Benjamin walked ahead of me, holding one of the lighter boxes. We found our table and started arranging the cookies. He lined them up carefully, adjusting each one until it felt right.
That’s when I heard the sound of heels behind us. When I turned around, I saw Gloria. She lived two houses down from us.
Gloria was always put together and confident, the kind of person who didn’t just walk into a space; she took it over. She had her own table set up across from ours, filled with pastries that looked as if they’d come from a high-end bakery. Gloria glanced at our table, then at Benjamin.
Then she let out a short laugh. “Well,” she said loudly, “isn’t this TRASH pathetic?”
The word hung in the air. I barely had a chance to respond or do anything when Gloria suddenly reached out.
She grabbed one of the trays and dumped it. Cookies hit the ground, breaking apart on the pavement. Benjamin froze.
“Hey, what’re you doing?” I cried. Gloria didn’t even acknowledge me. Instead, she knocked over another box with the back of her hand.
More cookies spilled out, icing smearing across the concrete. Benjamin dropped to his knees. “No, no…” he whispered, trying to save the broken cookies.
His hands were shaking. Gloria laughed. She didn’t even look ashamed.
If anything, she seemed pleased with herself. “Let’s be honest, nobody came here to buy broken little cookies.”
It was clear Gloria had counted on being the star of the bake sale. I stepped toward her, but I didn’t even know what I was going to do.
Then she did something that made everything stop. Benjamin had managed to save one cookie, a small star. He held it in both hands.
Gloria looked down at it and slowly lifted her leg. When Benjamin saw what she was doing, he dropped the cookie just as Gloria pressed the heel of her shoe into it! Crushing it on the ground.
Both Benjamin and I just stared. But that was the moment the church doors opened. Pastor Raymond stepped out onto the front steps, holding a box of donation envelopes.
The noise in the courtyard faded almost instantly. Everyone had seen what happened. Gloria straightened, brushing her hands as if she’d done nothing at all.
“Oh, Pastor,” she said, her voice light, “it’s just a misunderstanding.”
But he didn’t even let her finish. He looked at me and said, “Please take Benjamin inside and help him settle down. I will handle this.”
The smile vanished from Gloria’s face.
