Buttercream Guilt [Fiction]

Bury the evidence! My instinct whispered so loud I jumped, looking around to find the person who said that.

I held the plate, listening for a sound, any sound of Anna, my wife, approaching. The distant drone of her favourite soap opera punctuated by her soft chuckles reached me. I was safe for a while.

I quietly took off the transparent cover on the cake plate and behold, the creamiest chocolate cake in the whole world (my opinion, sue me) stared at me. It was the last piece.

Also, my cholesterol levels were bad and I was due to see my doctor the following day. Anna would be livid if she caught me!

But her cakes were the best I'd ever tasted. And I missed eating them. The veggies and strict dieting was getting to me.

I had a choice to make—face Anna's wrath or savour the creamy slice of cake that would likely send me to an early grave, a most sugar-drunk man.

Or perhaps, just a taste?

I dipped in a spoon, cutting a small piece. Oooh! So, so good. The mix of buttery sweetness and past memories of Anna's cakes gave me a rush.

The taste was decadent—so good that it reminded me of a time and place that was too scandalous to mention out loud.

Like a parched man in the Arabian desert, I gobbled down the entire piece and was lost in my world, licking the buttercream off my fingers when someone cleared their throat beside me.

My weak heart lurched in fear. My teenage son, Chris, grinned mischievously, glancing pointedly at the empty plate sprinkled with crumbs—the damning evidence.

“Don't tell your mother?” I pleaded.

He grinned wider. “My silence is not free, Father.” He deliberately emphasised the word ‘father’ with a chuckle, knowing how much I loathed being called that. My children knew I loved being called Dad or Daddy.

“Alright, what do you want?” I asked with a sigh. Anything to stay in Anna's good graces.

“Your coupé for tonight.”

And just like that, my son became an accomplice in covering up my guilty pleasure.

*I hope you enjoyed reading this short piece inspired by the five minute Freewrite #dailyprompt phrase “bury the evidence”.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

^{Image created using leonardo.ai}