Saturday, September the 17th, 2016
It was a pleasant day, sunny, but not too hot, and Clearwater seemed ready for a fine day. The local Elementary School was holding a bake sale for art supplies and other items not covered by funding. That wasn't uncommon, as it happened once or twice a year, whenever necessary. As it was to be expected, mothers were volunteering to help their children, and everyone had been invited to the square near the local church. It was the best space the town could offer, after all.
As she did every year since her son had started school, Mrs. Parkinson, whose husband had died of a heart attack at only 32, had made a couple trays of cupcakes to help out. They all had different color frosting, and were chocolate flavored, so the children around were very interested in them.
Smiling at her son - Brad, a 6 year old with his mother's light blue eyes and almost blonde hair neither Mr. nor Mrs. Parkinson had -, the woman kissed the boy's cheek gently. "Go ask people if they want cupcakes, baby", she requested kindly, watching as the boy ran off. With a sigh, Mrs. Parkinson checked her trays. Just eight more to go. She loved volunteering for any activities for the school, as she had a lot of free time. Her deceased husband had left her enough to live comfortably for the rest of her days, but she still added some money with baking, something she did really well.
With a smile, the young woman sold another cupcake to another young mother with a child, and thanked the woman for the help. Her son, stopping on his tracks on seeing the mayor, smiled at the woman with that big smile, suspiciously similar to the one her brother had as a child. "Good morning, Mrs. Dani!", he greeted politely. "Wouldn't you like a cupcake to help our school get school supplies, please?", the boy completed, giving the most charming smile he could muster.
Back at her table, Mrs. Parkinson called for another familiar face. "Mr. Allardyce?", she called politely. "What a surprise!", the woman completed, really surprised to see the man in there.