The Donut Shop ✔️

'A' Stands for 'Act!'

"This is stupid, and I just wanted to let you know that again," Mara complained, picking at the costume as if she was being forced to wear wool sweaters every day for the rest of her life.

"You were the one who wanted to join Mission Bakery, so you're the one going to play the doughnut," Tweed said, and he couldn't help the little sneer that formed on his lips while looking at her suffer in the costume. "Now get out there and play a doughnut!" he shouted, pushing Mara to the entrance of Sol Bakery the same way he had pushed Ethan into the student council meeting.

Uneasily, she stepped inside, causing the bell above the door to jingle. The inside of the bakery was completely desolate now, with no booths or tables in sight. Only Mrs. Heifenmeir was seated on her old stool behind the counter, leafing through bills and murmuring something in German.

Mara shifted on her feet and looked to Ethan, who appeared equally as nervous, and then, they both started.

"Oh, woe is me! My favorite bakery has closed, whatever shall I do?" Ethan cried out with as much passion and as frantic as a new mother trying to deal with her quadruplets.

"But wait, what's that?" Ethan asked, pointing to Mara, who was dressed as a doughnut.

"It is I, a doughnut from the new doughnut shop, Red's Doughnuts," she said in the most monotonous tone she could muster, and Tweed kicked her leg lightly.

"Wow, another doughnut shop?" Ethan exaggerated like he was the next Dora. "Let me try them!" Ethan exclaimed and pranced over to Mara, who looked as if she could die right then and there.

"But wait, this doughnut isn't like the homemade ones at my favorite bakery... they taste... bad," Ethan said as he dramatically fainted. Mrs. Heifenmeir looked up from counting, but barely, when she heard Ethan's body fall to the floor.

"It's a good thing that you have computers and math to work with. You're not a very convincing actor," Mrs. Heifenmeir said, not batting an eye.

"Go home, boys. You aren't convincing me not to sell the bakery," Mrs. Heifenmeir said, and only just noticed that Tweed wasn't the one that was under the doughnut costume, but instead, a female. She looked at Mara, puzzled, but said nothing.

"But what if we can show you proof that Red's Doughnuts aren't who they appear to be?" Ethan asked, stepping up to the counter and pulling out his phone to show Mrs. Heifenmeir the photo they had managed to snap.

"See, Thomas Red is from our town, and he was planning to come back and open a Red's Doughnuts after driving you out of business!" he yelled, and the old woman shook her head, her earrings swaying with the motion.

"That isn't what these plans are for. Thomas Red wasn't trying to drive me out of business. I should know. He's my son."

"He's your... what? Son?!" the boy demanded as Mara and Tweed came over to stand near Ethan at the counter, all of them thoroughly rattled by this news.

"But, he-"

"But, nothing. Now, you boys need to take yourselves home, and don't worry about this old bakery," she grumbled as she finished counting the cash and tucked the wad into her cardigan.

"Mrs. Heifenmeir, we've been coming here for years, every day. I think you owe us at least this much explanation," Ethan spoke up, though his voice wavered. Mrs. Heifenmeir sighed, knowing he was right, and began to speak.

She cleared her throat and moved her glasses from her face, letting them dangle on her chest by the cord. "Thomas is our only son. I haven't talked to him since his father kicked him out of the house many years ago. He was only seventeen at the time, barely graduated high school, and he came out to us. His father got so mad, I remember so clearly in my brain, and he kicked him out. Thomas-Sebastian never came back, not even for the holidays. When he came back into town, he accosted me, and I figured I owed him at least one thing—the sole business of doughnuts."