What are we going to do about this food?”
“Perhaps it could be used elsewhere? The bank is having an open house on one of the mansions down the block and they’d be pleased to use the dinner.”
“It’s not really for a buffet,” Alice said. “At least I don’t think it is.”
“No it’s not,” Margaret called from the kitchen. “And I’ve just finished the cake!”
“I’m very sorry,” Mr. Sheitower said. “I’ve more bad news as well.”
“Oh dear.”
“The mortgage on this house seems to be leased to your late brother, Miss Tailor and the bank wishes someone else sign the lease, or else they reserve the right to take the house.”
“Why can’t I?”
“Pardon me for saying, but you’re a woman.”
“Poppycock! Ander will let me sign the mortgage if he knows what’s good for him.”
“We can’t afford to buy the house from scratch,” Margaret called from the kitchen.
“I understand,” Mr. Sheitower said, “but business is business.”
“Well thank you for the news,” Alice said. “Would you like some dinner?”
“I’m afraid I have other things to attend to. Good night.”
“Good night. And please tell us as soon as the bride and groom change their minds.”
“Or if there’s going to be another wedding very soon,” Margaret said.
“Of course,” Mr. Sheitower said bowing.
Alice closed the door behind him and dropped her hands to her side.
“Oh, it’s such a lovely cake,” Margaret said as she went back to the kitchen to continue cooking.
