The next morning, and Essie’s mother, came far too early for her liking.

“Essie May!”  her mother screeched, bursting through the door to her room and yanking the shades open with a force that twisted the cheap metal blades.  “What the devil are you doing?  The Coconut Queen competition is in two days!  Do you know how much we have to do?  We’ve got highlighting, conditioning, waxing, plucking, tanning, exfoliating, straightening, make up testing– and that’s all above your neck!”

“What time is it?” Essie croaked, rubbing her face with her hand.  She stretched, yawning as she looked longingly at her pillow.

“It’s late,” her mother shrieked, yanking the covers at her.  “Essie May!  What have you done to yourself?”

“What are you talking about?” Essie muttered, sliding off the bed.  “How late?”

“Your face!”  her mother bellowed.  “You’ve got bags under your eyes and creases around your mouth!  Your skin is puffy!  You look bloated!  What have you been eating?  I thought we agreed you’d do the master cleanse.”

“You agreed I’d do the master cleanse,” Essie reminded her.  “And I had to test the pies and cakes to make sure they were fit for the competition.  Don’t worry, mother.  I’ll starve myself and be fine for the competition.”  Splashing cold water on her face, she quickly scrubbed her teeth with one hand as she yanked a t-shirt and jeans out of her closet.  After spitting and rinsing, she pulled on her clothes and twisted her hair in a bun.  She glanced at the clock.  6:45.  If she hurried, she could make it on time.

“Bye, Mom.”  She grabbed her purse and kissed her mother on the cheek.  “I’ll be back.”

“Where are you going?” her mother wailed.  “You’ve got a eight o’clock manicure!  We’ve got a whole day of beauty appointments!”  She aimed an accusing finger towards her daughter.  “I bet you Queenie did the master cleanse and has perfect hair and highlights.”

Essie May knew if she didn’t escape now, she would be trapped in an endless loop of her mother’s woes forever.  Waving, she raced out of the house and leaped into her car.  6:48.  She fired up the engine and floored it out of the driveway, blasting through the neighborhood at a speed that left old Mr. Cocker shaking his fist.

She made it to the bakery at 7:01.  Racing inside, she waved to Freda.

“Hallo, mein liebe!  Mrs. Bumsfrey and Miss Louise are on their way.”

“That was fast,” Essie replied, sliding behind the counter.  So far, only one old man sat in the shop, nursing a cup of coffee and scone bigger than his head.  “How’s the pie?  Still look good?”

“Ja,” Freda replied, her voice so smug Essie giggled.  “Sehr good.  I’ve had to keep Zelda and Etta out of it all morning.”

“We just wanted a taste!” Zelda bellowed from the kitchen, obviously eavesdropping.

“A small smackeral!”  Etta shrieked, not to be outdone.  Both Essie and Freda laughed.

The bell above the door tinkled, and Mrs. Bumfrey and Miss Louise glided in.  “Essie, Freda,” Mrs. Bumfrey greeted them with a smile, bowing her head.  “How are you?”

“Well, my feet ache and my back cracks, but other than that, sehr good,” Freda replied, beaming.

“Ya’ll ready to see the pie?” Essie asked, unable to keep the thick drawl or excitment out of her voice.

“We’ve been looking forward to it,” Miss Louise replied, taking Essie’s arm.  “Freda said you were up all night working on it?”

Essie nodded.  “Freda is brilliant, really.  She just created all these pies off the top of her head, without a recipe or anything.  And we just took our time, taking one part and mixing it with another.”

Miss Louise smiled.  “It sounds perfect.”

“I hope so.”  Essie’s voice cracked with anxiety, and Miss Louise patted her arm.

Inside the kitchen, the women gathered around the pie.

“Ladies, this is the Secret of Coconut Pie,” Freda informed them as Essie cut two thin slices and set them gently on plates.  She handed them to Miss Louise and Mrs. Bumfrey, who picked up their forks.  In unison, they cut through the pie and raised it to their mouths.  Essie clutched her hands together, watching as each took a bite.  Miss Louise’s eyes closed and she sank back on her stool.  Mrs. Bumfrey swallowed and immediately took another bite, rapidly devouring the pie as though it would disappear into the air.

“So do you like it?” Essie asked as both women finished their first piece and reached for the knife.

“Oh yes,” Mrs. Bumfrey replied, cutting a wedge the size of Essie’s face and dumping it on her plate.

“Very much,” Miss Louise answered, cutting two thick slices and putting them on her plate.  “One is for Myrtle,” she lied, looking at their faces.

