Baby Cakes

by Sheryl Berk

  “Oh my gosh, that is so beautiful!” Sophie gushed. “I have goose bumps. Laney, you’re a better songwriter than Taylor Swift!”

  Delaney paused for a moment, then wrote the next verse: “Everything around us must flow and ebb. Life is fragile, like a spider’s web.”

  Sophie nodded—then made up the final line: “But when you hold someone in your heart, time and death can’t tear you apart.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve.

  Delaney smiled. It was a beautiful song if she did say so herself. It was just the right amount of sentimental mush (as her mom liked to call it) mixed with a catchy tune. She was sure everyone would be humming it when they left the auditorium. “If that doesn’t make the audience cry like babies, I don’t know what will.”

  “And speaking of babies…” Sophie poked her. “How’s your mom doing?” It had been several weeks since the baby shower, and Delaney had been strangely quiet about the twin situation. Frankly, all her friends had been scared to bring it up!

  “She’s big. Like really big,” Delaney said. “She says she feels like a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.”

  “Are you guys all ready? I mean, two babies is a lot to handle.”

  Delaney was well aware of that! Thanks to all the gifts from friends and family, the nursery was stocked with two of everything: two cribs, two changing tables, two closets filled with blue and pink clothes. They barely had any room in the house for anything non-baby-related. “I guess. We just need names for them. I suggested Gaga and Bieber, but my parents vetoed them.”

  Sophie giggled. “Really? I can’t imagine why! At least you have six more weeks ’til your mom’s due date.”

  Six weeks? Was that all? Sophie couldn’t be right…that was right around the corner! She checked her school planner, and sure enough, there was her mom’s due date just a few pages away.

  “I guess I kinda put it out of my mind.” Delaney sighed.

  Sophie nodded. “My mom calls that burying your head in the sand. It’s when you don’t really want to deal with a problem so you just ignore it. When I had no idea what to write my history term paper about and didn’t talk to Ms. Mancini, I was doing the same thing.”

  “Babies are not term papers,” Delaney insisted. “But I get what you’re saying. After the baby shower, I promised myself I wasn’t going to worry about being a big sister anymore. And now they’re going to be here in a few weeks, and I haven’t even made the video yet!”

  Sophie looked confused. “Video? What video?”

  “I was thinking I should make a video for the twins. You know, kind of showing them around,” Delaney said. “Like, ‘Hey, guys…welcome to my world!’”

  “I think it’s a great idea—and I can ask my dad if we can borrow his video camera. It’s pretty cool. Just promise me you won’t watch the last thing he recorded on it.”

  “What’s that?” Delaney asked.

  “Getting my braces on—even the green rubber bands. So embarrassing!”

  •••

  Delaney thought her introduction for the twins should be as realistic as possible, so she got her teachers’ permission to film in some of her classes. “This is me in P.E.!” Delaney said into the lens. A volleyball went soaring through the air and bounced off her head.

  “Noonan! Heads up! Are you in outer space?” Coach Freeman called.

  “As you can see, it’s not my best subject!” Delaney said before signing off.

  In science, she filmed her group’s experiment. “The reaction between baking soda and vinegar generates carbon dioxide gas…” she narrated. The beaker Harrison was holding suddenly bubbled up and poured all over the table and the floor.

  “Guys! What are you doing—besides making a mess?” Ms. McKneely asked.

  “Yeah, not my best subject either,” Delaney whispered into the camera.

  What she was most excited to film was the cupcake club meeting and all her friends’ and Juliette’s messages to the babies-to-be.

  “Okay, when I say, ‘Roll ’em,’ start talking,” she instructed her advisor.

  “Bonjour, bebes!” Juliette said in her native French-Canadian. “Bienvenue au monde! Welcome to the world!”

  Kylie was next. “What am I supposed to say?”

  “Say something you think they should know. Something important,” Delaney suggested.

  Kylie cleared her throat. “Hi, this is Kylie Carson. In case you didn’t know, cupcakes are the best thing to eat in the whole world. Better than pizza, better than ice cream, better than anything you can imagine. But I guess you’ll be eating baby food for a while, which is pretty gross. Mushed peas and stuff…”

  Delaney paused the recording. “Um, I don’t have that much memory left, Kyles. You wanna speed it up?”

