2. Recipe for Success
By Gavin Trevain

"A bridal shower!" K bellows into the telephone.  "For whom?"

"It's for Fay, silly!" the voice of her good friend, D, resonates at the other
end.

"You mean she and Ray are finally tying the knot?"

"Yes, another sweet single sister bites the dust," D goes on dolefully.  "Fay
and the beast are getting hitched during the winter break."

"From where I'm looking from 'beast' is hardly the word I'd use," K offers.

"Yeah, I have to admit he's not too hard on the eyes," D chuckles.  "I wonder
who's going to be the next to fall - you, perhaps?"

Momentarily taken aback, K responds a little defensively, "We've just gone out
on a few dates."

"So how did your last date go?" she queries.  "Is he peachy or just the pits?"

"You know me, D, I'm not one to kiss and tell," K rejoins and immediately bites
her lip at her choice of words.

"Oh!  So you have kissed," D picks up intuitively.  "How was he?"

"That's just an expression, Miss Inquisition," K tries to recover gracefully.
"If and when we do kiss, I seriously doubt I would share the juicy details with
you."

"Yechh!  You mean he slobbers," D infers, unaware of K's soft curse at herself
for her second regrettable use of language.

"You have a really overactive imagination," K tries to laugh it off.  "If we
ever do become an item I'll be sure to let you know."

"You'd better girl, if you know what's good for you!" D teases.

"So when is the party?" K asks, desperately trying to steer the conversation
back on course.  K prides herself on being one of those rare members of the
female persuasion who keeps the intimate details of her private life private, a
quality in a woman admired universally by members of the opposite gender.

"Two weeks from this Saturday and I need your help."

"How so?"

"Well, because so many of these affairs are so terribly boring, I thought we
might spice this one up with a special theme."

"And, what would that be?" K inquires.  Receiving the response K laughs, "I
suppose you want some ideas on activities or games to fit in with that theme?"

"Well, seeing as you have a special interest in this area, I figured it would
make sense to ask you."

"How many girls are you expecting?"

"Most of the usual gang," D, ever the gregarious one, responds.  "And the
parents are going to be away for the weekend."

D's place was a popular gathering spot, especially for some of the out-of-town
girls attending university.  Because of state law no sororities were allowed on
campus.  Besides, they always got a large student discount at her mom's beauty
salon.

"O.K., give me a few days to come up with the ideas.  But you'll have to put it
all together," K enjoins.  "I'm very busy with studies."

"Meet you Wednesday noonish to talk?  Marsh Plaza?"

This made sense since it was a central location on campus.  "Sounds good," K
agrees. "See you then."

As K hangs up she drifts off into a daydream envisioning the day all girls dream
of by the time they are able to talk.  It meanders to clouds of puffy white and
is woven in taffeta, organza and lace.  The ring of the telephone rudely jars
her reverie.

***

"Yes?" K asks, half-expecting it is D again.

"K?"  His low baritone for even speaking a single syllable is unmistakable.

"J!"  Her more excited pitch is noticeably obvious.

After some banal conversation J finally gets to the point of his call.  "I know
we're only dating right now but I feel we're already becoming good friends.  I
certainly want to spend as much time as I can with you this semester but I'd
like you to think about something and get back to me on it."

"What do you want to ask me?" K inquires.

"I know the winter break is almost six weeks away but I was wondering if you'd
like to spend part of the holidays with me."

K is taken aback and is not sure how to respond.  "How do you mean?"

"Well my family is very special and important to me and I enjoy spending time
with them, especially at such a wonderful time of year."

"I enjoy spending time with my family as well," K remonstrates.

"I'm not trying to pressure you.  But since you would be heading for the West
Coast, you could possibly stay at my folks' place for a few days before
continuing home."

"Well, I've always spent Christmas with my family."

"Look, K, it's just something to think about and I didn't want to spring it on
you at the last minute.  If there's any additional airfare involved I'll be
happy to take care of it."

"That's not really a huge consideration.  Being with family is the paramount
one."

"Just think about it.  You'd have your own room in the guest wing.  It would be
a chance for my parents to meet someone special.  You might even enjoy the
change in scenery."

"O.K.  I'll think about it," K agrees.  "But you have to respect my decision,
whatever it ends up being."

"Absolutely," J concurs.  "As I said, there's no pressure."

They talk for a while and K's mind starts to race again after she hangs up.  Is
the timing of his call coincidence or kismet?  Isn't this rather sudden?  Meet
his parents?  Are we even boyfriend and girlfriend yet?  He did say good
friends, didn't he?  And, he did call me 'someone special'.  He's never called
me that before.  He didn't try to force me, which was good.  And he did say he
would respect my decision.

K drifts off into another reverie of puffy white, albeit a colder one this time.
She finally snaps out of it and decides to get on with the task at hand.  She
thinks about it for a few minutes and then picks out a book on party games off a
shelf.  After scanning it for a few minutes she thinks of D and what her
interests are.  She then selects a recipe book off the shelf and begins perusing
that as well.  For no particular reason she stops at a certain page.  Almost all
romantics are notorious planners and K is no exception to the rule.  In hardly
any time at all she has the burst of inspiration she needs to fulfill her
mission.

***

The night of the party finally arrives and K is once again lost in her thoughts
as she gets ready to leave.  As she looks in the mirror, she decides not to go
with the studded ones and chooses the large hoop earrings instead.  Her thoughts
gravitate to J and memories of that first kiss.  Since his last call they have
only gone out twice: once for pizza, and once to a Terriers' game.  Although J
has been attentive and even affectionate, they haven't spent any time in
private.  J seems to be spending more time with his studies.  They've exchanged
a couple of goodnight kisses but not much more.  K secretly hungers for the
thrill of that third date but hasn't felt comfortable about bringing up the
subject of her quirk with J.  J hasn't discussed his feelings either.  Was that
third date, as incredibly romantic and charming as it was, just a fluke or does
J, by some incredible stroke of luck, share her penchant?  She secretly hopes
this is so but can't bear to bring it up.  She hasn't yet responded to his offer
about the holidays.  She has only told him that she is still thinking about it.
Finally, K resolves not to think about it anymore but figures she'll call him in
a couple of days to turn him down.

