Cake Harmonics

Luxury Department Store | 2.45 pm | Summer Sale

“Oh, God! Looks like Wyatt is fired!” gasped Angela Slow-Sponge, Bath & Leisure Sales Advisor, as we both stared in complete disbelief out of the staff canteen’s window watching Wyatt Hertz escorted out of the building by uniformed guards.

As far as internal investigations were concerned, the Department Store where I worked had very strict policies. To manage over 2,000 employees is not an easy undertaking, and we all knew that offenders got fired no matter their rank.

The investigation team had their hands full with all sorts of emergencies: from stopping employees who attempted to exit the building with an extra layer of designer jeans under their uniforms, to combing out celebrity imposters attempting to rob unsuspecting customers through carefully orchestrated set-ups.

Detective dramas aside, there were also other types of dismissible offences; “No garlic breath on the Shop Floor” or “No staff purchases on the first day of Sale” were among the most cited policies.

I was one of the most rule abiding employees, and the staff handbook was my Bible. Losing my job was not an option. Even at a junior level in dispatch department, working for such a prestigious establishment, was my golden ticket to escape from my rough neighborhood.

“You must learn to be grateful for this opportunity, Tara. Do not ruin your life over silly matters. Knowing who to trust and what to do next, are two the most important skills in life. Do not forget nature’s best remedy for being strong and healthy”, my dad reminded me every morning while giving me finely chopped garlic to swallow with a glass of water. My dad was right, I needed to be strong.

I never dared to question policies or my dad, but was curious as to why garlic breath was such a dreadful offense; I figured out that maybe our department store received a complaint from one of its VVIP customers, also rumored to be a vampire. Perhaps someone’s garlic breath terminated his existence and caused a lot of grief for the vampire clan. Who knows! I always kept a box of peppermints with me as a precaution.

The second rule, “No shopping for staff on the first day of Sale”, was there to retain 2,000 employees at their working stations instead of allowing them to rampage through the sale racks. Should a staff member use their discount card to snap a juicer, at an additional 25% off on a wrong day, the investigation karma would always catch up.

Despite the policy was well known, every year there were one or two misfortunate sale devotees, who naively snatched a couple of designer heels on the first day of the sale, hoping to go unnoticed among the chaos of the sales stampede. These lost souls ended up being captured, questioned and escorted out of the building together with their belongings in front of their colleagues.

One week ago, Wyatt Hertz, a stock room assistant in the Men’s Shoes Department, became the latest victim. Wyatt was the Staff Bake-off winner and had a sweet spot for cakes. He was beyond excited when one month ago he received a secret update from one of our marketing interns:

“Wyatt, between me and you, very soon our store will be collaborating with Monsieur Calisson Sucre, our guest Chef of The Month,” the intern revealed in a conspirative voice while we were queuing for chicken Korma at the staff canteen.

Wyatt was speechless. Monsieur Sucre was a globally renowned sensation who conquered the world of macaroons and Tarte Tatins and was Wyatt’s all-time icon. This legendary master of sweet inventions was a descendant of ten generations of pastry Chefs; some of his great grandfathers tempted the Kings and Queens with their masterpieces and secret recipes. His family, with no doubt, was responsible for causing the biggest royal dental cavities. Throughout his career, Monsieur Sucre has created the world’s most expensive and rare desserts including the Diamond Jubilee Fruit Cake, featuring chewable diamonds.

And now the very special bespoke cake-making service, that included Monsieur’s 500 years old secret family recipe, was offered to the store's best customers for the whole month of June.

Wyatt, who had his birthday coming up, rushed to order a very special birthday cake for himself. The Tet-a-Tet with The Chef took all his lunch break and was more thorough than a job interview. Master Baker enquired about Wyatt's favorite memories and his exact time of birth; he insisted to know if Wyatt preferred Wednesdays to Fridays, oceans to lakes, and the name of the lullaby he grew up listening to.

By the unfortunate coincidence, and partly because the official date of the sale was kept secret until three days prior, the one-of-a-kind cake was ready to be collected on the “no staff purchases” day.

Promptly at 10 am and unaware of committing serious misconduct, Wyatt and I rushed to the Food Hall to make the final payment for the cake.

We were truly astounded when the cake had been revealed. It was the finest artwork of cake engineering and design; around its base, in dark caramel font, “Lost Harmonics” was written in French.

The cake had three layers constructed on top of each other in the most exquisite way. The first layer was in light dusty pink metallic in the shape of a cylinder. On top of it, from one side emerged a construction of twelve perfect spheres in black velvet texture supported by a burgundy parallelepiped with a mirrored finish.

“The design and the name were revealed to me in my dream”, The Chef explained looking Wyatt in the eyes. “When tasting the cake, you need to be fully present and savor it one bite at a time. Each part of the cake has its unique flavor at its core, capable of surprising, liberating, and unleashing your full potential. Are you ready to taste your cake?”

“Ready!” Wyatt bounced back, his eyes wide open.

“Very well, Bon Anniversaire!” concluded The Chef attaching a gold-leafed signature dot at the top of the masterpiece.

