A soothing moment.

Tina, a lovely lady, in her 40s, lives in a small apartment in London. She is unemployed because she is physically impaired. She suffers from Arthritis. Through some friends and family members, she got to know of a wealthy lady -in her late 50s called Sally. Sally lives in a three story villa with her children and husband. She has everything she could ever wish for. She spends her days running errands that involved spending money abundantly. Sally heard of Tina's condition, and thus, decided to get closer to her. She would invite Tina over to her house. Then, she would exhibit all the different kinds of desserts, leftover of delicious meals, sweets and drinks that fill up fridge to her guest. After that, she would offer to make her a cheese or a plain/dry chicken breast sandwich. Tina would always accept the food politely and thank the host appropriately before she leaves.
One day, Tina was invited to go over to Sally's house. As usual, Sally goes to open the fridge to show off the blessing god’s bestowed upon her, but this time something unusual followed that… 

Tina spotted a piece of brown cake that looked very similar to her favourite cake. A typically traditional baked sweet, flour-based dessert, she used to have back when she was in Greece. As she asked her host to take it out of the cutting-edge fridge and show it to her, her thoughts got confirmed. It was it. There, on a small white plate, laid a mouth-watering piece of Karithopita

Excited and overwhelmed by all the good memories that piece of puffed crust had brought back, she found herself talking to Sally about the cake’s history and origins. She went on speaking about how popular it was back in Greece and how it’d been a while since she last had it. She, also, insisted on the fact that it was not an easy cake to make. That, given a good recipe, and an experienced pair of hand, only, might one be lucky enough to make it identical to the original one made back in Zeus land. 

Sally was rather impressed by Tina’s knowledge, after all she didn’t know much about her past. She knew that Tina had lived in Greece before moving to London, but she wasn’t aware of how cultivated Tina was. She tried well to conceal her astonishment. Has she been looking at Tina with demeaning eyes, all this time? She shrug, and started bragging about how easy it was for her daughter to make that cake. Subsequently, she was proud to offer that last piece to Tina, too.

Tina had a special moment there. Savouring that piece of cake, her mind played a film of sweet memories of her life back in Greece. She was amazed at how blissful a few bites of Karithopita made her feel. Especially that it wasn't the first time she’s had it! She had eaten it countless times before she left Greece for good, and started a new adventure in England. England was tough..- she thought. These past few years in this quick-motioned, busy place felt forever all of a sudden. She stopped munching, her mind full and hazy with past struggles and challenging situations she’s been undergoing since her plane landed on the British ground.

The sound of tap water flowing in the sink drain, where Sally stood washing dishes, struck her back to reality. She was there, sitting on a soft maroon-ish chair in Sally’s kitchen, digging on a delectable piece of cake. So, with a quick gesture, she waved off as if to clear her mind and wipe all negative thoughts off it. It was neither the right time, nor was it the place to start lamenting about life trials. She got determined not to let any negative thought ruin that special moment with the cake.  A soothing moment Sally wasn't aware of in the least.

Here we go, this is the last bite.. thought Tina regretfully. The special moment has come to an end. She moaned, as she slowly chewed on the last bite, she wished that instant not to be the last time she had some homemade Karithopita. This cake, she once took for granted, has become the sole ‘cheer up’ she’s had in England so far. She valued that exquisite moment of luxury (luxury, huh, a word that best defined her life over 10 years ago, back in Athena's homeland). Of course, she was also grateful to the person who offered it to her. Had it not been for Sally, she might not have had that moment of peace. She thanked God for planning things in a such a way for people to realise the value of what they had once taken for granted. She, also, repented for any time she may have wasted food in the past.

As K headed towards the sink to place her little plate and spoon, she felt hollow, and found herself wishing she could just have one more time of that special moment. She yearned to have a loaf of the same cake. She would keep it for a week!- she imagined.  Eating a piece, bit by bit. every time life hit her hard there in the UK (was it too much to ask?). It felt ironic for her to find comfort in a block of brown cake. She didn't realise she said her wishes out loud though. To her shock,when she eventually did become aware of it, she started throwing silly giggles at Sally's analytic face, to ease the embarrassment that had coated hers. 