***

She arrives at D's place determined just to have fun and enjoy a night with the
girls.  After all, she has helped to plan the party and doesn't want to be a
party-pooper.  She also loves the theme, with good reason, and is curious to see
how the evening will unfold.

A few partygoers have arrived already and there is the usual tittering around
the mountains of munchies.  K joins in and eventually the guest of honor and the
remaining callers arrive.

Anxious to get the festivities started, D gathers the group of together in the
rumpus room and makes a few light-hearted remarks to make her fifteen guests
comfortable.  She then outlines the plan for the party.

"Our theme tonight is 'Love is blind!'  To go along with that theme I enlisted
the aid..."

"Twisted my arm, more likely," K interrupts, good-naturedly.

"Of my ex-good friend K," D perseveres, undaunted.  "We have come up with a
number of games and contests to fit in with the theme and they all involve the
use of blindfolds."

She carries on as the murmurs and groans subside, "So to get things started, I'd
like each of you to pick out a mask from this bag and place it over your head
and pull it down on your neck.  It will be more convenient if you leave your
masks hanging around your necks all evening so that we don't have to hunt around
for blindfolds every time we need to play a game."

D hands Fay a pink sleepmask and K a blue one.  She walks around to each guest
who picks a mask out of the bag.  Finally, D reaches into the bag and pulls out
the last sleepmask, which is blue, and pulls it over her own head and down to
her neck.

"Is there some significance to the color scheme?" asks Donna.

"You're very observant, Donna, and the answer is yes," D replies.  "As a child
of six can plainly see, each of you has either a pink or blue mask.  This
automatically assigns you to two teams captained by Fay and K for the team
events this evening."

D elucidates, "Each of us will be blindfolded at some point this evening and
required to participate in a number of fun games.  We are not going to put
anyone in any danger but I've removed breakable objects so that I won't be
disowned when my parents get back."

"I thought they already had over the dye job you gave that customer last week,"
Nadia needles.

"Hey!" D retorts incredulously, "This from a friend I thought would die for me!"

"Anyway, to ensure that everyone gets the maximum bang for their buck, I'm going
to try to videotape tonight's party so we can all enjoy our own performances on
instant replay," D effervesces.  "At the end of the evening this will be my gift
to Fay to keep as a memento for her personal use only."

"What about future attempts at blackmail?" K's other girlfriend, L queries.

"Only you would think of something like that," D acknowledges.  "But we won't
have too far to go to find the culprit."

B chimes in, "Now that you've offered irrefutable evidence of how cheap you are,
when do we start?"

***

"Tonight's first game is 'Pin the P**** on the Groom!'" D proclaims with
ebullience, as she tapes a poster of a hand-drawn man on the far wall.

"You're horrible, D!" K shrieks, "I told you mustache!"

"Yeah," D admits.  "But I thought we needed a more adult version."

D turns on the video camera and states, "Since you spoke up B, you're up first."
D proposes, "Maybe, I could get the rest of the pink team to line up and then
the blue.  Even though this is also an individual event, the team with the three
closest marks will also win a prize."

Leah, Irene, Nadia and Donna line up behind B.  Fay and her remaining team
members, Olga and L quickly fall in.  K begins the line for the blue team and
the remaining members, except for D, join in.

D positions B about six feet (two meters) in front of the poster and hands her a
donkey tail from the children's version of the game.

B grasps the tail by the short piece of adhesive tape attached to it and notices
her name has already been written on.  She quips, "This seems to be a lot
hairier than the last one I saw!"

D snickers, stands in front of her and pulls the pink sleepmask over B's eyes.
"Can you see anything?"

As B shakes her head, D spins her around four or five times and points her in
the general direction of the poster.  "Now remember you are allowed to use only
one hand and you must stick it to the poster at the first point of contact," D
explains.  "If anyone attempts to feel the poster or misses it entirely she will
be dragged back to the starting line and given another go."

This turns out to be prophetic as B misses the poster entirely and is made to do
it all over.
The group applauds B for her successful second effort.

As the game progresses, most girls encounter varying degrees of success with
much hilarity and encouragement from the onlookers.  The last member of the pink
team, L, also misses the poster on her first attempt.

K takes her turn and makes the poster but her aim ends up being low and too far
to the left.

Finally all the girls have taken their turn and K declares, "Looks like it's the
host's turn."  K blindfolds D and spins her around several times, rotating
herself a little at the same time, before pointing D in the right direction.
The group gets its own back as their hostess misses the target by a mile.

K teases her as she leads D back to the starting line and spins her around
again.  D staggers toward the poster and affixes the tail.  Hearing
uncontrollable howls of laughter, she reaches to pull down her mask only to feel
her hand being pushed away.  She feels her face being covered by two hands that
are pressing the blindfold against her eyes.

K has seized the moment.  Still clamping D's face, she guides D away from the
wall.  "B, get a close-up of the poster, and then D's face," K says.  Finally,
she removes her hands and pulls down D's sleepmask.

The look on D's face is priceless as she sees that the tail is right in the
mouth!

Donna is declared the winner and the pink team wins the first contest with the
three best placements.

***

D is a very good sport and a congenial hostess.  The familiar game has acted as
an icebreaker and the guests are now in a much more relaxed mood.

For the next game she enlists the help of a few guests to move away some
furniture so there is a large open area in the center of the room.  She asks
each pink team member except for Fay to pick out a folded slip of paper from a
bowl.  She does the same for the blue team except for K.  "Imagine you are home
alone asleep at three in the morning when you suddenly hear a sound," D
explains.  "You think it's a burglar.  In your case Fay, we hope it isn't Ray!"

