Being the Other Woman

The Big Rush

I rushed around the house trying to find a spatula. I couldn't find one. I ended up using a fork to mix the dough and hurriedly poured everything in a cake pan. I was running late. So very late.

It was 10am on a Saturday morning, in the middle of winter. I was freezing but I was too busy to actually notice. Today was my best friend's surprise birthday party, I wanted to bake the cake myself because I thought it would be special. Needless to say I was already regretting my decision. I am an engineer, and also the CEO, at a big company, the only female engineer among countless males and I didn't always have time to do all the girly things. Baking. Going to the spa. Cooking big Sunday lunches. Although it wasn't so much that I was not a "girly" girl. I was, very much. But I just couldn't find the time to do all the "girly" things.

Either way, back to the cake. I pushed the cake into the preheated oven and rushed off to go and get changed. I needed to show eyes at another friend's baby shower on my way to my best friend's surprise party and thus the whole day was a bit of a rush. I somehow overslept, something I very rarely do, which made matters ten times worse. 

Fast forward two hours and I was sitting in a circle with a bunch of girls, of which I only knew a few, with a glass of champagne in my hand listening to a few girls chat about this and that. Their husbands, their kids. All I could think about was the melting cake in the car. Eventually my friend arrived, her 8 month old baby bump prominent under a long sleeved dress. Someone poured her a glass of non-alcoholic champagne and a few toasts, cheers and tears of joy followed. I tried to get out of there as quickly as possible without being rude, promising my friend that we will catch up properly in the week.

I rushed to my car and drove to the venue of the surprise party. The drive was long and I arrived only an half an hour before the party was meant to start.

I needed to drop off the cake, ensure that everything was ready and as I envisioned it and then get out of there. Yes you heard correctly. GET OUT OF THERE.

Now I know it may seem strange, why would I want to leave if it was my best friend's surprise party that I arranged? Well, it's complicated. Isn't it always though?

My best friend was not only my best friend since kindergarten, he was also the subject of a deep crush which slowly developed over the last two years. I was 28 years old. No husband, no children. Just a cat, an apartment a sporty car and a career most people would kill for. I dated quite a few men before but the last two years I seemed to have no romantic interests apart from my best friend, Jason.  

A few months ago I noticed that he had also developed some deeper feelings for me and we started "seeing" each other. It went well until we started talking about the relationship last week, completely out of the blue,  and I realized that we didn't want the same things. At all. We started fighting and I broke it off. I had alot of bad relationships in the past, I always settled for the little pieces of crumbs men always offered me, instead of demanding the bread that I wanted and I promised myself "NEVER, EVER, again". 

But either way I didn't hate Jason. And his surprise party was already arranged, so I figured I will still bake the cake, drop it off and then disappear before he arrived. 

Big mistake.