Revenge for Cake

As soon as their father remarried, they both were doomed. Gwen married their father for his stature, she wanted a foot into the elite crowd he worked closely with. Gwen hosted party after party for his business associates. Without fail, Gwen would make her homemade, delicious chocolate cake covered in chocolate frosting. The children were never permitted even a small taste. They were to be seen but not heard, and to act as small servants when the business parties were happening. Bringing drinks, serving plates, even dishing out the desserts was what was expected of them.

Gwen treated Samuel and Dylan indifferently everyday but the business parties were worse. Their father, Mitchell, never seemed to notice as he was always too busy with work. Even in the day to day routine, their father barely had time to hear about their day at school or tuck them into bed. Gwen was in charge from the day she showed up. By the time the boys were eight years old and had friends of their own, they wanted to rebel.

The next dinner party was meant to be for Gwen to introduce her thoughts on a highly IMPORTANT subject to their father's business colleagues. The boys started to formulate a plan. As they knew, Gwen would start her chocolatey cake mix early in the day. With a week left for planning, the twins called on their friends for help. All of the boys were fans of the Dennis the Menace series as well as the Problem Child movies. This is where they derived their influences. They would meet in the clubhouse in the woods everyday after school to brainstorm evil ideas. "Should we put a toad in the cake?" Samuel offered. "No, it would bake up in the oven!" said the smallest child, Jake. "What about turning the oven temperature up to burn the cake?" questioned Tim. Mike, the only one with braces at eight years old, suggested "We could pour a laxative into the cake batter mix." Which everyone seemed to love and got a chuckle from the idea. "No! We need something that will destroy the entire night!" explained Dylan. “What are you thinking?” asked Sam. “I’ve only thought of an explosion of some sort while the cake is on the table. Something that will cover everyone in a chocolatey mess!” Dylan responded. Tim was the one to interject that it would be a terrible shame to waste a glorious cake that none of them had ever tried before. “Maybe we should eat the cake all by ourselves but replace it with a fake cake!” cried Mike. The boys all agreed this was the best idea yet, but how would they make the evening devastating for Gwen? Dylan and Sam both looked at each other and knew what each was thinking, they didn't want to disappoint their dad. Jake, the boys’ best friend, saw the look on the twins' faces and immediately chimed in with “Your dad has to see how horrible Gwen is and how bad she needs to be gone!” This rang true with the group of boys and they all cheered out their approval.

She knew her stress level was high from the moment before she opened her eyes. The tension migraine pounded behind her left temple. Gwen was preparing in the kitchen from the time the sun rose. She had already gone shopping for her supplies yesterday and knew exactly what she had to do to make this night a success. She had purchased a new, expensive outfit that screamed authority. She had picked out her jewelry and make up. She had decided on a simple, sleek, updo that would not be too flashy. Starting the cake early was the key to catching it being served at just the right time. Next time, after she sealed the deal tonight, she decided she would have these events catered. This time, she wanted the bragging rights for outdoing herself above and beyond the previous parties when she was strictly Mitchell’s housewife that dutifully prepared a meal. This time she had to make a lasting impression. Knowing Mitchell had already headed into the office, she would have the boys all day on top of her list of things to prepare for this evening. She would offer the boys a sleepover with their friends if they could help her all day to lighten her load. They were good boys after all. She just wished the horrific migraine would subside. "Why was she getting them so much more often?" she wondered.

From the moment the twins entered the kitchen looking for breakfast, Gwen had a piece of toast with jam set out for each boy. “You can have more to eat once your chores for today are done. I left a list on the board. I expect you both to have them done by lunch time or I will tell your father you misbehaved and belong in a boarding school for delinquents.” Gwen scolded them. The boys knew the routine, it was the same every time there was a business event at the house that evening. Dusting, vacuuming, and cleaning the bathrooms were their chores every single time. Until the boys finished their toast and read the list, they had no idea the level of crazy this woman was. Clean each window pane. Powerwash the walkway. Trim the bushes around the front yard. Plant the rose bushes by the mailbox. The bottom of the list noted that there would be no lunch if not completed, but a sleepover with their friends this weekend, if so. The boys had never seen a bargaining offer before. This must be a new tactic of hers. They left the kitchen with complete looks of confusion on their faces.