Amid the chortles she continues, "It is pitch black so you cannot see the
burglar and the burglar cannot see you.  So you pick up an object to try and
knock him out.  Which brings us to this game we'll call 'Bash the Burglar.'
Since we don't want to cause any of you permanent damage I've opted to use a
rolled up newspaper instead of a baseball bat."

She hands a rolled up newspaper to Fay and a closed can containing a few stones
to K.  "As the team captains you will begin the contest," D states.  "The rest
of you will take turns according to the numbers you have selected.  Team
captains will be responsible for blindfolding and disorienting the members of
the opposing team.  K, you'll be the first burglar.  You have to shake your can,
so to speak, every ten seconds.  Fay, you have to find K by whacking her, but
not too hard.  Touching the burglar with your free hand does not constitute a
tag.  Team members may push contestants back into the playing area if they are
in danger.  Then the roles will be reversed.  I'll use a stopwatch.  Whichever
contestant finds the other quicker will earn a point for their team.  The team
with the most points wins.  In the case of a tie there will be a play-off."

For the first round, D asks Nadia to help.  While D begins to blindfold Fay,
Nadia does the same to K, except that she does it sloppily.  Although K cannot
see, she notices a sliver of light and asks Nadia to adjust the mask.  When K is
satisfied she cannot see any light she nods to Nadia.  K likes to play fairly
and knows that it isn't any fun to be able to peep in a blindfold game.  Both
players are walked around and spun several times.

D says, "Go!"  Both players start creeping around.  K keeps shaking her can
dutifully and realizes the hunter has a slight advantage in the game.  She
manages to elude Fay for almost a minute but unknowingly walks right into her.
K unexpectedly receives a whack on the side of her head knocking her to the
floor.

"I'm sorry!" Fay apologizes.  "Are you O.K.?"

"Well, you're asking for it now," K threatens.

Fay, now a little alarmed, says, "I didn't mean it."

"Neither did I," K offers cheerfully.

Fay does a much better job of evading K but K feels Fay isn't shaking her can
often enough.  K kills Fay but much too late.  K congratulates Fay but figures
the next time she plays this game it would be better if a bell or two were
attached to the burglar since any motion would cause the bells to jingle.

The game is raucous and exciting both to play and watch.  The antics of the
blindfold contestants have everyone in stitches.  The highlight of the event is
Leah pummeling almost everyone in the room before finally hitting the burglar.
The Pinks are victorious again by a narrow margin of 5-3.

***

Gathering her guests and setting up the camcorder in the kitchen D announces,
"Ladies and others, get ready to rumble.  We now present the main event of the
evening - 'The Fay 'n K Bake-Off!'"

After the girls excitedly gather around she hands K and Fay aprons, advises them
to remove their shoes, and places them in front of two identically adorned
tables.  "Since we all know that the best way to a man's heart is through his
stomach, we've come up with this contest to see which one of these two ladies
will be lucky in love.  This will be a two-part contest in which all except the
participants will be judges.  The first part will involve judging the
preparation effort and the second will be a taste test.  In the case of a tie I
get the deciding vote.  Even though this is a team event I suggest you do not
resort to partisanship and instead cast your vote fairly.  Each of the
contestants will have ten minutes to familiarize themselves with the directions,
location of the ingredients and implements, and mixer speed settings.  Team
members may give verbal guidance for recipe instructions only."

She hands K and Fay identical recipe sheets with the list of ingredients and
instructions.  "I don't know how many of you ladies know this, but the key to a
successful angel food cake is to beat the whites to stiff shiny summits," D
promulgates.  "K and Fay can get no help in deciding when the stiff shiny stage
is reached but you may point out if even a little yolk gets in because that
could result in the whites not rising enough.  That is why I have provided each
contestant with two dozen room temperature eggs.  I have already sifted the
powder sugar and flour three times and there is more than enough for the recipe.
Team members may not touch the players or any items on the table and must not
provide the contestants any help with the measurements."

D had already decided it was too risky to use her mother's glassware (Ma would
never forgive her!) and had instead opted for copper bowls which she had cleaned
carefully.  Being a chemistry major, a thought idly occurred to her that the guy
who designed the atomic table would have been far better off using Co to denote
copper.  D was also fervid about the Culinary Arts.  She'd learned early on that
in life that one needs to be passionate about something and that had remained
her state of mind.

Both Fay and K seem intrigued by this challenge as neither girl has ever tried
this unaided by vision.  K wasn't even expecting to participate as she had
offered her suggestion as a solo event for the bride-to-be.  But D's instincts
were right: a competition made it a far more exciting event.  After reading the
instructions and washing their hands both girls start studying the placement of
items on the table.

"D, are you going to disorient us, or move some items after we're blindfolded?"
Fay asks suddenly.

"I'd thought about it," D replies candidly.  "But I figure the task is already
formidable enough without additional obstacles in your way.  You have one more
minute, ladies."

In the final minute K makes an important discovery.  Tucked in and almost
completely hidden from view behind the container of flour is a plastic ring
encircling a number of different sized spoons.

"Time," D announces, as she starts pulling the blue sleepmask over K's eyes,
adjusting the straps and pressing the fabric against her nose.  D stands in
front of Fay and performs the same procedure.  At first she seems satisfied but
then says, "I'm pretty sure neither of you ladies can peek, but to make sure
this is an absolutely fair contest and there are no arguments later I'm going to
tie a scarf over your eyes as well.  You are not allowed to touch your scarf
with your hands.  You will remain blindfolded until you both finish and the
judges have cast their ballots."

