VANILLA CAKE by M.R.

Kat Nolan and I had the privilege to work closely with Ganesha university creative writing students in Bali Indonesia. This story was written by Putu Mila Romana Dewi, who writes under the pen name M.R. We had the pleasure of collaborating with her to prepare it for publication.

An old woman was busy in the kitchen. After mixing butter, eggs and yeast, she poured vanilla powder into the mixture. The aroma spread to the corners of the room. It invited her into the past. She saw roses. Red roses in the left corner of the living room, white and pink roses arranged in a blue glass vase on a mahogany table. There were also drinks and a big vanilla cake.

A roar of a man was followed by the laughter of children. She looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly on four of her children and her husband who were playing in the yard.

“It’s time to have a great day,” she shouted.

The joyful cheer of a father and his children made Imelda smile that afternoon. They ran towards the house. Where was her fifth child? Suddenly, a child embraced her with one hand from behind. She turned and saw her youngest daughter, Nancy, who was wearing a white gown.

“Happy valentine’s day, Mom,” Nancy said, poking a red rose picked from the garden. Imelda smiled and kissed her youngest daughter. She hugged her tightly. They were all seated at the table. William Smith entered the room, the father of her five children and a detective. He led the prayer before lunch. Imelda felt she had forgotten something. Suddenly, the kettle buzzed loudly. She opened her eyes and stood up.

“Let me turn off the stove, Mom. Sit down and enjoy this delicious vanilla cake, please,” said Amanda, who now looked a lot older. She wore red lipstick and a light blue bandanna on her head. Her neck was decorated with a gold necklace with a blue gem hanging in the middle, which sparkled like her eyes.

“But I need to take coffee for Daddy dear,” said Imelda.

“Let me take it for Daddy,” Nancy said, with her trademark smile. She definitely looked taller, she almost matched her mother’s height. She had long black hair flowing to the waist. Nancy went to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee.

While eating vanilla cake at the table Imelda watched her husband. “Honey, how was your job? Can we take a vacation next week? We can visit my mother’s house,” she said excitedly.

“I enjoyed my work as always. My job is really interesting and I’d love to tell you about my day. Many things have happened lately. I have investigated a bank robbery, corruption, fraud, and a bombing. It doesn’t exhaust me and I enjoy looking for facts and clues to solve crimes.” William Smith inhaled and exhaled from his cigarette. “I think we should delay our vacation again. I have an unusual case coming up. If I succeed, it will make my dream came true. Our family will be increasingly respected.” His eyes burned with excitement.

“We’ve missed holidays many times Dad, don’t you worry that we will run out of time?” David asked, the oldest of the five siblings.

“Dad, I want to conquer the hill behind grandmother’s house. I’ll show you the most beautiful spots to see the view of the village from the top of the hill.” Jessica was so excited.

“You’re only busy with other people’s cases. You need to spend time with me and your children,” said Imelda. Justin just watched the conversation.

“I will definitely make time for you as you can see now. We still have time, no need to worry,” said William Smith. After that, Nancy came with a cup of coffee for her father and Amanda walked behind her. There was nothing more beautiful than the laughter that afternoon.

Time seemed so fast; Imelda was now in bed. She lay down and said goodnight to her husband. She reached for the antique lamp on the table near her bed and turned it off. The room became dark. She couldn’t see anything. She snapped awake from her daydream and realized she was alone in the kitchen. She looked at her vanilla cake mixture on the table.

“Nancy … Nancy … where are you? Come here I’ll make a vanilla cake for you.” She smiled. “I’ll wait for you, honey.”

William Smith appeared. “I told you a thousand times, honey, she won’t ever come back. She will never give you red roses again. She will never eat your vanilla cake anymore. None of them will. Never.” He shed tears. His pale, old face and cheek lines made his pain clearer.

“Honey, what did you say? But I’ve talked with her, we’ve been to the market to buy some bread, and I’ve told her a story before she goes to sleep every night.” She ran upstairs, calling Nancy’s name.

“That’s all just your imagination,” William Smith shouted, following her. “Have you forgotten what happened twenty years ago? Because of the catastrophe, they will never come back.” He hugged her. “I’m so sorry.”

About the Writer

Putu Mila Romana Dewi (aka M.R.) is a college student at Ganesha University of Education. She was born on 4th July 1998, in Buleleng, Bali. She is very addicted to drama musical. She likes to sing, listen to music, and dancing. Her hobby is spending her spare time with Mahima Community.