Throughout the day while the boys completed each task, they continued contemplating their plan for the evening. “Should they even go through with it after Gwen’s harsh words this morning?” they wondered as they discussed options and outcomes. Upsetting their father was the last thing they wanted to do but they both felt the way their stepmother treated them was unfair. “Maybe this will be the last dinner party” Samuel, always hopeful, tried to convince Dylan that they should try to be angels instead of getting sent to a boarding school. “Dad would never allow her to send us away,” Dylan responded. “How do you know that though?" Samuel cried.

Gwen could barely focus, her head pounded with every breath. She had to pull this evening together whether it killed her or not. Tonight was far too important to allow her migraine to interfere. Maybe if she adjusted her plans just a little, she could afford to lay down for an hour. Deciding the boys seemed on track for lunch, Gwen called and ordered a pizza. She left a note on the counter for them to stay quiet as she needed to rest her head before the pizza arrived. Gwen laid down and easily fell asleep, forgetting to set an alarm.

When Sam and Dylan entered the kitchen and found the note they understood that something was definitely different today. Pizza for lunch had never happened before. “I told you we should try to be nice! Maybe things will change around here.” Sam said to Dylan as they washed up. “Ok, let's try it your way this time,” Dylan said. Both boys started to get out all the ingredients and dishes needed to prepare the cake. They followed the recipe exactly and had just put the cake mix into the pans when the pizza arrived. The boys ate as they continued making the other food preparations. Dylan got all of the ingredients out for the speciality drinks and measured exactly per amount for each dispenser. Samuel had put the prepared appetizers in the appropriate serving dishes and set the table with the good linens and dishware. Both boys knew the afternoon was going by quickly but both were afraid to wake Gwen. They quietly creeped into their father's bedroom to check on Gwen. She was sleeping in the chair next to the bay window. The twins didn't want to disturb her and knew their father should return home soon, so they gently shut the door as they headed back downstairs.

Both boys wanted to be as helpful as they could in contrast to their original plan. They tried to make sure everything was ready and set up for the evening. They both showered and dressed in their best suits, making sure their ties were right and every hair in place.

The cake was placed in the oven as their father walked in the front door. "Where is Gwen?" Mitchell seemed confused when he saw his sons in the kitchen. "She is resting in your room," Dylan explained. Knowing about the recent migraines, Mitchell ran up the stairs. He entered the bedroom and gently shook Gwen until she awakened. "What? Mitchell, What time is it?" She panicked and tried to get up. "Don't you worry about anything. I'm calling your neurologist and we are making an appointment for tomorrow." He demanded. "I need to prepare everything for this evening! I have to get ready!" Gwen sat up quickly and had to lay back as her head throbbed and caused her vision to blur. "The twins got everything ready and set up for you, I was shocked! Although I already decided I'm calling everyone and they will just have to understand that your health is most important." He gently rubbed her hand. "No Mitchell, I can't afford to miss this opportunity. I've been working too hard."Gwen cried. "Why don't you take a nice bath and we will see how you feel after?" He suggested. After swallowing some Tylenol, Gwen tried to relax and did the best she could to pull herself together. When she came downstairs ready for the night, the twins were just finishing icing the cake. Gwen could have cried tears of relief at how perfect everything the boys had done for her looked. She crossed the room and holding them both in a tight embrace, whispered "thank you both so much".

The evening turned out to be a huge success, everything went just as Gwen had wanted, thanks to Dylan and Samuel. As the boys did so exceptionally well, Mitchell served them each their own slice of chocolate cake first. Gwen set aside some for their sleep over that their father had already set up for the following night.

Dylan and Samuel looked at each other as they enjoyed the cake. "Maybe you were right." Dylan said to Sam and both boys smiled.