K feels the brush of fabric against her face anticipating the pressure of the
band against her nose but instead receives a different sensation as she feels
her face being completely covered by fabric.  K cannot see that D has tied a
white square scarf into a triangle that now extends below her neck.  K wonders
if her sense of smell or breathing will now be somewhat impaired.  The blindfold
is not too familiar since K usually prefers a snug band but she finds she can
still breathe comfortably enough.  She remembers from her Girl Guide days being
blindfolded in this way by a kerchief for a game, though without the sleeepmask.

D applies another scarf in the same manner to Fay before announcing, "Begin,
beautiful, barefoot, blindfold, baker babes!"

The girls giggle because Fay and K more closely resemble mounted masked
marauders than members of their gender on the more modern two-wheel type of
transportation.

"If you ladies are wondering where to start, I'd suggest you line your pans
first before your hands get too messy," D indicates helpfully.  "Remember not to
grease either the pans or the paper."

This sounds like a good idea.  Both understand the folly of greasing the paper,
as they know that that will result in losing the cake at the cooling stage.
Both girls have little difficulty in locating the pans and paper and, with a
little trial-and-error, perform the initial task admirably.  K takes a little
longer as she decides to also line the bottom of her ten-inch angel food cake
pan.

Although neither contestant is aware of what the other is doing, it is
interesting that both proceed with the measuring stage next.  Fay gets to this
stage first and fumbles for an empty bowl that she places close to her.
Locating a cup, she gropes with her free hand for the container of flour,
identifying it by the texture, and dipping the cup in extracts a cupful.  Using
her hand to smooth off the excess flour she carefully locates the empty
container and inserts the contents of the cup.  Measuring the additional quarter
cup of flour with a cup measure proves to be extremely difficult.  She guesses
and dumps the contents of the cup into the bowl.  Measuring three quarters of a
cup of powder sugar poses the same difficulty.  Finally she guesses and dumps
that into the flour as well and sifts the mixture into another container.  Her
teammates remind her to add the salt, which she had forgotten about.  Fay
locates the salt box relatively easily.  She does not bother to measure the half
teaspoonful, opting instead to dump a pile in her left hand and sprinkle three
pinches into the bowl.  She discards the rest tossing it over her right
shoulder.

D ducks but it is much too late.  Her gorgeous dark hair is now crowned in
white.  There are giggles of gaiety as D returns to a safer vantage behind the
video camera.

K begins with the superfine sugar and easily measures a cupful.  She is also
smart enough to avoid the large plastic 4-cup measuring cup when she is
measuring the flour and powder sugar.  She encounters the same difficulties as
Fay in attempting to measure those ingredients.  She takes several tries at
inserting a finger in the cup to gauge its depth before dumping the contents
into the selected bowl.

Fay is still ahead and decides she must now proceed with the challenge of
breaking the eggs.  She is tempted to use a knife but decides only a wimpy man
would resort to that and uses the one-handed method instead.  She remembers
there is another metal pot on the table with a sharper edge than the copper
mixing bowl.  Fay figures it is too risky to use the copper mixing bowl because
she doesn't relish the thought of extracting eggshells in her handicapped state.
She senses the hush in the audience as she makes her first attempt.  The egg
breaks but she has struck it too hard breaking the yolk.  She curses as only a
bride-to-be can, wipes her hands and makes a second attempt.  She delights in
her accomplishment and is able to separate and discard the yolk into the
stainless steel pot.  She ends up losing four eggs, deciding to use twelve eggs
in the mix.

Meanwhile, K realizes she is behind but doesn't panic.  She locates the
stainless steel pot and the plastic measuring cup and places them side by side.
She opts to try the sharp edge of the table and encounters disaster.  She yells
in pain as she miscalculates where the table edge is, rapping her knuckles, the
egg smashing into smithereens and landing by her foot.  Her team members offer
their sympathies but K, who has never given up easily, shakes it off, wipes off
the table and carries on.  This time she situates her left hand on the edge of
the table and strikes the egg just to the right of it.  It works and she
deposits the whites in the large measuring cup.  Soon she develops a good rhythm
and ends up losing only three eggs.  She decides to go with fourteen and dips
her finger in the large measuring cup but cannot gauge if she has reached the
11/2-cup mark.

Fay, encouraged by the cheers of her teammates, locates the cream of tartar
powder and uses the teaspoon to measure a spoonful, which she sprinkles over the
egg whites.  She guesses at the half-teaspoonful and sprinkles that in as well.
The vanilla extract and almond extract prove extremely difficult to find but
finally Fay, trying to use the teaspoon to measure a half teaspoonful of each
extract, puts in too much of both.

K who has been stepping on a few eggshells has sustained another injury as a
piece of shell has pierced her big toe.  K battles on gamely and she, too,
experiences considerable difficulty in locating the small items.  She uses the
measuring spoons to laboriously measure the lesser ingredients and succeeds in
doing a far better job than her opponent does.  The powering up of a chainsaw
causes her to jump suddenly and she hears the snickers of the assemblage.

Fay realizes her error immediately and switches to a low speed to create a
bubbly mountain of foam.  After a couple of tests with her index finger she
decides to increase the speed to medium high and starts to add the superfine
sugar.  After she sprinkles in all the sugar she decides to increase the speed
to high.  She tries to feel the froth but does not realize she is rapidly
approaching the stiff shiny stage.  She wants to taste the foam but realizes she
cannot because of the nature of her blindfold.

D can see that Fay has attained the stiff shiny stage because the egg whites are
now formed in cool creamy crests.  But Fay is not armed with this visual
information.  Her team members are eager to yell for her to halt, but she
continues to beat unaware that she is in danger of over-beating the egg whites.
For no particular reason she suddenly stops much to the relief of the pink team.
She begins the exacting exercise of gradually adding in the flour and sugar
mixture.

K works methodically and with meticulous care although she realizes she is
behind.  The results are what count and she is determined to perform this
difficult task well.  She mixes first at low speed and after a few finger tests
increases to medium speed only before she starts sprinkling in the superfine
sugar.  She checks with her thumb and forefinger to determine if the sugar has
dissolved.  She changes gears to medium high and now faces the crucial test.
She knows that under-beaten or over-beaten whites will probably result in the
humiliation of cake crash.  But how do you tell when you can't see?

