We Should Meet Like This More Often
It seemed like just another regular meeting when I walked in and sat down. The people who were usually early were there; the people who usually weren’t were not. There was the idle chit-chat. I never for a second expected...
“Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Kyla. Happy Birthday to you!”
I felt my face flush red as my co-workers sang and two of them brought in a cake alight with candles.
Instead of being focused on the surprise and how clever the fake meeting was, I had only one thought in my mind -- How am I going to not eat the cake they got me?
My brain raced back through the years of birthdays gone by, recalling other friends and co-workers who had sweetly tried to buy me a cake to celebrate only to have me decline due to the chance of allergic reaction.
“It’s nut-free! Guaranteed!” one of them soon shouted out, possibly seeing the panicked look on my face.
“What? Really?” was about all I could muster.
I’d heard that before and was quickly able to poke holes in that promise.
“It’s from a place that does nut-free baking. Look at the box.”
Sure enough. There was the label on the pink box -- “Let Them Eat Cake - The Allergy-Friendly Patisserie” and the very clear “nut-free & peanut-free” symbol below that.
Tears welled up in my eyes. Oh sure, I could blame my emotional reaction on the first trimester pregnancy hormones, but that wasn’t it. I was honestly, completely touched that my co-workers had done this for me. Even some of my best friends had completely blown the concept of “nut-free” when it came to birthdays and Christmas, like one who bought me almond-filled chocolates once and was surprised when I said I couldn’t eat them.
I have had some friends and co-workers who did go out of their way to be sure I was safe eating what they’d made for my birthday. Like my former co-worker Tiffiny, who created an amazing, home-made, nut-free birthday cake and made all the birthday cakes for our group that way so I could eat them too. There was also my friend Danielle who is the only friend of mine who baked nut-free for me after completely scrubbing down her entire kitchen, since she was an admitted PB&J and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup addict. The cupcakes with strawberry icing were amazing and safe.
So, as I sat in the conference room eating a beautiful, safe slice of birthday cake, I thought of all the nut-free businesses listed on this site and how different things now are for people with this allergy. Thank you to Let Them Eat Cake and to all the nut-free businesses out there today making it possible for all of us to have a more normal life in the real world. You are making a difference.