The Twelve Little Cakes by Dominika Dery

Author:Dominika Dery
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2010-03-01T05:00:00+00:00

THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS were spent in an uproar. My mother was furious at my sister’s “immorality,” and our family dinners were tense and formal affairs. My dad’s cheerful optimism had no effect on either party, and around the time of my birthday, we were both beginning to think that the rift between Klara and my mother might never be mended. But then two things combined to provide a strange resolution: my mother received a phone call from Mrs. Sprislova, and my sister began to complain of a pain in her spine.

Mrs. Sprislova’s phone call was both encouraging and daunting. She had spoken to Mrs. Saturday, and the word from the auditioning committee was that my improvisational dancing had been viewed very favorably, but there were serious concerns about my height and my weight. The height issue was something that could resolve itself later. I would either grow or I wouldn’t. But the weight issue was something Mrs. Saturday suggested we look into immediately. I wasn’t fat by any means, but I was broad-shouldered and muscular, and according to the Russian height-to-weight ratio the preparatory school was working from, my body was unsuitable for ballet. Mrs. Saturday had said that she would see what she could do, but she strongly suggested that I try to lose as much weight as possible before the start of the school year.

My mother thanked Mrs. Sprislova for the news, and she had just put down the phone when my dad and Klara returned from Prague where they had spent the day consulting a specialist about my sister’s back problems. The specialist had run many tests and concluded that Klara’s back pains were caused by bad posture on account of her large breasts growing larger as a result of the extra weight she had gained at the buffet. In his opinion, Klara needed to lose eight kilograms, which was roughly twice the amount Mrs. Saturday wanted me to lose.

“Well, that settles it,” my mother said decisively. “It looks like I’m cooking light meals from now on.”

“For everyone?” my dad asked nervously.

“Of course. It’s not fair to expect Klara and Dominika to cut down on their food while we are eating heartily. The only fair thing to do is put the whole family on a diet.”

My dad and Klara looked at each other in alarm. Whenever my mother set her mind on doing something, she could be counted on to keep going long after everyone else was desperate to stop.

“What do you think, Trumpet?” she smiled. “Shall we try and lose some weight together?”

“Yes!” I said excitedly. “We can eat lots of salad and get very very thin, and maybe I’ll grow taller, too, so that I can reach the bar in Mrs. Saturday’s studio. I’d like that very much!”

“I bet you would,” my sister groaned.

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