Deep in the darkness of her blindfold K is suddenly jarred by a blinding flash
of inspiration, such as must have hit Edison when he invented the light bulb.

She stops the mixer, lifts the bowl and twirls it a bit.  K listens intently and
hears a slight slosh.  This tells her she has to continue beating.  She repeats
the procedure a couple of times and hears no swash.  She declines to dip her
digit.

Then she does something that is destined to make her a legend on campus for
months to come.  Deliberately she raises the copper bowl to her shoulders and
flips it over.

There is a collective gasp from the congregation as the copper container's
contents stay put.  Even D is bowled over.  There is clamorous clapping and
cheering.

Fay believes the ovation is for her as she has finished the final task of
spooning the mixture into her angel food pan.  D walks over to her, asks if she
is finished and leads her, still blindfolded, to a chair.  D decides to allow
her to breathe a little easier so she folds the scarf back without removing it.
D sets the oven to 375 degrees F.

K, having triumphantly achieved the stiff shiny stage, continues patiently with
the folding stage until she carefully scoops the contents into her angel food
pan.  Again there are cheers as she completes her challenge.  D leads Fay back
to the table and calls for a show of hands.

"And the winner of Part 1 by a vote of 12-2 is K!"  The gathering cheers and
applauds the two contestants, who are grateful to finally have their blindfolds
removed.

D runs a knife through the batter to break up any bubbles, notes the time and
places both pans in the middle rack of the oven.

***

When the noisy group assembles again in the rumpus room, D explains the next
game.  "As you will soon discover, Fay, if you don't know it already, men cannot
find anything even if it is right under their noses.  That goes for everything
from soup to nuts."

This is greeted by a chortle and L corrects her uttering, "Men only seem to have
difficulty finding beer, not their nuts!"

Chuckling, D continues, "This is a very simple team game played by two
contestants at a time.  It's called 'Where are my keys, honey?'  Your mission is
to walk to your designated team chair, find the key ring and bring it back to
the next player in line.  If you do that before your opponent, your team wins a
point.  If there is a tie there will be a play-off.  The chairs will remain
stationary and team members may yell verbal instructions.  The captains will be
responsible for blindfolding, spinning and pointing members of the opposing team
in the right direction."

After the teams form two parallel lines, D places the chairs about 10 feet (3
meters) away with the backs of the chairs facing the players, and places a key
ring on each.  K and Fay begin their tasks and the first pair of contestants
starts off.  Walking in a straight line while blindfolded is not as easy as it
appears, as some girls find out when they collide with their opponents.  The
girls that listen more carefully to instructions do a better job.  The score
ends up being 4-3 for the pink team.

It is up to K to try to tie it for the Blues.  K gambles by walking quickly with
her hands extended in front of her and listens carefully for directions.  She
locates the chair and key ring fully four steps ahead of her opponent.  Then she
turns herself around, lining up her rear against the back of the chair and
begins the return trip equally quickly, listening to the voices of her
teammates.  K wins easily and ties it for the Blues.

"Well, I guess it is playoff time ladies!" D states.  She then adds, "Since this
game seems to be too easy for you ladies, I think we should make the playoff a
little more challenging."

After getting the pink and blue teams to line up at opposite ends of the room, D
retreats to the kitchen and returns with a small copper bowl that she places on
the floor in the center of the room.  "Each of the captains will start at
opposite ends of the room.  You will not be spun around.  After I say 'Ready'
you will drop to all fours.  I will then drop the key ring into the bowl, which
will be equidistant from the contestants.  Using that sound clue alone you will
attempt to locate the ring.  Teammates must remain completely silent but may
line the sides of the room to push back anyone in danger of bumping into
furniture or walls.  Any attempt at verbal assistance will result in
disqualification."

After she walks to K and pulls the eyeshades into place, she does the same with
Fay.  She pauses a moment and says, "Since this is a play-off and I do want the
game to be fair, I'm going to add a scarf just to make sure your sleepshades
stay in place."  Fay feels the band being tied over her eyes and is grateful her
nose is not covered this time.  K feels the band being tied tightly over her
eyes and guesses it is a narrow band.  She doesn't protest either, as her
blindfold of preference is a scarf and she is looking forward to this new
challenge.

The contestants do not see D move the bowl about 3 feet (1 meter) to one side
though it is still roughly the same distance between them.  "Ready!" yells D, as
she drops the key ring into the copper bowl.  Hearing the clang, both
contestants set off gingerly, sweeping their hands over the floor.  Despite the
sound clue the search is extremely perplexing and both stray off course.  The
girls on the sidelines find it hard to remain silent as both captains are
approaching a head-on collision.  The crash occurs but it is a mild one that
results in a few titters from the spectators.  The resultant effect is that both
girls stray further off course.  Finally D shows some pity by picking up the key
chain and dropping it into the bowl again.  K's reaction is quicker as her ears
pick up the scrape of the keys being extracted from the container.

K spins around wildly and makes a blind lunge, striking the bowl and tipping it
over.  The jingle of the keys proves to be a successful clue and K finally grabs
the key ring and raises her right hand into the air.  The cheers of her
teammates confirm her success and she waits for her blindfold to be removed.
The Blues are still in the competition.

***

D suggests it is time for the presentation of the shower gifts.  The women revel
in this traditional ritual for reasons that are beyond the comprehension of
ordinary men.

While this activity is in progress, D returns to the kitchen and sees that forty
minutes have passed.  She opens the oven door and carefully prods each cake with
her finger.  Seeing that they bounce back, she decides they are ready.  She
removes the angel food cake pans, labels them and immediately inverts each over
a bottleneck to cool.

