An Epistolary Story
By the Time You Read This, an epistolary story about an annual bake-off and a town scandal.
Day 1:
Deenie,
By the time you read this, the event that has taken over my life for this past year will be finally over. If you couldn’t tell, please the top of this sheet. And so that you won’t need to ask, I’m writing this long over-due letter on the left-over mock-ups I made for the bake-off. If you further question my choice in paper, I ask that you wait and read the dessert options from this year’s competition. You won’t be sorry.
Love, Susie
Day 2:
Deenie,
I’ve been librarian here for 25 years and in that time, Sylvia has been trying to make her velvet cake for the annual bake-off and they’ve never let her. Between you and me, it’s not that good of a cake, but I love her passionate pleas to enter it. So with this year being the big 100-year event, and filmed no less, they finally eased up on her and she’s in. If I said I could hear her screams of joy from across town, would you believe me?
Love, Susie
Day 3:
Deenie,
The Founding Day bake-off is 10 months away. I”m already awaiting the day when I have my library back to normal. The bake-off won’t be here, but as the Mayor put me in charge of the event, this has become the “Headquarters”. What that really means is that the women who are participating have been meeting here daily, if not weekly. What library guests I get are subject to hearing debates over flavors, fruits and the best flour types. You’d love it.
Love, Susie
Day 4:
Deenie,
Breaking news. Carla Remitti passed away, opening up a slot in the bake-off! Why does the bake-off have precedence over flowers, the funeral or anything else? 15 minutes. That’s how long it took my Bake-off Club (what I’ve taken to calling my growing group of ladies) to plan said funeral, who’ll bring what flowers, food, etc. While I admire the speed with which they organized it, the hour-long discussion over the opened slot that followed was both entertaining and a tad gauche. Just how we like it.
Love, Susie
Day 5:
Deenie,
I have to tell you, this past month my library aids have been doing more librarian work than I have. I’m still in the library, but I’m more often seen on my phone, at my desk or keeping tabs on the Bake-Off Club so they don’t take over the library completely. There’re a handful of ladies who keep trying to sneak in cake samples. Two of my teenage aids keep asking to accept them (as bribery of course) but I’m standing firm.
Love, Susie
Day 6:
Deenie,
The only event I’m in charge of for the anniversary celebration is the bake-off, but there are EIGHT more events scheduled for the celebration. A silent auction (to include the cakes form the bake-off), a charity ball, carnival day talent show, parade, town square lighting, a living museum and a field day. All of it will be filmed and schools will be closed for the carnival day, the living museum and the field day. Why we never got this lucky when we were in school, I have no idea. Uphill in the snow, both ways. That was us.
Love, Susie
Day 7:
Deenie,
Marsha Tanner came by the library today to talk to my Bake-off Club about, well, the bake-off. In case I haven’t mentioned her before in past letters, she is the Mayor’s Public Relations Superwoman. I’m sure her actual title is longer and more professional-sounding, but for the past two terms of our Mayor, she has been a force to be reckoned with. The bake-off is still 7 months away, but new rules have been added this year to accommodate the filming crew. And, I must add, to maintain the town’s public image. Considering the club almost came to blows over citrus fruit, it was a necessary conversation.
Love, Susie
Day 8:
Deenie,
This might feel weird for you to read and it definitely feels weird for me to write, considering I just got off the phone with you not twenty minutes ago. I really have to thank you for distracting me and not bringing up the bake-off during the call. It has been dominating my daytime hours, so to have the opportunity to speak about anything else has really made me feel better. A reprieve, so to speak, and now I feel I can tackle these next several months, so thank you once again.
Also I caved and set up a “sample station” in the library. Cake for days now. Heaven help me.
Love, Susie.