  Kylie continued: “Anywho…we have this awesome cupcake club called Peace, Love, and Cupcakes. Delaney is not just a part of it—she’s a special part of it. She gives our club its sparkle. When you meet her, you’ll understand why. Anytime you’re feeling sad or bored or worried, you have an amazing big sister who knows exactly what to do and say to lift your spirits. Laney is like a sister to all of us, so I know how really lucky you guys are. Oh, and if you ever need to know the lyrics to a song, you don’t have to google it. Laney is like an encyclopedia of music.”

  “Do you think they’ll know what Google is?” Lexi asked. “Babies don’t google.”

  “They goo-goo, though,” Jenna joked. “Get it?”

  Delaney turned the camera to face her. “These are the rest of my friends and fellow cupcake clubbers. They’re all pretty crazy—but don’t let ’em scare you.”

  “Hey, I am not loco,” Jenna insisted. “Turn that camera my way!

  She stood up, took a deep breath, and began to speak. “Hola, bambinos! I’m Jenna Medina, and I have twin brothers so I know what you guys are thinking. You’re thinking, Gee, we can make twice as much mischief as one little kid! But seriously, two is even better than one. You guys are going to have a really special bond. Mis hermanos Manny and Ricky are not just brothers, they’re best friends.”

  “Can I say something?” Lexi piped up. “The world is pretty awesome—and colorful. I can’t wait ’til you guys see your first sunrise…or fireworks exploding on the Fourth of July! I can even help you finger paint when you’re ready. I love to finger paint…”

  “Me next!” Sadie said, jumping in front of the camera. “Sadie, here! I am so pumped to teach you two how to throw and catch a ball! I know little kids like to run around and they’re pretty quick. But I’m on the track team. Don’t think you can get away from me!”

  Finally, it was Delaney’s turn. “So there you have it, Baby Noonan 1 and Baby Noonan 2. I’m gonna call you that, since Mom and Dad don’t have any names for you yet. I just want you to know I’ve been practicing a lot and I’m ready to be your big sister. Actually, I’m really looking forward to meeting you—even if I’m a little scared. But I want you to know I will do my very best. Truly. I even have your first bedtime story all picked out for you.” She held up a copy of Charlotte’s Web.

  Delaney hit the button to stop recording. “I think that’s a wrap. All I need to do now is add a cool sound track…”

  “Of course you do,” Kylie said. “That’s our Delaney!”

  As the red velvet curtains rose on the auditorium stage, the characters of Charlotte’s Web appeared to leap off the pages of the book (thanks to Lexi’s amazing set!) and spring to life. Olivia flapped her feathered arms and honked; Harrison—dressed in a black leather jacket and sunglasses—did his creepiest rat crawl. An assortment of geese, cows, lambs, and even two kids playing the back and front of a horse made their way onstage.

  “Where’s Delaney?” Sadie whispered to Kylie in the audience. “Isn’t she supposed to be on the farm?” All of the cupcake club were there to see Del
aney star as Wilbur—even Juliette and her fiancé Rodney.

  “I’m not sure I would have directed it this way,” he said.

  “Shhh!” Juliette hushed him. “This is not Shakespeare and you’re not the director. Delaney is!”

  Kylie looked around, but there was no pink pig in sight. “I’m sure she’ll make a grand entrance.”

  Of course, she was right. Delaney burst onto the stage with an “Oink!” and did a cartwheel. She wore a pink shirt and leggings, with a curly tail attached at her waist and her pink pig ears perched on her head.

  “Will anybody be my friend?” she asked the barnyard animals hopefully before launching into a perky tap-dance routine.

  “A friend is someone to play with, to stay with, to dream with, to scheme with…” Delaney sang.

  Mr. and Mrs. Noonan were seated in the front row and beamed with pride.

  “She’s great!” Kylie said, applauding.

  Suddenly, Sophie’s voice boomed over the loudspeaker. “Salutations, Wilbur! I’ll be your friend. Go to sleep now, and in the morning, I’ll show you who I am.”