After the bride-to-be receives her gifts, D calls the group together for another
game.  She places two large plastic bowls on a table and pours two pounds (one
kilogram) of uncooked long grain rice into each.  She empties forty paper clips
into each bowl and mixes them up thoroughly so that no clips are visible.  After
she seats the captains in front of each bowl, she explains the game.  "In your
marriage, Fay, you will need to keep things together.  That goes not only for
your relationship but things like pieces of paper.  But to do that you need to
find the paper clips.  The player that finds the most paper clips in three
minutes will score a point for her team.  If two players tie or both teams are
tied at the end, there will be a play-off.  Captains, it's time to put on your
blindfolds."

Both Fay and K find the task more complicated than they think it will be.  K
does really well to find 16 paper clips and beats Fay.  All the girls take their
turns.  The Pinks win the contest 5-3 and L ends up being the individual winner
with a score of 19 clips.

***

After the favors are awarded, D announces the next game.  "I call this game
'Clouds' because in life it's important to have high ideals and always reach for
the sky.  Captains, please kneel on the floor."

D starts scattering cotton balls all over the floor in front of each contestant.
When she is done she hands each player a plastic bowl and a soupspoon.  "The
game is quite simple, really.  You have to use the spoon to put the cotton balls
in the bowl.  No scooping is allowed since the lip of the bowl must not touch
the floor.  The player who has the most balls at the end of three minutes wins a
point for her team."

Amid the snickers D proceeds, "Teammates are not allowed to help.  By the way,
you have to perform this stunt wearing not only a blindfold, but oven mitts as
well."  There are loud groans as she blindfolds Fay and K and hands them each a
pair of oven mitts.

The game proves to be close to impossible for the girls but hilarious to watch.
Fay narrowly beats K but three pairs of players tie and have to undergo the
hardship of a play-off.  The Blues win 6-2 to remain in the running.  Much to
everyone's surprise, especially her own, D is declared the individual winner by
having the most balls, a fact that she is not allowed to forget for the rest of
the evening.

***

Seeing that over ninety minutes have elapsed, D returns to the kitchen and uses
a knife to remove each cake.  She sifts some sugar over the cakes and takes two
serrated knives out of the drawer.  She observes that K's cake is visually
superior having risen higher but is curious to see if her educated palate will
be able to discern the difference.

"Good news girls!" she announces upon rejoining the group.  "Both cakes have
risen to the occasion.  I hope that is a harbinger of the men in your life,
too."

There is a huge ovation for both blindfold bakers.  "It is now time for the
Blind Taste Test," D pronounces.  "Fay and K, your cakes have both been labeled
and you are ready to have the honor of cutting them.  Since each cake can feed
12-14 people, I would suggest that you cut about a quarter of each cake into
roughly even slices for the taste test.  When you return, everyone in the room
will be blindfolded.  Without speaking, you will tap each one of us on the
shoulder, feed us in turn and you may alternate whose cake gets tasted first.
The judges must eat all the cake fed to them without touching the cake and will
get to sip some water between tasting each cake.  After both pieces have been
tasted each judge will silently hold up either one finger or two to select the
winner, one indicating that it was the first piece tasted by the judge.  If you
are the selected baker you will take the token offered by that judge.  Everyone
will remain blindfolded until the bakers announce the results."

After the bakers leave the room D ensures the girls each have their tokens and
some water within easy reach.  Seating herself she announces, "Ladies, put your
blindfolds on."  She watches as the girls comply before affixing her own mask.

While in the kitchen the bakers do their own blind taste test.  K closes her
eyes while Fay feeds her a small sample of each cake, and K does the same for
Fay.

Both bakers are successful in identifying their own cakes.  Fay concedes K's
cake does taste better.  They decide they will take each other's cakes into the
rumpus room to feed the judges but will collect their own tokens.

D waits for her turn and finds the first piece has a good flavor but cannot
identify whether it is K's cake.  The second piece seems a little drier but she
can't be certain until she gets a more almond taste in her mouth.  If it weren't
for the excess almond she wouldn't be certain.  She raises a single finger to
cast her vote.

The bakers announce the result as the judges remove their blindfolds.  K wins
Part 2 with a 10-4 score for an overall victory of 22-6.  The girls applaud both
bakers again.

***

"My, my!" D declares.  "It looks like we have a tie.  This means we are now
ready for the last event of the evening to determine the winners.  I think we'll
start with the captains."

After K and Fay are sitting side by side she asks for a table to be put in front
of them.  She returns from the kitchen with a few bunches of bananas and a
couple of personal stereos.  She places a single banana in front of each
contestant, turns each stereo on and places the headphones on each girl's
shoulders.

"By the way, could you handle the camcorder please, Ange?"

L, who likes to be called by her second name, complies with D's request.

"This is another contest that is a judged event," D says, as she begins pulling
K's sleepshades up.  "The first part, worth 60 points, is a test to see how
sensual you are and the second part, worth 40 points is a race to the finish."

She takes a square scarf folded in a triangle and folds it in two to form a very
broad band.  She proceeds to tightly tie the broad band over K's eyes covering
her nose.  "During the first part of the competition, which lasts about three
minutes you must peel the banana and lick it sensually without using your
teeth," D continues, as she takes the bottom of K's scarf blindfold, and keeps
tucking it inward into itself until it is above her nose.

K smiles to herself as she realizes D is practicing the scarf folds K had taught
her.  She remembers meeting D in front of Marsh Chapel that Wednesday.  When D
had asked her what they were going to use for the games, she had given her a bag
of sleepmasks that she had hand-washed.  When D had asked about using scarves, K
had told her she could if she knew how to tie them right.  After the
demonstration D had mentioned that she didn't realize there was an art to this
pleasant pastime.  K had just smiled knowingly.

"You will also be wearing headphones so that team members cannot give you any
help with techniques your opponent is using."  As she begins blindfolding Fay
she continues, "The game will begin when I tap your shoulders and for the first
three minutes we expect an Oscar-winning performance."

