A Cake to Remember

As she sat ever so quietly on an empty metro seat in a nearly empty metro car, the game began. Needing only to make it 5 stops without opening the box, the game was hers to lose. Looking around her she noticed happy, thin people talking and having fun. Alone in her seat in the corner of the car, she decided to just continue people watching until it was her stop and then she’d be home free.

The first stop approached quickly and she breathed a sigh of relief. One down, four to go. Watching as nearly everyone got off, she grew a little nervous. If no one was around to condemn her, what was there to stop her from cheating? Making a quick decision, she hurried to sit in the middle of the car opposite a nice looking couple that were in the midst of a normal conversation. Perfection! Just casually listen in to pass the time quicker.

By now the metro was halfway to the next stop but trouble had begun. A side game of just take a look to make sure the cake is still intact had commenced and she was starting to break. Finally, she decided to just look, only for the safety of the cake of course. Opening the Cakes to Remember box ever so carefully, she peeked in to see a perfect cake with perfect icing over-top of perfect chocolate that had perfect moistness.

As she covered closed the lid on the perfect box, she knew she was in real trouble. The smell of the cake was intoxicating. It begged to sampled immediately, to be eaten by someone who would fully appreciate the delicate balance the baker had maintained. As a foodie, she had to make sure it tasted as good as it looked but knew that a sample meant destroying the cake.

Pretending to just peak once again as the metro left the next stop, her finger ever so gently brushed the icing bow causing a slight imperfection. Horrified and delighted, she decided to try to fix it but it was useless. The box would never be perfect again. The devil inside her told her to fix the problem by eliminating the bow from the equation so, seeing as there was no trash can on the metro, she ate the bow and quickly closed the lid.

Looking at the couple, she realized they hadn’t noticed her sweet crime. What they didn’t know was that the game wasn’t over. As the metro pulled away from the third stop, she peaked again and was once again horrified and delighted. The cake had a few other imperfections as a direct result of her tampering. Ashamed, she closed the box and guiltily stole a glance at the couple. They had looked at her but hadn’t realized her transgression.

Feeling lucky, she waited until the felt unnoticed and she stole a chunk off of the side of cake where the bow had been and quickly closed the box again. Like a fox, the continued this stealthy act three more times before the metro reached the fourth stop. Nearly drooling but feeling angry at herself for succumbing to temptation, she place the box next too her vowing not to touch it until stop number five.

Then it happened. The cake began screaming her name over and over and over again. She tried to ignore the cries but they were constant, the barrage never-ending. Pleadingly she looked to the couple for support but they had gotten off. She was alone. All she wanted to do was exercise just enough self-control to ensure the safe arrival of the sweet treat to the party. Sadly, sometimes wants and desires are the same thing.

By the time she arrived at the fifth stop, only a fifth of the cake remained. In one last act of desperation, she took out an expired credit card and fashioned the remainder of the cake into a single, perfect slice. Exhilarated by her own genius, she strode confidently to the street knowing the game wouldn’t catch up to her. No one, with the possible exception of the disappearing couple, would ever know of her failure. Thus, she was a success!