My Sister-in-law Was a Better Cook by Kay Doss The first time, My brother forgot to put the strawberries In his daughter, Mickey’s, strawberry birthday cake. The second time, sugar, and the third time, He only used one oven mitt and burned his left hand, Dropping the cake on the kitchen tile. I sat Mickey on the sink counter and stared At the ruined cake on the floor below us. Chewing on a beret from her hair, She kicked the drawers behind me To make visible the lights on her sneakers. Would you like me to do it, Mack? I asked. He shook his head as I cleaned the tile. She’s only two; she won’t care if it’s store bought. He said homemade was the family tradition. Carol would never have fucked up her cake, He muttered, and picked Mickey up from the counter, And kissed her, stroking the heart shaped pendant Passed down to her from the mother she’d never know. The three of us stared at the strawberry mess. What do I do? He asked. Start over, I said. 122 theMeadow
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