Copyright © 2004 By Koty Lapid-- Another short story about a full figured woman. The story also about friendship but mostly is about how not to hurt other people's feelings and still not to eat a cake that you shouldn't eat it.

Nowadays—for me at least—Valentine's Day is as much about the appreciation of friendship as about amorous intent. My Birthday is only a few days before Valentine's day, and I generally celebrate both events together, making this a personal holiday season that extends from Thanksgiving until the end of Valentine's day. I get very small personal gifts: a pink, soft, special rubber eraser, for example. Most of my ladyfriends are very busy, but they somehow always find the time to come up with something cute, small and personal.

I also like to throw a little party. Nothing fancy, simply an afternoon get-together,
drinking coffee or tea, when we can all do a lot of talking. One of my ladyfriends, Suzanne, couldn't come for the party this year. She called and apologized, and we arranged a date for the middle of the week.

She arrived with a large shopping bag, from which she took out a small glass bottle, two
delicate wine glasses and a cake. The bottle sported a white label decorated with flowers and a handwritten HAPPY BIRTHDAY! She made a toast for me and herself; we ate some cake and talked a lot, until she had to leave.

I am terrified when seeing her standing up from her seat. I didn't want her to leave yet. In fact, I didn't want her to leave that delicious, tempting chocolate cake at my place. We had eaten so little of it, as we so often do, because we are both on a diet. If she leaves the cake with me, I would certainly take another bite from it until there isn't any piece left. Certainly I would't want to do that! Throwing it away was an option I didn't want to consider, since it was a beautiful and very delicious cake. What's more, the cake was a gift, and I wouldn't want to throw away a gift, especially from a friend whom I treasured very much.

The problem was further compounded by the fact that, being too busy, Suzanne—in her kind hearted eagerness to bring me something special for my birthday—hadn't simply bought a cake from the bakery, but had asked another of her friends, Ann, to make one. Knowing how much effort had been put into the cake made me aware that throwing the cake out would hurt not just Suzanne's but Ann's feelings also. I already appreciated Ann very much for being such a good friend for Suzanne.

Then another solution occurred to me: I would ask her to take it back with her. However the more I thought about it I realised that this may also offend Suzanne and Ann.

Suzanne noticed that something was bothering me. She looked at me in anticipation. But I avoided her gaze and stared at the cake instead, hoping that she could read what was on my mind.

Thankfully she did. She turned her head toward the cake and said:
'Would you mind if I take the rest of the cake with me? I promised my granddaughter I'd visit her on the way home. As I know her, she'd be excited to have some.' When she finished her sentence, I sighed a heavy relief, then extended my arms out to hug her. And thought about: "how lucky I am to have her as a friend. Not only she is a mind reader but she always knows how to spare me from embarassment."