Melting Cupcakes

I was having a conversation with my father yesterday about the massive cake that he recently bought at a bake sale to support the church that he attends. For some reason it reminded me of an encounter that I had last year.

It was a hot summer day in Corona, California. Not the kind of pleasant heat that you would expect beautiful southern California to have considering it is known to have 80 degree weather most of the time. No, this was a grueling kind of heat where you look over the surface of the parking lot you see shimmering heat waves rising from the asphalt. Stepping out of my car felt like Satan himself was slapping me in the face. I immediately began my journey to the entrance of the grocery store fantasizing about air conditioning and ice cream.  Right before I plunged into the refreshingly air-conditioned haven I was stopped by a little girl with large blue eyes and straight brown hair.

“Excuse me ma’am,” she said politely while wiping away the dripping sweat off of her brow. “Would you like to buy a homemade cupcake for a dollar?”

In my head I was arguing with myself, “Do I want a chocolate piece of heaven? Yes. Do I need the extra calories? No. But, chocolate. But it’s hot. Aren’t you listening to your inner voice- chocolate…”

So of course being the sucker that I am I said yes to buying a sinful temptation of heavenly glory called, “Cupcake.” I walked up to the grandparents who had set up an old foldout table along with box of homemade cupcakes covered in sprinkles. I commended them for teaching their grandchild entrepreneurial skills and proceeded to purchase two cupcakes. (I meant to purchase just one but I mean come on… they are cupcakes. Fresh, homemade cupcakes, people. Any logical person knows that cupcakes with sprinkles are mind blowing, and it was for charity.  It’s easy to have a big heart where charity and chocolate are so deliciously combined.)

The grandparents smiled and thanked me for my purchase. They explained to me that they had been there since the early morning trying to help their granddaughter raise money for her best friend who was just diagnosed with cancer. My stomach sunk when I heard this.  

I asked them if they could hold onto the cupcakes for me until after I got out of the grocery store. They agreed and I thanked them, walking into the building filled with air-conditioned glory.  That first blast of chilled air was like diving head-first into a cool swimming pool.  Oh God, it felt good.

About ten minutes later, I came back out just in time to see the little girl walk up to a man, only to have him rudely wave her off as if she was a fly bothering him in this scorching heat. There is nothing that boils my blood more than to see someone be so rude to a little girl who just wanted to help her friend.

Walking up to the elderly couple, I looked down at the cupcakes and asked them, “How many are left?”

The grandmother smiled and said there were 19 out of the 30 they baked left and she promised her granddaughter that they wouldn’t leave until they were all sold. 

“I’ll take all of them.” I said without thinking about what am I possibly going to do with 21 cupcakes. “Thank you for teaching your granddaughter to be a good person.”

The elderly couple looked startled and asked me if I was sure. I nodded my head, thinking about the heat and that rude man who waved off the little girl as If she was a pest. Handing over the money, the Grandparents packed the remaining cupcakes in a box and handed me a box full of sugary delights. They thanked me profusely, obviously relieved to be able to get out of the heat and I smiled and walked towards my car.

 In order to get rid of these cupcakes, I began handing them out for free, with groceries still wrapped around my arm, in front of the grocery store, until I couldn’t stand the heat anymore. I have to admit, that little girl made an impact on my life. She was selfless enough to stand out in the middle of the scorching summer heat and sell cupcakes she personally made to help her friend. She didn’t receive any profit out of this because every dollar she put in her fund jar went straight to her best friend and selling those cupcakes was not an easy task. That little girl put herself out there, asking every person who entered that grocery store if they would buy a cupcake, getting rejection after rejection in the heat but remaining buoyant and indefatigable. I respect her and her grandparents who supported her fully and she is an example of how we as human beings should be: Selfless and with a pure heart, not expecting anything in return for the good deeds that we do.