The second cake

Source: an original fiction extract.

Nora had baked the cake for her brother's birthday, though he had asked her not to make a fuss. She had heard this as permission to make a small fuss and had spent the afternoon decorating a chocolate sponge with his name. The icing bag split on the last letter. She repaired the letter with a spoon, leaving it broader than the others. At six, she carried the cake into his kitchen. On the table stood another cake, taller than hers, with strawberries arranged in a shining circle. His friend Leo was taking it out of a box.

Nora put hers beside the sink. Her brother, Callum, came in and thanked them both with the same surprised expression. She disliked the fairness of it. Leo said he had remembered that Callum liked strawberries. Nora said chocolate had always been his favourite. Callum opened a drawer for plates. The three of them were suddenly very busy with ordinary objects. Nora told herself that a bought cake required no effort, overlooking the bus journey Leo had made to bring it. She had seen him arrive through the rain but preferred not to include that part.

When the others came, Leo's cake went in the centre of the table because there was more room there. Nora's remained beside the sink. People admired the strawberries. Somebody asked where the cake had come from, and Leo gave the bakery's name. Nora waited for Callum to mention hers. He was helping an aunt remove a wet coat and did not hear. Nora began wrapping her cake in the cloth she had brought. She said it would keep until tomorrow. Callum looked across and asked her not to put it away yet.

He brought both cakes to the table and asked for thin slices of each. An uncle complained that thin slices defeated the purpose of birthdays. Everyone laughed except Nora, who was cutting through the wide final letter of Callum's name. Leo asked how she had made the icing so dark. She nearly said that it was easy, then explained about the cocoa and the broken bag. He said he had tried baking once and produced something his housemate had used as a doorstop. She smiled despite herself. Callum took a forkful from each slice and began discussing something entirely unrelated to cake.

Later, when they were washing up, Nora asked him which he had preferred. He said he was glad they had both come. She told him that was not what she had asked. He dried a plate and said it was the answer he had. In the fridge, the two remaining cakes occupied neighbouring shelves, both with uneven gaps cut into them. Nora took off her apron. Before leaving, she asked Leo whether he wanted the recipe. He said yes. She wrote down the quantities carefully and added a warning about overfilling the icing bag.

Consider the whole source. A reader said: “Nora turns a kind gesture into a competition. The writer invites us to understand her disappointment, but also to recognise how unfairly she judges Leo.” Evaluate how far you agree. Support your judgement with detailed references to the text and the writer’s methods.