Which was rarest? Cobbler. Hot desserts were scarce. But chocolate tasted the best. However, then he.'d still have to choose between the chocolate brownie and the chocolate ice cream. He preferred the ice cream. They always had ice cream, though. Which was largest? Tapioca? Hard to tell, in that tall, thin bowl---
“Move, Macaroon!" The kid behind him shoved him. The name-calling started again, so Mac paid attention. Most of the names he knew, but a few he did not. “ Marzipan mongo, “ someone said. “Tiramisu tard. Petit Four w!ore." Some other kids laughed, and the lunch lady moved down the row to yell at them.
Mac grabbed his chance. He slapped one each, of all six desserts, onto his tray and slipped out of the cafeteria. He rushed down the hall.
The loading area at the back of the building had a bench. It was quiet. Sunny and fresh, as usual. Far superior to the noise, humming lights, and heavy air of the school cafeteria. A good place to enjoy dessert.
Brownie, cobbler, cookies, ice cream, tapioca, white cake. He recited the desserts in alphabetical order several times. The anticipation ritual pleased him like a prayer. No, not “white cake." Just “cake." Brownie, cake, cobbler, cookies, ice cream, tapioca. Six desserts. Six!
Mac arranged them on the bench, in artful balance by color and shape. He tucked the paper napkin into the top of his shirt. A mouthful of brownie. Oh, my. A spoonful of cobbler. Good lord. A bite of cookie. Simply heaven.
He filled up on desserts, and he filled up on a feeling that all was extraordinarily good in his world. Pie in the sky, a piece of cake, (rainbows and) lollipops.
At last, he pulled the napkin out of his collar. He starting writing a note on it before he forgot, with the pencil he always wore behind his ear.
Three boys from the cafeteria line approached:
“Awesome, dude!"
“You totally ripped off the lunch lady, hahaha! "
“Wanna hang out after school?"
“Shush," Mac said. “I'mm trying to think." He wrote:
New Desserts To Try
1) Marzapan
2) Terrimis Sue
3) Petty fours
The bell rang, time to head back to class. He floated past the boys, light and fluffy as whipped cream. It was Friday, and his mom always served cheesecake for dessert on Fridays.