"The second tap on your shoulders is the signal to ingest the banana as quickly
as you can," she carries on, as she finishes blindfolding Fay.  "When you have
swallowed it all, raise your hand and open your mouth so that the judges can see
who finished first."

"Any questions, K, before I put on your headphones?" D asks.

"No, I think I understand."

"Any questions, Fay?"  Fay shakes her head as the earphones are attached.

Fay feels the tap on her shoulder and commences peeling the banana.

Any attempt to portray the performance that follows would not do it justice.
The spectators are rolling on the floor in tears.  There is uncontrollable
laughter, the cacophony almost causing a couple of near-accidents, biologically
speaking.

Fay feels the second tap on her shoulder and almost swallows the banana whole.
The jocundity reaches a crescendo as her blindfold and headphones are ripped
off.

The bride-to-be turns around to see K with no headphones or blindfold on, with
an uneaten banana in front of her!

The party ends up being an outstanding success.  Even Fay, who has the
opportunity to view her exhibition afterward, admits that this has been one of
the most enjoyable parties of her life.  Based on her performance, which is also
to become legendary on campus in its own way, the blue team sportingly awards
the pink team the victory.

***

After the guests leave, K helps D to clean up in the kitchen.  K thanks her for
being an excellent host and comments about the joke on Fay.  D acknowledges that
it was a little risqué, but that Fay seemed to take it in stride.

"And, you've got to remember that everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves," D
says.  "I never figured blindfold games could be this much fun.  I want to thank
you K, for all your help.  You're such a great friend."

As they hug and kiss, D asks, "What are some other ways you use blindfolds?"

K, deciding it is too difficult to explain, takes another tack.  Very seriously
she states, "I'm afraid I couldn't do that or I'd be booted out of the brigade."

"Really?" D exclaims.  "What is the brigade?"

"Well, I don't know if I should be telling you this," K remarks hesitantly.
"But the Byronic Blindfold Brigade is a very secret society.  Very few people
even know it exists.  Even if you're in it you don't know how many members are
at your level or even how many levels there are."

D is really intrigued now.  "Can anyone join?"

"Only those that have an interest in blindfolds are allowed to join," K asserts.

"Is that the only requirement?"

"Yes, just like Mensa, where a base I.Q. score is the only requirement for
eligibility."

"How does a person join?" D queries.

"Well, only members at a higher level can recruit new members."

"What level are you at?"

"I can't tell you that but I'm high enough to recruit new trainees at the base
level."

"What if I wanted to join?"

"Well, if you're serious, you would have to swear an oath of secrecy and pass
the initiation."

"Is that difficult?" D inquires, as she is now totally fascinated by this group.

"Initiation in the base level requires three separate challenges administered
and certified by an active member."

"Are there any advantages to joining this group?"

"You do get to meet a lot of nice people who share your interests," K remarks.

"Could I join?"

"If you're sure about this, I could even administer the first test tonight!"

"Really?" D asks eagerly.  "You mean right now?"

"Now is as good a time as any."

"O.K.," D says a little nervously."

"Raise your right hand and repeat after me," K speaks solemnly.  "I promise to
keep secret and never reveal the nature of the initiation challenges at the
entry or other levels I may attain.  Further I will keep the existence of the
brigade secret from anyone who is not a member.  I understand that my membership
is contingent upon successfully completing these and any further challenges.  I
also understand that my membership is voluntary and I may terminate my
membership at any time."

D repeats the pledge solemnly and asks, "What do I have to do?"

"Well, the first test is normally administered to the trainee in a totally
unfamiliar environment," explains K.  "Since you are obviously in a familiar
environment, I will have to make it more unfamiliar to you."

"How do you mean?" D inquires, curiously.

"Since the first challenge is a test of perceptual, spatial and orientation
skills, I will have to modify the environment you are in by moving familiar
objects into unfamiliar places.  Although I've never met a brigadier who has
attained the chromospheric level, I've heard it said that they almost possess a
sixth sense and are able to distinguish the location, size and shape of objects
just by being near them."

"That's sounds awesome!" says D, who actually knows what 'chromospheric' means.

"Is a trainee called a brigadier as well?"

"No, you cannot be called that until you successfully complete your initiation,"
K remarks.  "As long as you are a trainee, you're called a smoggie."

"What would I be called if I got to the first level?"

"I can only tell you that if you complete your initiation," K pronounces
gravely.

"I'm ready to try," D says, trying to sound brave.

"Smoggies have to be very securely blindfolded, with at least three blindfolds
so that their brigadiers can truthfully sign the challenge completion
certificate," K cautions.  "I shouldn't be telling you this but for my first
initiation I was eye-patched, ace-bandaged, and hooded to be taken to the
challenge location."

"That doesn't sound too pleasant," D says, a little uncertainly.

"It wasn't and it was extremely scary," K concedes.  "But after a while I got
used to it."

"I don't have to be ace-patched and hooded and whatever, do I?" D asks with
concern.

"Actually, I think we can get away without anything that drastic, at least for
your first time," K accedes.  "Are you ready to begin?"

"O.K.," D utters, a little dubiously.

"I'll be right back."

K returns to the kitchen with the equipment used in the final game.  "Since you
still have your sleepmask I'm going to start with that," says K, as she pulls it
over D's eyes.  She does the same with a second sleepmask that is still hanging
around her own neck.  Finally, taking a scarf and folding it her favorite way,
which is unlike the other ways K was blindfolded earlier, ties it securely
around D's head, knotting it twice.

D, who except for tonight has hardly ever been blindfolded in her life, actually
finds the blindfold quite snug but comfortable.  She hears K's voice again.  "To
make this a fair challenge, I'm going to put the headphones on you and I will
return in ten or fifteen minutes after I have moved all the furniture around in
the rumpus room.  I will help you put it back in place after you are done.  I
will check in on you, periodically.  If I find you have moved your headphones or
touched your blindfold in any way you will be disqualified from further attempts
at seeking admission into the brigade.  Do you understand and accept these
conditions of your own free will?"

