Mother-In-Law

Rose Johnson would become a fantastic Mother-in-law. She would never once suck air through her teeth at the wedding plans, or even let it cross her mind that purple should have no place at the festivities.

Steven was her only son and this was Rose's chance of being the favorite grandmother in future years. There was only one problem: the cake.

Knowing Rose to be a renowned baker Kate, the bride, had asked Rose to make a chocolate cake. Wedding cakes should not be chocolate. How would the top tier keep for the christening cake if it wasn't fruit? No, Kate didn't like fruit cake. She wanted chocolate cake.

Inspired by the belief that it really wouldn't matter on the day, Rose ignored the chocolate instructions. Now it sat before her and it was not the cake she had made. Desperate to know if the unruly daughter-in-law had swapped cakes, she furtively sidled over to where it sat.

Using a small butter knife, Rose took a tiny core sample to find that she was sadly right.

"Rose?" Kate's voice seemed to come from no-where and Rose spun around, splattering the brown sample on the bride's white dress, and simultaneously tipping the cake. Kate saved the cake by lunging forward but lost her footing and landed with her arm in a very unnatural angle.

Steven phoned from the hospital to let her know the honeymoon had been canceled. Rose thought back to the smug look on Kate's mothers face and knew that she had lost the fight for favorite grandmother long before any kids were planned. Never mind. Steven may have been her only son, but she still had two grown daughters left to work on.

(290 words)