“What’s in this?” Mrs. Bumfrey asked, shoveling half a piece of pie into her mouth.

“Caramel, coconut, pecans, chocolate, peanut butter, whipped cream…” Freda trailed off.  “Basically, it’s got everything in it.”

“But the secret is roasted coconut and pecans, right?” Essie asked, looking up at Freda.

“Right.”  Freda nodded.

Mrs. Bumfrey closed her eyes in bliss after biting off another large chunk of pie.  She had abandoned her fork and was now eating the pie like a slice of pizza.  “You know, Essie,” she drawled.  “And correct me if I’m wrong, Miss Louise, but I think you’ve grown a lot these past few days.  And not just as a baker.  I think you’ve got a really good shot at the crown.  And if you give away that last coconut and we’re able to share the real secret of the Coconut Queen with you, I know you’ll win.”

Miss Louise nodded her agreement.  “You deserve the crown, Essie.”

“Thanks,” Essie murmured, her cheeks burning.  Reaching into her purse, she brought out the last coconut.  “Miss Louise, would you accept this?  You’ve been so good to me, so helpful…I’d like you to have it.”

Mrs. Bumfrey raised her eyebrows and Freda smiled proudly.  Zelda huffed into her pie dough and Etta stamped her foot.  “That’s not fair!” she shouted.  “We’ve helped too!”

Miss Louise shook her head, refusing to take the coconut in Essie’s outstretched hand.  “Thanks, Essie, but I can’t,” she replied, pushing the coconut away softly.  “That coconut is not meant for me.”

“Then who is it meant for?” Essie May asked.  Frustration curled inside her like a tensed scorpion and it was all she could do not to scream.  “You’re the only one I could think of who deserved it.”

“Hello!” Zelda cried.  “Over here!”

“Give me the coconut!” Etta screeched.

“No me!” Zelda bellowed.

Balancing the pie plate on her knees as she devoured it, Mrs. Bumfrey patted Essie’s shoulder.  Tufts of coconut were now smeared across Essie’s shirt.  “Don’t worry, dear.  Miss Louise is right.  The final coconut is not for her.”

“Why don’t you try watching out front,” Miss Louise suggested as she snuck a bite of “Myrtle’s” piece.  “I’m sure it’ll come to you.”

“Yes, yes,” Mrs. Bumfrey agreed, chocolate and coconut smeared around her mouth.  “We’ll just finish tasting your pie.  For constructive criticism, you know.”

Freda snickered.  Shrugging, Essie slid off her stool and waltzed back into the kitchen.  Setting her bag on the floor, she bent down to arrange some display pieces.

“Why Essie May!”  The voice set her teeth on edge.  She was too tired to deal with this now.

“What do you want, Queenie?” she asked without looking up.

Even from the display case, she could hear Queenie gasp and pout.  “Why, I just wanted to say good luck on the compeititon, that’s all.”

Rolling her eyes, Essie stood and faced her sworn enemy.  The second their eyes met, it was all she could do not to stare.

Queenie’s normally perfect hair looked plastic, almost like a Barbie wig had been planted on her head.  Her lashes were coated with so much mascara they stuck together in heavy clumps and her eyebrows had been plucked almost bare.  Her normally lush lips were flat and colorless, her cheeks painted with an unflattering rouge.

Essie May resisted the urge to shout with glee. “Did you get a makeover?” she asked.

Queenie preened, patting her plastic hair.  “He’s a stylist from Hollywood. He’s worked with Britney and Paris.  Don’t I look gorgeous?”

“Stunning,” Essie May replied honestly.

Queenie fluttered the black clumps over her eyes.  “Of course I’m gorgeous!  Only the best, Daddy says.  Why, he almost spent my entire college savings on this stylist!”

Essie May choked back a gasp.  “Why?”

Queenie gave her a scorning look.  “Well, when I win the competition, it won’t matter.  Duh.  I’ll get a scholarship.”  Cracking open her coin purse, she looked expectantly at Essie.  “I just had the coconut milk.  Watching my figure, you know.  How much?”

Essie May looked at the register, then at Queenie’s drawn and ghastly face.  She heard Miss Louise’s laughter in the kitchen and sighed.  Leaning down, she pulled out the coconut from her bag.  Stretching out her arm, she held it out to a shocked Queenie.

“Queenie, would you like to be today’s coconut queen?”

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  Tomorrow we have a delicious new pie and Friday, a new Twirl!  Then Saturday we’ve got a new critter confessions following a week of whimsical fun!  Stay tuned!