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Just a Slice Full of Sugar Helps the Schedule Go Down

How Megan Learned to Make the Most out of Mandatory Work Meetings

By Judey Kalchik Published 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 8 min read
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Just a Slice Full of Sugar Helps the Schedule Go Down
Photo by Marten Bjork on Unsplash

This story is part of the Vocal Cooks Collaborate series. Click Here for an index of all the recipe posts. The latest recipes are Arpad Nagy's The Gorgeous Gluten Free Bread You've Been Waiting For, and Call Me Les' Dinner and a Story, Paper Bag Princess with a side of Popcorn Chicken.

Megan knew they hated her but had to face their closed and hostile faces tomorrow morning anyway.

She had no excuse to skip the mandatory 'Meet the Staff' meeting for new employees. It would be obvious if she ditched it. After all, she was the manager and it would be her meeting. Her first meeting, but hers nonetheless.

It's just like she had always told her daughter: you do what you have to do, you do what you said you'd do. And she had said that being a store manager is what she would do.

She's been the first person in the store every day this week. Coffee fresh and hot, store straightened, incoming books unpacked and ready for shelving. Asking the staff for display ideas. Talking about their favorite books and authors. Things had been going so well.

OK, maybe not well-well, but well-enough-well. And then she had done the unthinkable and lost all of that good will and cooperation.

She changed the schedule.

She didn't regret making the change because it was the right thing to do. She had done the research, checked the statistics. But she hadn't talked to the staff about it first. Just thinking of their reaction to the new schedule gave her a sour taste in the back of her throat. She was sure she felt eight more hairs on her head spontaneously turning gray. Two more lines moved in to etch a groove across her forehead.

It was worse than starting back at the beginning with her staff. She was so far away from being at the beginning she wasn't sure she could see it if she tried- she wasn't even in the neighborhood of the beginning. She was now a member of 'Them'; her staff made it clear that she was no longer an 'Us'. This meeting tomorrow was the chance to go over the figures and explain why the change was needed.

By Elisa Ventur on Unsplash

Burying her head in her hands she thought of everything she still had to do before going to bed: dishes to be washed, meeting agenda to be made, watering the garden, and picking yet another basket of that ever growing zucchini. She was exhausted at the list. She needed help. She needed a maid. She needed a gardener. She needed a fairy godmother. She needed sleep.

Well, sleep is something she could do for just a few minutes before tackling the rest of the list. Megan pillowed her head on her crossed arms atop the tabletop and closed her eyes, sure that the awkward position would wake her in enough time to get her list completed. And with that thought she slipped into a deep sleep.

In what felt like seconds later she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder and a small voice saying "Wake up, Megan. Megan wake up. There's still work to do."

With a jolt of adrenaline she bolted upright; Shannon was at her father's this week. No one else should be in the house. Looking over her right shoulder as she walked her fingers across the tabletop seeking a weapon, she saw a stranger taking a step back and smiling kindly at her.

"Don't be afraid, Megan. I've done as much of the list as I could but it's time for you to get the agenda ready for tomorrow's meeting." It was definitely a stranger, but perhaps the most non-threatening stranger that ever existed.

By Danie Franco on Unsplash

Standing in front of Megan was a grandmotherly woman wearing a tidy and cheerful blue gingham dress fastened up the middle with silver snaps and covered from the waist down by a white apron edged in silvery scalloped lace. On her feet were a pair of sturdy shoes (were they gardening clogs?!), and she was drying her hands (did she do the dishes?!) on a kitchen towel. Her neat blonde hair was in a high ponytail with wisps falling around her flushed face. And she smelled like... like... chocolate?

Megan swiveled fully around in her chair and stared at the woman standing in the doorway leading to her kitchen. The woman didn't smell like chocolate. EVERYTHING smelled like chocolate. The scent was so rich and delicious that she could practically taste it.

"What?", she croaked. "What are you... WHO are you? WHY are you? How did you get here?"

Smiling kindly at her, the woman answered "Why, I'm here because you needed me. Because you asked for me."

"I asked for you?" questioned Megan.

