Baking For Ben

I forced my ears shut as the fire alarm blared off in the background. I rushed to the window to open it and let all the smoke out.

I coughed as the smoky air cleared from the kitchen window out into the wide world. Then, I climbed onto the chair and switched off the alarm.

A sigh left my mouth as I slumped into the chair and stared inside the oven with the now burnt cake.

This was my second failed attempt at baking. Clearly, watching online videos and following them through wasn't something I was particularly good at.

Ben always mocked me for being a terrible cook when my mother was the most talented.

"I could eat my own fingers if I didn't pay enough attention while being mesmerized by your mother's cooking. But you Maya, my doll, are seemingly awful at it!" he'd say with a slight chuckle.

I loved to see him laugh. It was the most charmingly genuine laugh I'd ever known. I would gladly sit there for hours, just listening to it. It was what made me fall in love with him in the first place.

Cooking was something I was never really good at. Having been focused on getting a degree and then a job, cooking never really made it to the top of my to-do list.

Gladly however, it was never a concern since my mother was always around, making me a delicious meal.

It was after my marriage to Ben that it became a necessary skill for both of us. Ben was always traveling for business and we needed to learn to cook meals in order to save money.

We had been living in a rented apartment and had always dreamed of having a cosy little corner of our own.

While Ben was admittedly better than me at picking up cooking techniques, I did fairly well too. The only thing I still hadn't mastered was baking.

The Dutch Truffle cake had always been Ben's favorite. And I'd always thought that I would master it one day and surprise him with it.

Oh, he'd be so delighted!

As I sat there, reminiscing, I was pulled out of my thoughts by the doorbell.

There was nobody at the door. But as I was about to close the door shut, my glance caught on to a brochure at my feet.

I picked it up and read;

"Sofia's baking classes. Learn to bake cakes, breads, cookies and so much more!"

It was a new café and baking school opening nearby and they had an inauguration special free class for anyone who came today.

I decided to give it a try. I couldn't possibly burn another cake if someone was watching over me, right?

Besides, third times a charm?

I got dressed and walked up to the place mentioned on the brochure.

It was a lovely little bakery with a café in the front and baking classes in the back. As I entered the café, it smelled of a beautifully mixed concoction of chocolate and coffee.

The counter was a rich mahogany wood and the lilac walls were decorated with fairy lights and pictures of cakes and coffees.

The girl at the counter directed me to the back where the session was being conducted.

As I entered, I saw that a few people had already arrived. They were talking among themselves, waiting for the instructor to begin.

I took my place behind an empty counter and waited.

A petite woman walked up to me and placed her bag on the counter next to mine.

"Hi. I'm Stacy." She smiled as she introduced herself and offered her hand.

"Hi. Maya." I replied, taking her hand.

"I'm learning to bake for my son's school fund raiser." She said, shrugging her shoulders and looking in my direction to continue the conversation.

"Yeah, kids." I agreed nervously before continuing.

"I'm learning to bake for my husband and I's anniversary today." I spoke.

"Oh, that's absolutely lovely!" she exclaimed.

I nodded in agreement.

Soon, our instructor arrived and asked what each one of us wanted to learn.

Based on everyone's choices, she handed out sheets of papers with instructions on them.

Slowly, as the hours passed by and my cake started to take shape, I felt more confident. I made sure the mixture was of a perfect proportion as per the instructions and confirmed it with the instructor every now and then.

"Good! Now bake this in the oven at 180 degrees for 45 minutes, okay?" she smiled and patted my back.

By the time I was done, three hours had passed and my cake was nicely decorated. I was so proud of myself. Ben would be so proud.

A few minutes later I carefully put the cake in a box and carried it up to our apartment. I couldn't wait for midnight.

As the clock struck 12, I got dressed in the clothes I was wearing when Ben and I first met and walked up to the refrigerator to take the cake out.

I placed it on to a plate, put a candle on top and carefully kept it on the table.

Then, I smiled and blew out the candle while looking at the picture of Ben I had placed across from me.

"Happy anniversary, baby." I said as a tear left my eye and rolled down my cheek.

It had been six months since Ben's fatal accident.

We were so happy; we were so much in love. We were everything we needed.

If only he hadn't agreed to go for that meeting. If only that truck driver wasn't drunk. If only...

I wiped the tear off as I cut the cake and tasted it. It had turned out perfect. Ben would have loved it. I had finally learned to bake.

I kissed the photograph, hugged it tight and then kept it back on the table.

"I love you, Ben." I said as I placed a small piece in front of his picture.

"I always will."