Day 9:
Deenie,
I came so close to closing down and ending the “sample station” today. But I imagine, as we get closer to the bake-off, that the ladies will stop using it soon in order to protect their entries. I could tell that Lilly Malone and Rebecca Stimpson, the twins you met the last time you were here, have already started seriously checking out the competition. Especially Lilly. That woman would argue an hour over the results of a bridge game she’s not even playing, she’s so competitive. I’m ever grateful that I’m safe behind my desk, but I worry for the other ladies.
Love, Susie.
Day 10:
Deenie,
I was talking to the Mayor earlier, he had stopped by, and I have learned why I was chosen for the bake-off. Get ready for this, Deenie. I am . . . the babysitter. Okay, he didn’t say it like that, but that’s essentially it. ‘With how elaborate and competitive the bake-off has become, we need someone to take control and keep everyone fair.’
I will say something else, I have been tasked to be the keeper of the entries. Why, I don’t know. But that means now each participant, or most of them, is trying to bribe me for clues. This is my life.
Love, Susie
Day 11:
Deenie,
I have learned over the past week (now that we’ve reached the 6 month mark) that there is a GREAT difference between having the name of an entry and what the entry will end up looking like. Take Traci’s bundt cake. She had been one of our regulars for bringing samples, and her cakes have always been simple. Beautiful, elegant, but a simple strawberry drizzle on top. Not this entry cake, oh no. She showed me a photo yesterday. A multi-layer bundt cake with a strawberry drizzle/waterfall effect. And not only that, but there are real strawberry slices almost frozen in place in the drizzle. Stunning.
Love, Susie
Day 12:
Deenie,
After 6 months of an all-women club, the men are coming in. Men have always been in the bake-off, in all the 30 years that I’ve seen it. Since I have always only been a spectator before, I didn’t realize how much later the men join than the women. One of my aids said it was something about tradition, but I think it’s because the men don’t want to deal with the craziness until the entrance deadline for the bake-off. And apparently only the bravest want to attend the ‘club meetings’, so I’ve only seen a couple so far from the final list.
Love, Susie
Day 13:
Deenie,
I’m really at a struggle for words right now. I haven’t decided yet if I should call you or not, but I wanted to at least write something down.
Deenie, I’ve been temporarily suspended.
Somehow, somehow the file of bake-off entries got in the hands of the press outside of town. That file, that I have been tasked to keep safe and secure, was taken. Except not. The file is still in the safe in my office at the library. But I’m the only one with the code, I changed it as soon as I found out that I’d be in charge of the entries.
Deenie, in this town, that file is equal to or more valuable than the prizes for the event itself. And now my job is on the line and I don’t know what to do.
Susie
Day 14:
Deenie,
If this wasn’t about the bake-off, or if this wasn’t the 100 year anniversary of the town, I wouldn’t have been suspended. At least, I don’t think so. If you turn back a couple of letters, I brought up that there was a difference between the names of the entries and the entries themselves. I’m going to explain that now. After 30 years, the entry names have become teasers, sneak peeks. During bake-off season, it’s quite common for people to ‘flavor-drop’ what will be appearing at the bake-off. But the entry itself is sacred. Each participant has to submit either a drawn or photo image of their entry. It might not look exactly like the final product, but close enough. It’s to help keep the participants on an even playing field. Leaking the images . . . I can’t even imagine how this mess will be cleaned up.
Love, Susie
Day 15:
Deenie,
I’m back at work after 2 weeks’ suspension. Only it’s a little more complicated than that. I spent most of the past two days in meetings with the Mayor, Marsha Tanner and Sheriff Rooney. Apparently I was never actually suspended (they’ll be paying me for those 2 weeks), they just wanted it to look like I was. I don’t appreciate my life being turned into a plot for a TV show, at least not without my say. I have a lot more to say about what’s been going on, but I can’t fit it all in this letter.