  “Lights down! Cue the curtain!” Ms. Kutchen called from the wings.

  The lights dimmed, and everyone raced offstage to get ready for Charlotte’s web-weaving scene.

  “Remember, no worries. We got you covered,” Tyler assured Sophie.

  Corey held up his hands: he was wearing his dad’s no-slip work gloves. “Okay, here goes…” Sophie said. As the lights came back up, a web of silvery thread was draped across the proscenium.

  “Wait ’til they see your entrance,” Delaney whispered, giving her friend a tiny push into the center of the stage.

  “I am Charlotte, and this is my web,” Sophie said softly. As the music began to play, Tyler and Corey tugged on the rope and she gently rose in the air. She did a beautiful aero-ballet routine, twirling and swirling, high above the stage.

  “Oh!” came a loud voice from the audience.

  “Wow,” Harrison whispered in the wings. “Someone really likes this number.”

  “Oh! Oh!” came the voice again. Delaney knew that voice. It was her mom!

  “Oh! I think it’s time!” Mrs. Noonan moaned.

  Delaney ran over to Ms. Kutchen. “Stop the show! My mom is in labor!” The house lights went up, and the show came to a screeching halt. Delaney ran into the audience. A crowd was already gathered around her mom.

  “It’s okay, Laney,” her mother assured her. “The babies are just getting ready to make their grand entrance.”

  “What? Now? It’s too early! I’m not ready!” Delaney cried.

  “Well, they apparently are.” Her mom tried to smile. “Dad’s going to take me to the hospital, and Sophie’s mom will bring you there after the performance.”

  Delaney’s head was spinning. “Wait! No! I’m going with you!”

  Her mother took her hand. “Honey, I’ll be fine. You know better than I do that the show must go on. Wilbur can’t walk out.”

  “But, Mommy…” Delaney’s eyes filled with tears. “You’ll miss it.”

  “I’ll record the whole thing so she can watch it later,” Sophie’s dad volunteered.

  “And I’ll take good care of Mommy.” Delaney’s dad winked. “Trust me, I’ve been through this before. You were four weeks early yourself. Impatience must run in the Noonan family.”

  “Oh!” Mrs. Noonan groaned again. “I think we should get going…now!”

  Ms. Kutchen clapped her hands and summoned everyone’s attention. “Please, everybody, take your seats, and, actors, take your places.”

  Delaney couldn’t move. She watched helplessly as her dad and mom made their way out of the auditorium. Her mom was hunched over and panting. She looked like she was in so much pain! Delaney just wanted to run after her!

  “Laney, everyone’s waiting for you,” Kylie said, tapping her friend gently on the shoulder.

  Delaney spun around. “I can’t. I can’t do it. How am I supposed to go up there and sing and dance when my mom is on her way to the hospital?”

  “Without you, there’s no show,” Lexi reminded her.

  Kylie nodded. “You have to be strong. I know you’re scared, but we’re right here for you.”

  “And where there’s a Wilbur, there’s a way,” Jenna joked, trying to cheer her up.

  The girls escorted Delaney up the steps of the stage and behind the curtain where her classmates were all waiting. Sophie looked frantic.

  “I thought you were going to leave,” she said. “How can I be Charlotte if you’re not Wilbur?”

  “I’ll stay, I guess,” Delaney said quietly. Although it was the last thing in the world she felt like doing.

  “Thank goodness!” Ms. Kutchen said, dotting her forehead with a handkerchief. “Show business is so much more complicated than teaching literature!”

  She took Delaney by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. “We’re counting on you, Delaney,” Ms. Kutchen said, giving her a pep talk. “Please don’t let me—I mean, us—down.”

  “I hope you don’t mind…I brought someone backstage to say hello.” Delaney looked up and saw Ms. Roveen in the wings. Milly was holding her hand and pulling them in Delaney’s direction.

  “Dee-lay-nee is a piggy!” The little girl giggled. “Oink! Oink!”

  Delaney took a deep breath and tried to put on a brave face. “Hi, Milly! Are you watching the show?”

