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- Herausgeber: Gemma Open Door for Literacy
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Sprache: Englisch
Laura Murata is a university professor in Japan. She is also a divorced mother of Maya, a seven-year-old girl. Widower Kazu Mori is a dentist. He is raising his son, Max, on his own. The two parents meet at the holiday bake sale at Tokyo Cherry Blossom International School where their kids are great friends. Laura and Kazu are sweet on each other from the moment they meet, and soon their two families are spending time together. Christmas Eve, the biggest date night of the year, draws near. Kazu asks Laura to dinner, and Laura is thrilled. Things are going so well! But will misunderstandings make their budding relationship crumble? Love requires honesty, but not too much!
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Seitenzahl: 41
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022
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Suzanne Kamata
Bake Sale
Suzanne Kamata is a teacher of English as a Foreign Language and an award-winning author. Her books include The Spy, A Girls’ Guide to the Islands, Gadget Girl, and Indigo Girl. Although she is an American and loves France, she lives in Tokushima, Japan.
First published by Gemma in 2022.
GemmaMedia | Gemma Open Door for Literacy230 Commercial StreetBoston MA 02109
www.gemmamedia.org
©2022 by Suzanne Kamata
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Printed in the United States of America
978-1-956476-18-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Kamata, Suzanne, 1965- author.
Title: Bake sale / Suzanne Kamata.
Description: Boston : GemmaMedia, 2022. | Series: Gemma Open Door
Identifiers: LCCN 2022037275 (print) | LCCN 2022037276 (ebook) | ISBN
9781956476187 (paperback) | ISBN 9781956476194 (ebook)
Classification: LCC PS3611.A465 B35 2022 (print) | LCC PS3611.A465
(ebook) | DDC 813/.6--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022037275
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022037276
Cover by Laura Shaw Design
Gemma’s Open Doors provide fresh stories, new ideas, and essential resources for young people and adults as they embrace the power of reading and the written word.
– 1 –
Dr. Laura Murata stepped into her Tokyo apartment. Her seven-year-old daughter Maya trailed behind her. In one hand, she held a briefcase. It was filled with fifty university students’ essays. Laura needed to grade them ASAP. In the other hand, she clutched a bag of fast food from a popular Korean chain.
Laura was so hungry. She had not had time to eat lunch. But first she needed to change out of her suit. If she got ketchup on it, she wouldn’t be able to wear it again until it was dry-cleaned.
Maya marched to her room. She changed out of the blazer and skirt that she wore. It was the uniform for Tokyo Cherry Blossom International School. She put on a pink sweatshirt, a white tutu, and sparkly leggings.
Laura changed into jeans and a flannel shirt. She arranged the burgers and salads on plates. She felt guilty about serving her girl takeout three days in a row. They would have fresh fruit for dessert.
Maya sat down at the table. Laura took a big bite of her burger.
“Mom,” Maya said. “I almost forgot. My teacher said to remind you about tomorrow’s holiday bake sale.”
Oh no. Laura squeezed her eyes shut. She gently pounded her forehead with her fist.
“Are you okay, Mom?”
Laura forced a smile. “Uh, yes! Thank you so much for the reminder!” Of course, she had forgotten. Of course, she had ignored yesterday’s group message from the PTA president. The message had probably been about the bake sale.
Laura sighed. What kind of cookies should she make?
– 2 –
Last year, Laura sent along Rice Krispie Treats for the bake sale. She loved them when she was a kid in Michigan. Most people did. Laura thought that she had made a good choice.
As she melted marshmallows at the stove, she remembered her childhood. Her mother wore a floral apron while baking. She put cookies into a cookie jar shaped like a giant strawberry. From the kitchen window in Michigan, they could see rabbits and deer.
Laura poured the cereal into the melted marshmallows. She folded in green and red M&M’s. She scraped it all into a pan. When it had cooled, she cut it into squares. She covered it with plastic wrap. Finally, she bundled it into a furoshiki—a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth. When she dropped Maya off at the school gate, she handed her the bundle. “Here, give this to your teacher for the holiday bake sale.”
Laura was sure it would be a big hit. She had never met a kid who didn’t like Rice Krispie Treats. The American parents would probably feel nostalgic. The Japanese parents might be interested in the treats because they were made of rice. Everyone in Japan liked rice.
Laura had not been able to help out with the bake sale because of her job. Most of the mothers were stay-at-home moms. Their husbands made a lot of money. Laura was a single mother. She did her best to provide for her daughter. Maya’s dad was Japanese. Since the divorce, he had started another family. He hardly ever saw Maya. He rarely sent money.