Love, Susie
Day 16:
Deenie,
So to continue from my last letter. They take the bake-off pretty seriously in this town, I think I mentioned that before. Without informing me, they decided to start an investigation. I’d like to think I’m a reasonable person but 2 weeks?! 2 weeks of me stressing that I’d lose my job, both really since I wouldn’t be in charge of the bake-off either. Writing about it is still getting me worked up. If they want to put me in a TV plot, fine. Something feels off as it is, guess I’ll need to find out myself.
Love, Susie
Day 17:
Deenie,
I may be back at work, but I do believe I have been “iced out” by society. My bake-off club is polite, to be sure, politeness is bred into their bones, but it is a civil politeness, not genuine. Deenie, I haven’t done anything wrong, but because I am not allowed to reveal that I was merely the pawn to find the real culprit, I am still seen as the traitor. Marsha says that this will only be temporary and that I ‘will be compensated for my struggles’. I don’t like this, Deenie, not at all.
Love, Susie
Day 18:
Deenie,
There are 4 months left until the bake-off and the chill that is my bake-off club has not lifted. In fact, it’s even worse than just the club. It’s spread throughout town but since I’ve kept myself to just my home and the library, I don’t have to see most of the stares. The TV producers are set to come out next week, to get some ‘behind-the-scenes’ footage, kind of a ‘road to the bake-off’ story. I’m hoping Marsha will be able to work some of her magic to keep me out of it.
Love, Susie
Day 19:
Deenie,
The chill is still ongoing and someone let spill to the producers about the leak. Just my luck, right? I have taken to arriving early and leaving late from the library. Now I know what you’re going to say . My behavior makes it seem like I’m guilty. But my office, which is a half-step up from the main floor and has a large window that sees clearly where the club meets, is perfect for my investigation. I’ve heard bits and pieces from Marsha but I have this feeling that she’s just telling me what I want to hear. So it’s up to me to clear my name.
Love, Susie
Day 20:
Deenie,
Having the producers here is worse, far words than it looks on The Office. Because the main group of participants flock to the library, so does the TV crew. Am I, or anyone really, allowed to watch the footage? No, absolutely not. Not until the show airs. But my office window has a clear view of the study room that they’ve been using. Believe you me, I’ve used my window to keep an eye on my library before, but not like this.
Love, Susie
Day 21:
Deenie,
I’m overreacting, I must be. I’m watching their faces as they leave the study room. Some faces have been sad, some faces have been happy (that Hollywood life) and some have been smug. Deenie, there could be many reasons why someone looks smug, and I’m trying so hard not to judge (while obviously judging) but Alice’s face was extra smuggy. And Lilly’s was not. It just seems odd based on what I know of Lilly.
Love, Susie
Day 22:
Deenie,
There are 3 months left before this event is over. And good riddance. The Mayor even made an announcement earlier this week that pretty much closed the investigation into the leak. He did, thankfully, say that I am not to blame, but then he followed that up by saying that there was no way to find the true culprit. It just doesn’t feel right. Why now, during this bake-off? There’s never been a leak before so why?
Love, Susie
Day 23:
Deenie,
One of my library aids quit this week. Miss Wendy Nesmith, my high school aid. She said it’s because she needs to focus on graduation and preparing to leave for college this fall, but, Deenie, she was close to tears. After she left, Annie, my other aid, told me that Wendy’s been extra quiet for the last little while, but kept saying that it was senioritis. Deenie, that girl has had senioritis since her sophomore year of high school and was always vocal about it.
Love, Susie
Day 24:
Deenie,
Thank you for your phone call the other day. I really wasn’t sure if I should reach out to Wendy or not, but I’m glad I did. Wendy came clean, almost as soon as she saw me on her doorstep. She did wait until after the door closed and I’m glad she did.
She was the one to break into the safe and take the photos. In fact, she showed them to me as she was telling me this. But she was not the one to leak them to the press. She repeated that over and over again. And unfortunately she clammed up when her mom came home. Now I’m left with a partial explanation and more questions.
