The Egg Substitution

Fiona Wesley dreaded having the conversation she needed to have. Driving to Goldie's apartment, she devised ways to break the shocking news. She trod carefully up the unlit stairs. By the time Fiona knocked on the door, she had no idea how she'd broach the difficult subject, but time was of the essence.

"Hi, Fiona." They embraced. "Come on in," said Goldie. "I hope you don't mind. I'm baking." Goldie led the way to the small kitchen. Goldie stood in the kitchen near the mixing bowl and measuring cup on the counter. Fiona took a seat on the barstool facing the kitchen. She heard the click sound of the oven announcing it was on preheat mode.

"This time of night? What are you baking?"

"Chocolate chip cookies. Our yoga studio is celebrating its fifth anniversary, and we're having a little celebration tomorrow to thank our clients."

"Nice. Congratulations." Fiona's knee bounced like a jackhammer. 

Goldie stood on her tippy toes to reach the all-purpose flour in her upper cupboard and placed it on the counter. From the lower cupboard she retrieved the baking soda and salt, then asked, "How's the new book going? What's it called?"

"Oh, thanks for asking. I've just sent out the ARCs, so the reviews will come out soon. It's nerve-wracking." Fiona brought her fingers to her mouth as if she were biting her nails to exaggerate her anxiety. But Goldie busied herself searching for the white and brown sugars and missed the exhibition.

"Forgive me. Would you like some iced tea? I'm going to make myself some."

"That sounds great. Lemon if you have it." As Goldie prepared their drinks, Fiona spun on the barstool to take in the colorful room and look out the window onto the balcony. 

"Oh, I love hummingbirds. Looks like your feeders get a lot of business." She was stalling. 

"I'm sure you have another bestseller on your hands. Did you mention the title? I'm a bit distracted."

"The Secrets We Keep."

"Intriguing. I always wonder where you get your ideas from." 

Fiona knew there wouldn't be a clearer opening than this. "About that—"

"Oh no!" said Goldie. "I thought I had eggs. I have no eggs. How can I make cookies without eggs?" She rearranged everything in the fridge to no avail. Then Goldie let out a big sigh and folded over like a wilted sunflower. Fiona noticed how easily Goldie got rattled.

"Do you have a substitute? A ripe banana? Applesauce? Even baking soda and vinegar will work."

Goldie popped back up, and as her reddened face drained, her face beamed. "Thanks, Fi, you saved the day. I have applesauce." 

"And no one will notice the substitution unless you tell them." Funny how Goldie didn't see the irony of her egg substitution. How will she react to the truth? I hate keeping this information locked in my heart. When I learned that people kept information from me, I felt betrayed.

While Goldie got out her phone, looked up how much applesauce she needed, and proceeded with making the cookies, Fiona chastised herself for dragging her feet on this important topic. Tomorrow, she would start her book tour, and people would ask questions about where she got her ideas. Some intrepid reporters would dig into their family history. With success came the loss of privacy. Goldie needed to be prepared.

"Have you talked to Wendy lately?" Fiona asked.

"We shared a quick text exchange recently. She's in Mexico with some guy she met at her bar. I take it you haven't been in touch? I wish you two got along better."

"Yeah, well. There's a lotta history that you don't know about because you're so much younger than we are. Wendy and I are so different, you know. Wendy was the wild one growing up." Fiona concluded that Wendy hadn't told Goldie the secret as she promised. She bit the left inside of her cheek.

"And you were the goody two shoes."

"Is that how you see me?" I could change that in a second by revealing the truth that isn't mine to tell."Well, you were the baby. I needed to be good because Wendy caused so many problems in the family. The drinking, the lying, the promiscuity. All that happened before you came along."

"Someday, I hope you'll give me all the deets. I just know that I had an ideal childhood. Wendy was the zany sister who was always up for fun. Meanwhile, I could turn to you when I was distressed and needed some sane advice."

"Uh-huh." Fiona decided to take a different tact. "I want to tell you something about the book."

"Sure." Goldie added the dry ingredients into the larger bowl and began stirring vigorously.

"Before your time, people weren't so open about out-of-wedlock babies. You know, our Catholic rules and mores."

"Are you talking about your book or our family?" 

Fiona felt a surge of heat through her body. She wondered if it was the oven or her angst. She got up from the barstool and roamed the family room while thinking about how to address the question hanging in the air. She gravitated toward a photo on the bookshelf. It showed a close-up of the women in the family. Mom, Wendy, and Fiona looked like triplets, each with thick red hair and green eyes. Goldie's blonde hair and blue eyes stood out. Did she not see the difference? 

Fiona clenched her teeth in resentment against keeping this family secret for decades. Reluctantly, she decided now wasn't the time. Fiona didn't want to risk psychologically harming Goldie just because her book was coming out. Besides, Wendy must tell Goldie, or she will find out some other way. "I love this photo of the four of us. Was this Mother's Day?"

Goldie scooped out the dough onto the cookie sheet. "Yes, I love that one too. Anthony's Fish Grotto is the best. When's our next family occasion so we can go there again?" 

"Back to my book. I always get lots of questions at these book signings. I just want to remind you that I write fiction. Maybe I get inspiration from my life experience, but it's all made-up stuff."

"Of course. I get it. Anything that I need to be worried about? You didn't write about a family of three sisters, did you?" The oven door slammed after Goldie put the cookies in.

"No, but I'm just saying that people love to speculate. We need to ignore them." Fiona looked down at her feet and noticed her nail polish flaking. No sandals for me tomorrow.

"There. The cookies are in the oven, and we can relax now. It's about to smell really great in here," said Goldie.

"Actually, I need to get going. It's getting late. I need my beauty sleep to look my best at this first signing tomorrow morning."

"Already? I was hoping that we could chat and share a cookie in a few minutes. I had the feeling there was something that you wanted to tell me?"

"No… Rain check?" Fiona lifted her purse strap from the barstool and started to place it on her shoulder when she saw the envelope inside. "Oh, I almost forgot."

Goldie walked toward Fiona, and they stood face to face. Fiona reached into her bag and pulled out the envelope. 

"A gift for you." Fiona managed a reluctant smile and handed it to Goldie.

"It's not my birthday." Goldie cocked her head.

"It's a gift certificate for Ancestry.com. I have an account there, and I thought you'd enjoy it too. One feels like a detective going down rabbit holes there. All you have to do is spit into a vial and send it in."

Goldie looked quizzical. " How thoughtful," she said matter-of-factly. They shared a goodbye hug.

Opening the front door revealed the dark stairwell. "Which light switch is for outside?"

Goldie leaned in and flipped the correct switch.

Fiona navigated the stairs more easily with the light on. She pondered when and how Goldie would find out that she was her aunt and not her sister.