  “We are,” Ms. Roveen said. “We’re loving it, and we’re hoping to see the rest.”

  Milly’s head bobbed up and down. “More! More piggy show!” She giggled.

  Delaney kneeled down so she could be snout to nose with Milly.

  “Okay, Princess Milly, I’ll do it for you,” she said. “You go back to your seat with Mommy, okay?”

  Milly nodded, and Delaney watched as she and Ms. Roveen settled back into their seats.

  “The show will now resume,” Ms. Kutchen announced over the loudspeaker. Then she added, “I hope… Cue the curtain!”

  It was time for the big county-fair scene. Wilbur had to hold his head high and dance around his pen as the entire cast sang, “Oh, gee, what do you see? Zuckerman’s Famous Pig!” Delaney closed her eyes and tried to focus. She thought about how proud her parents would be, and how much Milly would enjoy seeing her prance around the stage. She wiggled her tail; she tapped her hooves; she even climbed up on the pen fence and walked across it like a balance beam. When the number was done, she landed in a split and confetti showered down all over the audience.

  The crowd went wild. “Great job, Delaney!” Ms. Kutchen told her. “Hang in there!”

  The final scene of the show was the saddest: Charlotte was dead, and Wilbur was all alone, waiting for her spider eggs to hatch.

  “Wait! Come back!” Delaney cried as the baby spiders blew away in the wind. Then she noticed three little spiders hanging from the barn door.

  “Salutations!” came a small voice over the loudspeaker. “We like you…and we like this place. Can we stay?”

  Delaney faced the audience and took a deep breath. She knew she was supposed to be Wilbur speaking to Charlotte’s babies. But it felt like she was speaking to her own soon-to-be baby brother and sister. “I will love you dearly, forever and ever.”

  The music swelled, and the entire cast of characters appeared onstage. It was the grand finale that Delaney and Sophie had written!

  “It’s not every day you find a friend who’s with you ’til the very end…” the chorus sang.

  Sophie once again swung across the stage, spinning her silver web.

  “I’ll never forget you,” Delaney called to her. “It’s not often that someone comes along who’s a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both…”

  With that, the audience sprang to their feet, giving the musical a stan
ding ovation. Milly was standing on her seat, waving and clapping.

  Normally Delaney loved the applause and would have come back for several curtain calls. But this time, all she allowed herself was a quick bow before she grabbed Sophie’s hand. “Gotta go! Tell your parents we have to get to the hospital! I’m not missing my baby brother and sister being born!”

  Delaney paced the floor of the waiting room anxiously. It had been over three hours since her mother went into labor. Where were those babies, and what was taking them so long?

  “You’re going to wear a hole in the carpet,” Sophie’s mom Lisa cautioned her. “Don’t you want to sit down, Delaney? I can get you a snack from the cafeteria.”

  “Thanks, but I’m too nervous to eat anything,” she replied.

  “Even cupcakes?” said a voice from down the hall. It was Kylie, with Jenna, Sadie, and Lexi—and they were carrying a box with them.

  “We were saving these to give you after the show,” Kylie explained. “But you ran off before we could even say congrats.”

  Lexi opened the lid. Inside were dark chocolate cupcakes topped with a cream cheese frosting—Delaney’s favorite type of cupcake. On top, Lexi had drizzled a chocolate spiderweb.

  “That is so cool!” Sophie exclaimed. “If she won’t eat one, I will.”

  “Save me one for later,” Delaney said. She was too distracted. “I just wish I knew what was happening.”

  Finally, a doctor in blue scrubs came to find them. “Hmm, I was told to talk to the pig…” she said.

  Delaney’s hand shot up. “That’s me!”

  The doctor chuckled. “Yes, I can see that. The ears gave you away. My name is Dr. Hayem, and I’m your mom’s doctor. Would you like to go meet your baby brother and sister?”

  Delaney could barely contain her excitement. “You mean they’re here?”

  Dr. Hayem nodded. “Yes, and I think they’re very eager to meet you.”

  Delaney practically skipped down the hall of the maternity wing and into her mother’s room. There, swaddled in one blue and one pink blanket, were her new siblings.