As D nods, K puts the earphones on D.  Waiting in the darkness terrifies D at
first but after a few minutes she relaxes and focuses on the music.  She is
unsure of what she is in for but this whole brigade thing sounds very
interesting.  Plus she'll have a chance to meet some new friends, even though
they sound a little strange.  She feels the headphones being taken off her ears
and set to rest on her neck.

"We're ready to begin," announces K as she takes D, still blindfolded, by the
hand and leads her into the rumpus room.  "You are in the rumpus room which is
now a very unfamiliar environment to you as most of the furniture has been moved
around.  The first part of your challenge is to find me in ten minutes or less.
I may or may not be moving around.  Remember to extend your hands in front of
you at all times and move slowly and cautiously so that you don't bump into
anything."

"First," K states, "I will disorient you for about five minutes by walking and
twirling you around the room.  During your disorientation, you will also wear
the headphones.  After I spin you around for the last time I will tap you on
your shoulder.  As soon as I do that you count to twenty slowly and only then
remove your headphones.  I will start the clock when you say 'twenty.'  As
before, any attempt to touch your blindfold will result in failure though I
might allow you a second chance at a later date.  If you accept this challenge
say 'yes' but if you are chicken, you can back out now."

D is a little hesitant but finally acquiesces.  She feels K take her by the hand
and is thoroughly disoriented by the time she feels the tap on her shoulder.

D counts to twenty and removes her headphones.  She gingerly begins her journey
but doesn't contact anything in a hurry.  She can't hear K and complicates
matters further by walking around in a small circle.  She can't see the red
light of the camcorder on the tripod at the other end of the room.  She can't
see that the furniture hasn't been moved. She also can't see K standing barefoot
just outside the room, getting ready to tiptoe away.

K slams the front door loudly.  Just to be sure, she rings the doorbell three
times.  She runs like a bat out of hell for the T, stopping only once when she
is three houses away to put on her shoes.  Her toe still hurts but she doesn't
notice as she is laughing hysterically.

***

K is still laughing when she reaches an historic street lined with brownstone
buildings.  The telephone is ringing as she bursts in the door.

She gets to it on the third ring.

"Bionic Blindfold Brigade, my butt!" the voice at the other end of the receiver
intones.

"It's Byronic and you might want to turn off the camera, smoggie!" K suggests.
There is a piercing shriek at the other end of the line.

"Sweet, lovable, innocent K," the voice returns after a while.  "This must have
been the enterprise of your evil twin.  You realize, of course, this means war.
Someday..."

K completes the sentence, "As Cinderella said when she went to get her film
developed, 'Someday my prints will come.'"

Much merriment and girl talk ensues.

***

K is in a terrific mood, on a real natural high, when she hangs up.

The phone rings again and she gets it on the first ring this time.

"D?"

"K?"

"J!"

"I'm just calling because I have something on my mind."  The voice sounds
serious.

"Something dreadful or just me?"

"You mean they're not one and the same?"

"Boy, are you skating on thin ice!"

"I'm sorry."  He doesn't sound it.

"So what's up?" K inquires.

"This is difficult to discuss but I feel it's something we should talk about."

"Go ahead."

"Do you remember our third date?"

"Vaguely."

"I somehow got the impression that you really enjoyed the game we were playing."

"Yes."

"And I somehow felt that you enjoyed wearing a blindfold.  Could I presume that
that would be something you'd like to do again?"

"Possibly."  Her tone betrays her excitement.

"Often?"

"Given the right person and the right context."

"Would activities of a romantic nature be in the right context?"

"Very definitely, as long as they include trust, respect and safety.  Might I
presume that the gentleman caller has, shall we say, a certain passion or
perhaps, more accurately, a proclivity for activities involving blindfolds?"

"The lady is correct in her presumption but the gentleman would describe it more
as a penchant or predilection, though he does not want to be splitting hairs."

"Would it be appropriate for the lady to presume that the activities of a
romantic nature the gentleman described would be devoted exclusively to one
lady?"

"That would be an extremely sound presumption."

"Would the lady in question be one that is currently conversing with the
gentleman?"

"The lady would be safe in inferring that."

"But would she be right?"

"She definitely would."

"Might the lady presume, too, that the gentleman's intentions are strictly
honorable?"

"She might."

"Would she be correct in her presumption?"

"For the most part."

K laughs.  At least it is an honest answer.

The conversation turns to other matters.  Eventually he gets to the holidays.

"I've thought about it a little," K equivocates.

"And have you decided?" J persists.

"You never told me where you'd be sleeping."

"I still have my room in the main wing."

K finds her response astounding.  "O.K., I'll call my parents and see what they
say.  If they agree I'll see if flight changes are possible.  I'll get back to
you in a few days."

***

Getting ready for bed, K reaches into her nightstand drawer.  She pulls out her
trusty black satin sleepmask but decides against it, opting instead for a cute,
fluffy white one.  She has some final thoughts before she drifts off.

Some ingredients are still missing, but...  Start with one courteous, honorable
and considerate guy.  Subjoin one kind, friendly, honest girl.  Sift in a lot of
tender, loving care.  Stir in large measures of trust, communication and
respect.  Spice with an intoxicating penchant (or use predilection or proclivity
if penchant is out of season).  Smother with romance.  Serves two people.
Surely, that is a recipe for success.

**************
Author's Note:

Readers of this story may make a copy for their personal use.  The author's
permission is required for any other use or dissemination of this story in any
form, any such use acknowledging me as the author of the work.  Author's E-mail
address: trevain@home.com

************************************************************************
A Tale of Three Cities    Trevain  (1999-01-18)