Upon hearing Tina's wishes, Sally suggested to call a Greek old friend of hers to come over and make the cake for all of them, so that, they could all have it together over a cup of tea. As a matter of factShe stated that it would be a good idea for Tina to meet the Greek friend. Not that the idea didn't sound good to Tina or anything, for her, the possibility of having more Karithopita was more than welcome. She felt thrilled! 

                                                                      ***

Two days later…

Tina received a call from Sally telling her that she wanted to give her some Karithopita made by the Greek friend who came over to her house. She carried on saying that they did it together a few hours ago. She, also, mentioned that the cake didn't turn out as well as her daughter’s , but it was still edible.

Tina thought it was weird. Weren't they supposed to get together at Sally's, with the presence of the Greek friend. Was it not supposed to be an afternoon for ladies only to chill out around a table full of cake and tea?

“Yes I’m home! You can pop in anytime. It’s so kind of you, but you shouldn’t bother yourself for me, really… I understand.. thank you.. see you in a bit” said Tina before she hung up the phone. 

She had mixed feelings and was slightly perplex about all this. She was,obviously, delighted and grateful that a person, out there, thought of sharing some cake with her, and was ready to bring it all the way to her house. She, then, started imagining the whole scenario; opening the door, welcoming Sally in, inviting the her to sit for a cuppa, offering the middle-aged guest whatever she had in the -far from being a state-of-the-art- fridge and cupboards. Speaking of which, she had no idea what was stuffed in there. with a quick movement, she reached out in attempt to sneak a peak and inspect the zone. There were 2 eggs in the fridge, 40g of butter, a small box of cooked white rice, some turnips and some spring onions. There was also a box that contained 2 pieces of muffins in the cupboard. she remembered Sally giving them to her one day. She didn't eat them because when she'd checked the date she noticed they were expired. She shrug. She couldn't possibly offer her those (as tempting as it was). With a sigh, she stood there facing the counter regretting the old times. She used to have a refrigirator full of different kinds of cheese, fish, meat and vegetables. She could have all sorts of drinks she craved and various types of Greek food, too. Greeks do know how to eat - She pondered affirmably. 

On the other hand, Tina felt a bit uncomfortable with the sudden change of plan. However, she wanted to stay positive that day. She’s had a hectic week and those short-lasting moments of ‘cake’ that could come to shatter her misery held great value to her. She would welcome them anytime. Even if they were just for a few seconds, they would make her day. After all, they represented the "soothing moment". 

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. When she opened it, her eyes met those of a very tall young man. Sally's son! but..but, what brought him there? He greeted her with a smile and handed her a half closed cardboard box before be started making his way back to his car. She was a bit puzzled for a moment there, but the delicious smell coming of the box caught her attention and she quickly got busy unwrapping everything.

K felt grateful that a person would think about her and would go out of their way to make her wishes come true. She was thrilled to receive the cake. She imagined it to be either a small piece or half a loaf. was she being greedy? she smiled. As she unwrapped the aluminium foil and tucked it away. She froze at the sight before her. In that box laid a very dark brown, a huge, dry  block of cake, with just a small piece missing at one of the corners. Half centimeter thick, it looked nothing like Karithopita (which was at least 3 centimeters thick). She decided not to judge the book by its cover. After all, the proof of the pudding is in the eating! or so she tried to convince herself, anyway. As she extended her hand to shred a tiny piece to taste. She put it in her mouth... it wasn't mushy as it should be. Rather, it was sticky, firm and lumpy. It was nothing foamy, fluffy or soft at all. It wasn't even edible. It tasted horrible. Adding to the fact that it didn't puff up, it was terribly overcooked. One could run the risk of having severe stomachaches, cramps or heartburn from it this! even diarrhoea! Tina brought the rubbish bin, and chucked the plank of poison in it. It wasn't even something one could give to the birds or animals. They could either fall severely sick or not survive such a toxic mix. She picked up the phone and dialed Sally's number. When Sally picked up, Tina said "Thank you for the cake"

Sally's reply was: " you're welcome, it didn't come out as well as my daughter's, we tasted it and nobody could possibly eat it, I felt bad throwing it away, so I thought I'd give it to you, since it was your favorite cake, anyway, I have to go. see ya"

"Bye" was the last word Tina has ever said to Sally since then. 

                                                                                                          The end.