"Of course, you asked for a fairy godmother and here I am. I've done the laundry, washed the dishes, watered the garden... oh; and I cleaned the bathroom. This is a one-time only visit so I wanted to make sure I took care of all of the biggest worries you had while I was here. I picked that zucchini crop and made sure to make enough to take to work and for you and Shannon to last this week. All that's left is for you to do your agenda and get ready for bed. You need more sleep." After delivering that extraordinary statement she stood there, smiling expectantly at Megan.

By Igor Osinchuk on Unsplash

Megan sat in the dining room chair and blinked rapidly. Laundry, dishes, bathroom, garden? 'One time visit'? 'Make enough' what? FAIRY GODMOTHER? She must still be asleep.

"Are you feeling alright dear? I'll leave you a cup of tea on the table with a slice before I leave. You are going to be fine. Everything is going to be just fine.", she said as she turned and went into the kitchen.

Feeling like she should leap up and run after her, Megan instead stayed rooted to her seat. This can't be real. This isn't real. Things like this don't happen. She is dreaming. Yes, that's what's happening. She will stroll into the kitchen, it will be empty except for the day's dishes.

Megan made her body stand and move forward, creeping softly across the floor towards her kitchen. As she stepped through the doorway the overhead light flashed brightly then turned off, plunging the room into darkness. Megan's arm snapped out and she flipped the light switch up only to illuminate an empty room. An empty surprisingly clean, no; make that spotless room. Every dish was cleaned and put away, not just left drying in the dish rack. Towels were neatly hung on the oven's door handle, and trash had been emptied. Everything was clean and welcoming and familiar. Except.

By Collov Home Design on Unsplash

Except for the three chocolate sheet cakes sitting on the kitchen table, the source of the bewitchingly luscious smell floating through every room of the house. Two of the cakes were whole and the third had a slice removed. That slice of chocolate cake sat on a china plate next to a steaming cup of tea and a folded piece of paper. Next to the cakes and stacked in an adorable basket were a stack of dessert plates, disposable forks, napkins, and a cake server.

Walking slowly to the table Megan took in the unexplainable scene. She sat and opened the folded paper to see a note and a recipe card. The note said:

"Dear Megan, You are in the midst of big changes and I have every confidence that you are making good and sound decisions.

"Know that not everyone will eagerly make changes; people are reluctant to leave the tried-and-true of their life and do something new. You know that it is possible; you know it better than most. Big efforts can lead to big rewards!

"Just knowing a thing doesn't always make it easier, though. Sometimes a little bit of sweetness can help with the bitterness of change. That's why I made these Chocolate Squash Texas Sheet Cakes. Nothing will sweeten the way better than they will.

"Just in case you need it for your next adventure, I've tucked the recipe in this note. No magic needed, dear, just courage, vision, and love."

Love always, Lucy

As Megan savored the last crumb of cake with the last lick of frosting she realized she'd received two solutions tonight: One was the secret to a successful mandatory meeting, and the other was a way to use her out-of-control zucchini crop.

By Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Here's the magical recipe:

Chocolate Squash Texas Sheet Cake - RECIPE

  • 1 stick butter or margarine
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1 2/3 cups of sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs - room temp
  • 1/2 cup sour cream or buttermilk,
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup of cocoa (unsweetened)
  • 3 cups of yellow (summer squash) or zucchini shredded,
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips,
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Bake at 325 for about 25-30 min. I put in a greased cookie sheet ( 11.5 x 17) like a Texas Sheet Cake pan. Do a toothpick test to check for doneness.

Chocolate Cake Frosting RECIPE

  • 3 - 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp almond flavoring
  • 2 T. melted butter
  • about 1/3 cup warm milk (as needed to make the frosting)

Just mix the above - Mix until you have no lumps and it is smooth. When you add the milk, add little by little until you get the desired consistency.

Cake and frosting from Baking with Lucy.

If you enjoyed this fiction story and this very REAL chocolate cake recipe, please leave a heart so I know.

Here is another story will a scrumptious cake recipe:

Short Story
8

About the Creator

Judey Kalchik

It's my time to find and use my voice.

Poetry, short stories, memories, and a lot of things I think and wish I'd known a long time ago.

You can also find me on Medium

And please follow me on Threads, too!

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