Today was supposed to be simple. I volunteered to help decorate cakes for the bakery fundraiser because I thought it sounded peaceful. Pretty flowers. Pretty frosting. Pretty boxes tied with ribbons. I forgot that being good at something in my imagination is completely different from being good at it in real life.

The bakery smelled like warm vanilla and sugar all afternoon. Sunlight came through the windows and made everything look golden, including the giant bowl of frosting sitting on the counter waiting for me to ruin it. Apparently using a piping bag requires “control.” I did not have any.

The first time I tried, the frosting came out far too fast and curled across the cake in a way that looked nothing like the neat little flowers Elias had shown me. “Slow down,” he laughed. I told him I was going slowly. The frosting disagreed. The second attempt was somehow worse.

I squeezed too hard, the bag slipped, and icing ended up on my fingers, the counter, and somehow my sleeve. “Oceana,” he said, trying not to smile, “use less pressure.” I was using less pressure. At least I thought I was. The frosting seemed determined to prove otherwise.

Every time I tried to keep my hand steady, something wobbled. Every time I thought I finally understood the technique, another swirl went sideways.

“You’re squeezing too hard.”

“I am not.”

“You are.”

“I am artistic.”

“You’re covered in frosting.”

Those things can both be true. Eventually I managed one flower that actually looked like a flower. A slightly crooked flower. But still. A flower. “Try again,” he said. “You’ve almost got it.” I hate how encouraging that sounded. Not because it meant anything. Just because after nearly an hour of struggling, I wanted to hear it again. By the end of the afternoon my hands were tired, my apron was a disaster, and the entire room smelled sweet enough to make my head spin.

But I left with a box of cupcakes and exactly one successful frosting rose. Which means I am practically an expert now. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. And if I happen to volunteer again next weekend, it’s only because I need more practice.

Definitely not because I want to prove I can finally keep the frosting under control.

— Oceana 🌊🧁