The 1-Shaped Cake That Looked Like A 7

In May 2016, we were about to celebrate Mateo's 1st birthday.

My responsibility was to buy the cake.

I don't remember how, I found a bakery in Astoria, Queens. Astoria is known as the Greek neighborhood of New York. As you walk down the streets of Astoria, you see all kinds of Greek restaurants, clubs, and businesses.

The bakery I found was run by Greeks.

I have nothing against Greeks.

The issue was that the woman behind the counter, my wife, and I had to communicate in English, a foreign language for all three of us.

Moreover, there was a plethora of cake-related vocabulary that was entirely new to us.

The flavours. The base. The filling. The icing. The frosting.

And the shape.

The shape was key. It was Mateo's 1st birthday. The cake had to be shaped like a one.

To complicate matters, Mateo, in his stroller, was not having a good day.

Communication was difficult with the baby's tantrum in the background. Tensions mounted. The atmosphere between my wife and I became strained.

I managed to order the cake, arrange all the logistics and rush to the street to calm Mateo down.

There was nothing left to do but pray that everything would turn out well.

One day before the birthday, the cake arrived.

Before continuing, let me tell you that my wife is quite a perfectionist. For her, every minor detail matters. For her, our son's 1st birthday party cake was anything but a minor detail.

When we opened the box...

My wife and I looked at each other. Disbelief in her eyes. Terror in mine.

She broke the silence.

"It does look like a seven, doesn't it?".

"Well... perhaps... but not quite.... mmm... it depends on the perspective... if you look at it from here it looks quite like a one...".

I tried desperately to convince her that that cake was not the bastard son of a 7 and a 1.

I added something that triggered the tragedy:

"Besides... who's going to notice?"

She howled: "IT DOES LOOK LIKE A SEVEN!!! That woman didn't understand you!!! You should have double-checked with her to confirm she understood you!!! We shouldn't have left that bloody bakery without ensuring that everything was correct!!! And on and on...

She was filled with despair and rage.

Regardless, we were doomed. The birthday party was the next day. There was no time to react.

The birthday party was a success.

The weather was lovely that day. All the guests attended the party. We had fun.

And what about the cake?

It was one of the most delicious cakes I've ever tasted.

We cut the cake into portions as soon as we served it, just in case.

But the truth is, nobody cared.

At a birthday party, having a 1-shaped cake that looks like a 7 has no long-lasting consequences.

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P.S. Here's a snapshot of the birthday aftermath, celebrating the outcome. A well-deserved moment!