A Cookie Exchange For The Truth

Trigger warning: mentions of rape

Placing the last box of cookies on the table, Minette straightened her apron before moving back into the kitchen. She had been up since five this morning trying to bake these gosh darn cookies for today’s cookie exchange event. It was the last thing she wanted to do and frankly she wasn’t the best baker but it has been the closest she’s ever gotten to him. Never did she think that a cookie exchange would be the place she finally be able to get her revenge but she has waited long enough and she was ready for him.

It was 14h57 when the first guests started arriving. One by one the dining room table was filling up with boxes and boxes of cookies, from shortbread and gingerbread to choc chip and sugar cookies.

“Minette!” came the greeting of Elaine Opel.

“Elaine.” Minette replied with the best fake smile she could muster.

In the six months since she’s been a part of the PTA, Elaine Opel has been her biggest headache. Bossy, malicious and pompous were only a few of the words to describe her. It took every bit of patience and self-control to not walk out of any of those meetings but when Minette walked into that first PTA meeting in September and saw him sitting there all macho and relaxed, she refused to let anything get in her way. Even the vain Elaine Opel.

“I must say when I hear that you were hosting our cookie exchange fundraiser, I was very surprised.” She said as she surveyed the dining room.

“You were there at the meeting when we discussed it.”

“No, of course. I just didn’t think you were actually going to go through with it. ”

“Well, my daughter’s interests are important to me and serving on the PTA gives me the opportunity to not only have her best interests at heart but her fellow students’ as well. I said I was going to do it and as you can see I made it happen.” Minette replied through gritted teeth.

“Yes, well . . . Maybe next time you could make sure that cookies like those don’t happen.” Elaine said pointing to the box with Minette’s cookies in it.

“If you’ll excuse me, someone is calling me.” Minette said as an excuse before she said something she’d regret.

As she stepped out of the dining room into the hallway, she was stopped in her tracks when the front door opened.

Dressed in a pair of navy blue jeans and a pastel green shirt, Thomas Bentley made every woman’s head turn without even trying. Minette would have swooned along with the rest of the room if it wasn’t for the fact that she knew exactly the type of man he was beneath all that handsomeness. Instead she felt a hatred burning in the pit of her stomach and it drove her to walk right up to him.

“Mr. Bentley.” She greeted him with that fake smile she has perfected over the years.

“Thomas, please.” He replied with a twinkle in his eye which only intensified that burning sensation in her stomach.

“Thomas. We are so thrilled you could make it today.”

“Of course. I know these events are usually run by the women in the PTA but I thought it my duty as a father to be here to support all of you and to show my daughter that her father is interested and involved in every aspect of her life, including decisions made by the parents of her school.”

“Of course. We don’t have many fathers who make the effort to be here for these events.”

“I aim to please.” He said with a smirk that made her stomach turn.

That same smirk that changed the course of her life forever in a matter of minutes.

“Well thank you. Can I take these for you?” She asked reaching out to the box of cookies in his hands.

“Yes, Claudia and I were up all night baking them. She begged me to let her decorate them and I thought about stopping her, but then I realized that if I did I wouldn’t have experienced that special time with her.”

With each of those words Minette felt like a knife plunged into her heart over and over again.

“Yes, you wouldn’t want her to miss out on any of that.” She barely managed to get out.

It was different seeing him across the room at the PTA meetings over the past few months where she had a clear mind to figure out what she wanted to do. But now standing so close to him with the exact same smell still taunting her nostrils, she didn’t know if she could do it.

“If you’ll excuse me. I see Elaine is calling me.” And with that he left her in the middle of the hallway with his box of cookies crumbling in her hand.

As she started doubting herself, she turned to the picture on the entryway table of her 10-year-old daughter feeding a horse with the biggest smile on her face. And she knew she had to finish what she started. Pivoting around, she almost threw the cookies in her hand on the table before gathering everyone in the living room.

“Ladies and gentleman.” She started singling Thomas out as the only man in the room, “Thank you all for allowing me to be a part of this wonderful cookie exchange event to raise awareness of the poverty some of our own students are experiencing every day. I would especially like that thank Thomas Bentley for showing up when no one expected him to and for not taking no for an answer.”

The room erupted in clapping and ‘ohhh’s’ as he reveled in the attention.

“I only did what any respected father and man would do.”

“Like raping a 17-year-old girl.” Minette spat out sending the whole room in gasps of surprise.

“I’m sorry what?” he expressed shocked.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I not beg loud enough?” She threw the words at him as another round of gasp filled the room.

“Minette, what absurdities are you babbling about?” Elaine cut in.

“Why don’t you ask him?” Minette replied looking straight into Thomas’s eyes.

“I have no idea what she is talking about.” He immediately defended.

“Of course not. Minette, what has gotten into you?” Elaine retorted.

“I’m hurt that you have forgotten the ‘special time’ you had with me.” Minette continued as she lifted her fingers to make air quotes. “Or rather what you forced on me.”

“Minette, I don’t know what is wrong with you but apologize immediately to Mr. Bentley.”

“Oh shut it, Elaine. I have had enough of your pretentious and judgemental opinions. I’ve had to suffer through six months of you bad-mouthing and criticizing every single thing. But I pushed through so I could finally get this moment.”

“Ladies, if you’ll excuse me, I really should be . . .” Thomas started to say.

“Oh no you don’t. I have waited ten long and agonizing years for this moment and you are finally going to get what you deserve.”

“Listen lady . . .”

“No, you listen. That night you took everything from me. Everything. Because you couldn’t take no for an answer and you couldn’t keep it in your pants. I was 17-years-old. I didn’t ask for it, you approached me and coerced me into it. I begged you to stop, begged you. But you didn’t give a damn. You didn’t care when I told you I was a virgin and I pleaded you not to rape me . . .”

“You are crazy. You can’t prove any of this.”

“Oh, really.” She said as she marched to the entryway table, grabbed the photograph off of it and shoved it in his face. “Look at that precious little face and tell me she doesn’t have your eyes and mouth and brown hair.”

For a split second she could see the recognition in his eyes before he protested with, “Many people have similar features . . .”

“Every day when I look into this precious little face I can’t help but be reminded of what you did to me over and over again. But then every day when I look into this precious little face I am determined to protect her from someone like you.”

“This is ridiculous . . .” he tried to say but as he looked around the room, instead of sympathy he was met with suspicion.

“When I saw you walk into that school hall, I knew I had to do something. I had to protect my baby and every other child in that school from a predator like you.”

“I’m not gonna stand here and listen to these lies.” Thomas roared yet before he reached the door, it was blocked by two police officers.

“Sir, I’m going to ask that you accompany us to the station.” The first officer said stepping closer.

“This is bullshit. She is lying.” Yet with every word he became more agitated.

“Sir, don’t make this harder than it is.”

Before Minette could even register what was happening, she was on the floor with Thomas laying on top of her.

“You bitch!” he spat out while the officers managed to get him off of her. “I will get you for this.” He yelled as he was being dragged away and out of the house.

An eerie silence fell across the room as every eye turned towards Minette. Still on the floor, she was only aware of her own heart beating like a drum in her chest.

After ten years, she finally did it. She found the man who changed her whole life and now she was finally free. She didn’t know what was going to happen to him, but at least everyone knew now who and what he was and she could sleep at night knowing there was one less rapist on the streets.