The Fallen Cake

After finishing the last swirl of frosting on the cake, I placed the piping bag on top of the kitchen counter and ran off into the toilet.

I've been keeping it for more than 2 hours. It's unhealthy, I know but, the cake was even more important.

It was dad's birthday. It's the first time Mom wasn't going to celebrate with us. Dad wasn't looking too good since Mum left us. Although, he still tried his best to look happy in front of us.

He went to work early in the morning and would probably arrive home in another 3 hours time. Guests would be arriving an hour before he arrives home.

I had called my family and some of Dad's friend - the ones he wrote their number down on his phonebook - two days ago.

All the decorations had been done right after he left home. It's a simple one. Just hanging a "Happy Birthday" sign, placing a balloon design table cloth and a few jars of sweets.

My two aunts will be coming with food and drinks. So, I was incharged of baking the cake. I volunteered to do it actually.

After spending 2 minutes relieving myself, I went to check on my cake and to take a photo of it. Also, I needed to place it in the refrigerator.

I entered the kitchen and something I'd never thought would happen, happened.

There on the kitchen floor, my cake scattered all over and there was my little brother sitting in the middle of the mess.

He was covered with cake from head to toe. He looked at me and smiled innocently while licking the frosting off himself.

"Max, what have you done?!" I said in disbelief.

Max giggled while eating away. I scanned for a clean spot for me to step to get closer to Max. There were only few spots where the cake didn't spread. I gave up and just stepped on the dirty floor.

I carried Max out of the mess and brought him into the toilet. All Max did was laughed as if he did nothing wrong.

I couldn't blame him. He's just a 1 year old boy who had just learn how to walk. "Stay here."

I walk out of the toilet. I was furious. It took every bit of me not to scream at Max. I picked up the board for holding the cake off the floor and placed it in the sink.

I took a mop and mopped a single line in between the mess so I could easily walk out later after washing Max and not mess the other parts of the house.

As I was moping, I heard a voice giggling. I turned and saw Max behind me. He had crawled out from the bathroom.

Max picked up bits of the fallen cake and placed it in his mouth. "Max, no!" I ran towards him and threw the bit of cake away from him. "I told you to stay in the bathroom," I screamed.

Max furrowed. His eyes started to turn glossy.

I couldn't hold my anger no more. "I had worked so hard on that cake and destroyed it and now, I asked a simple thing of you to stay in the bathroom and you couldn't!"

I was shouting in his face. "Mama," Max started crying loudly. I wanted to leave him crying there by himself but, when he called out for Mum, everything changed.

I couldn't leave him there and now, I feel guilty. I had promised Mum at her final breath that I'd look out for Max and I would take care for him and give him the love that Mum had given me when I was younger.

What was I thinking? Max was just a kid. He didn't know any better. Looking at his wet and dirty face, my eyes started to be filled water. He looked so much like Mum. If Mum was a guy, she'd look exactly like Max.