Mrs. A. Written by Allyson Gulliver
Every woman in the theatre leaned forward, waiting to hear the allimportant tip that would reveal Kate Aitken’s secret to the perfect cake batter. “Now, it’s just as true here in Charlottetown as it is in Calgary or Quebec,” the woman on the stage continued, speaking up to be heard over some sudden noise in the lobby. “If you want your cake to be light as a feather, you must —” Kate couldn’t ignore the commotion any longer. That flusteredlooking man who had burst into the theatre — why on Earth was he interrupting her cooking lesson? “Mrs. Aitken, I. . .” The man puffed. “We need you at the radio station!” This could be interesting after all. “Why?” “Our program hostess had an accident. Broke her leg,” he gasped. “I need someone on air NOW!” “But I’m in the middle of mixing a cake!” Kate said, as her audience
Illustrated by Jessica Lindsay
began to murmur in dismay. “I can’t just up and leave.” “Sure you can. Bring the cake along!” said the radio man. “We’ll put you right on the air and you can tell the audience exactly what you’re doing.” He turned to the audience with a grin. “Listen in to find out how to finish the cake!” Kate already had her hat on. “Jenny, bring the rest of the ingredients and the pans.” The younger woman, her arms full of baking supplies, struggled to keep up. “But Mrs. A., how can you bake a cake on the radio?” Kate smiled. “We won’t bake it on the radio, dear,” she said. “We’ll bake it in an oven.”
“ . . . and there it is: a perfect layer cake. You’ll be proud to serve this to your husband and children.” “I know I’d be pretty pleased if Kayak #47 mar 2014
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