Catching his breath, Wyatt proceeded to the till and presented his staff card to be charged. “Tara, can you imagine when my mum sees this cake?! She will be shocked, Tara! Truly shocked!”

“I can imagine actually…my dad would send me back to get a refund.” I thought to myself.

He took a selfie with The Chef for his Instagram page with the caption #CakeHarmonics #BestBirthdayEver. “I have a perfect spot for the cake on the middle shelf of the Men’s Shoes Stock Room. It is always chilly in there. I hope you can join us tonight for a small party!”, announced Wyatt, carefully holding his cake in both hands.

“Of course, I will be there!”

As it turned out later, to his surprise, Wyatt was greeted by the department store’s security team as soon as he had reached his destination. From there, Wyatt with his precious cake were invited into one of the interrogation rooms. The cake was placed on a small grey office pedestal as the investigators commenced questioning.

A few hours later, staff ID card 39612 and the name badge: Stock Room Assistant Wyatt Hertz, were at the bottom of an office bin. With two giant sweat patches under his armpits, Wyatt and his confectionery masterpiece were dismissed based on gross misconduct. Eyes full of tears, but with the cake firmly secured in his hands, Wyatt rushed to the taxi rank outside of The Store. Astonished colleagues followed his sudden departure with great curiosity while peeking from the stock room and office windows.

“You know, Tara, he brought it on himself. He loved cakes too much and this is what destroyed him. Cakes are for eating, not for transformation.” Angela Slow-Sponge concluded philosophically, while chewing on tuna melt baguette.

“But it is so unfair! It is a humiliating experience to get fired on your birthday, just because you bought a cake. It was a misunderstanding! And everyone failed to see it. It was supposed to be one of the best moments of his life. The cake was meant to unleash Wyatt’s full potential. This is what The Chef is skilled at!” I argued.

“Here you have it, maybe Wyatt does not have any potential. If it were that simple, Tara, you would just eat a slice of chocolate cake and in an instant you become the best version of yourself. Give me a break! The Chef is a marketing machine, this is how he can charge these crazy prices.”

A few days later, Name & Shame Posters with Wyatt Hertz’s photo were printed and displayed in staff areas together with the description of his crime.

Soon after, I was reported by Angela Slow-Sponge for removing Wyatt’s posters from the ladies staff toilet. Additionally, I have received a written warning from the HR manager. There I was, one of the most obedient employees, just one warning away from getting fired myself.

“How are you doing?” I asked Wyatt over the phone few weeks after the incident.

“Thank you, Tara, for checking on me. It will take some time for me to get over what happened, but despite how sad I am, I feel like a different person somehow, just as The Chef prescribed. The cake was truly special. I saved you a slice in the freezer. I know it is not the same as a fresh slice, but still … it was a true masterpiece. It was so worth it. Hopefully see you soon at my place for tea?”

“Sure thing! How about tonight after work?” I was happy to see him again. My voice somehow developed a deeper tone, like those who have a lot of suppressed anger.

And I did. At first, I was angry on Wyatt’s behalf and plotting various strategies to avenge him…I was devastated how quickly he was forgotten as if he has never existed and was determined to find justice. And possibly getting fired also. No one wants to have a rebel employee on their books. And getting fired was my biggest fear. My job meant everything to me and my dad.

But after my regular portion of finely chopped garlic, I remembered that knowing who to trust and what to do next are two the most important skills to have and I also realised that true transformation is only possible if we are brave enough to face our own fears. So composed two letters:

Letter #1 to be posted into the “Bright Ideas” box, located at the staff’s entrance corridor:

“Dear Managing Director, I am writing to make you aware of a recent incident.

One week ago, Wyatt Hertz (staff ID 36912), was fired for purchasing his birthday cake on the first day of sale.

I know that rules are rules and that the in-Store Investigation team had no time to go into minor details but if they had, they would see that Wyatt had no malicious intentions to break any policies. It was an accident. It is wrong that he was taken out of the building like a criminal and that he had to feature on the Name & Shame posters.

I request that Wyatt Hertz is sent an apology letter with a positive character reference from yourself. This experience should not be affecting his future and I would like to submit my resignation letter if you won’t support my request.

In addition, certain policies of our store need to be reviewed, especially the “No Garlic breath” policy. Garlic is one of the most precious gifts of nature and offers a number of health benefits.

Sincerely,

Tara, Dispatch Assistant (staff ID 453654)

Letter #2 to be sent to a Chateau in France:

“Monsieur Sucre, Bonjour.

Merci Beaucoup for spending some time with us at the store. Your visit made a huge impact, not only on the customers but also on us, the employees. Without a doubt, some of us will never be able to forget your visit, like Wyatt Hertz, who was fired for purchasing one of your transformational cakes. Just in case you are not aware, Wyatt has lost his job because of buying the cake. This is of course not your fault! I have full trust in your mastery and just as you prophesied, it is all part of unleashing his full potential.

Toutefois, should you have any apprentice roles available, please reach out to Wyatt. He is a very talented and passionate dessert maker and he will be delighted to hear from you.

P.S. in case you will have any other vacancies within dispatch teams (or any other roles actually), I might know a reliable and strong suitable candidate who might be looking for a job really soon.

Au revoir

Tara