Love, Susie
Day 25:
Deenie,
With 2 months left until the celebration, the town is abuzz and the TV producers are back for another round of footage. Thankfully they seemed to be more focused on the other events, and not just the bake-off. Even though I was cleared of the blame, Imelda Hapsworth has been given charge of the new entry photos. Most of the names haven’t changed, but several of the participants (from what I hear) have redesigned their entry. So where does that leave me, Deenie? Glorified babysitter of adult men and women – mostly women.
Love, Susie
Day 26:
Deenie,
I got a full explanation from Wendy, with her mom’s help, i must add. Make sure you’re sitting down for this.
Wendy did it for Rebecca. She actually broke into the safe twice. The first time was to get a picture of Lilly’s entry, so that Rebecca could one-up her sister. But Alice found out. Alice isn’t someone I know very well, yet even so I never thought of her as a cheater. Wendy wouldn’t say what Alice had said to convince her to take the rest of the photos, but I doubt it was good. And according to Wendy, Alice wasn’t alone in this, nor the reason Wendy quit. Deenie . . . she said it was Marsha Tanner.
Love, Susie
Day 27:
Deenie,
Marsha stopped by my office today to let me know that even though the Mayor had ended the investigation, she’d kept looking into it personally. I felt so disgusted after she left. I mean, it makes sense that she was involved. From what I’ve heard, well overheard, from the TV crew is that the bake-off story is a bit more interesting now with a cheating scandal added than just the bake-off itself. And Ms. Marsha, the PR Superwoman, would be all over getting more views. With me as the unknowing fall girl. I don’t know if the Mayor was involved but I intend to find out and if he’s not, I’m letting him know.
Love, Susie
Day 28:
Deenie,
The Mayor is a good man and I’ve known him for decades. I also know he has a tell, from years of playing at his table at Christmas Charity Poker. So when he said he had no idea who was behind the leak, I believe him. And I also believed his reaction when I told him Marsha was behind it. Deenie, that woman had the gall to suggest to the Mayor that I might have known who was behind the leak, which then led to my 2-week suspension. So while she got to walk around like a queen, I was the town embarrassment, a scarlet letter on my chest. 30 days until the bake-off and the day that she will bear the shame.
Love, Susie
Day 29:
Deenie,
The bake-off is today. We’re in the high school gym as I’m writing this, and I’m super nervous. Not for the actual competition because I’m not in it, but for the Mayor’s announcement immediately after. Can you believe that I’ve been having recurring nightmares these past 2 weeks? Nightmares of the Mayor announcing that in fact that I was the culprit the whole time, followed by me going to jail. I might just have to check with a doctor for any ulcers I’ve gained from this stressful time. The bake-off is about to start. Here we go.
Love, Susie
Day 30:
Deenie,
The bake-off was still stressful to watch. 31 stations across the gym floor, plus the camera crew, plus the judges, plus the audience. I was enough to the side that I could still see (somewhat) but I wasn’t crowded by the audience. 60 minutes of nail-biting tension, 3 burnt cakes and one burnt chocolate sauce, followed by 30 minutes of the judges deliberating, and then shock of shocks Scott Bean won. Alice, his wife, had possibly a record-setting number of expressions go across her face, before settling for a polite almost-smile. That smile didn’t last long.
Love, Susie
Day 31:
Deenie,
At long last, the bake-off is over, as is Marsha Tanner’s position in the Mayor’s office. You would have loved it, Deenie. The Mayor invited her front and center, stating that she had gone above and beyond what was expected of her in preparation for this grand anniversary event. Not just organizing it, reaching out to the wonderful TV producers, but also bribery, threatening of underage citizens, leaking the entries to the press and, of course, framing me for the job. All that and every reaction after was captured by the many cameras.
So now, Deenie, I am back in my library, quiet at last. I am still accepting apologies but I look forward to putting this all behind me. After this past year, I prefer to find my adventure and drama within the pages of a book.
Love, Susie
Click here to access the rest of the stories from the One Year, Twelve Stories project
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