Carrying Cupcakes

I was out today and encountered a popular cupcake store.  I decided to indulge and bought two cupcakes to take home.

I had to take the bus home and wondered if the plastic box I received to transport them was adequate.  Perhaps a bag would have been helpful but then it's so much better to keep cupcakes in an upright position and bags don't always ensure success with that.

Setting off down the street, I clutched my plastic box.  I suppose the key to the whole thing with cupcakes is that they are often packaged in clear boxes and clear bags.  Cupcake vendors are smart.  They want other people to see the cupcakes.  They want to plant the seed in their minds.  Because I wanted my (overpriced) cupcakes to make it home safely, I wanted to handle them carefully myself.  But I was also feeling protective of them when other people got nearby.  I did not want anyone to take my cupcakes.  I would defend them.

Because carrying cupcakes in open plastic is such a public thing, I have encountered comments before.  I didn't get any comments today.  I was kind of alone in my thoughts anyways and tried to give off a bit of a please-don't-approach air.  But what if someone knocked them out of my hands to be cruel?  What if I tripped and they went flying?  Everyone would know that I had wanted cupcakes and I wasn't going to get them.  Cupcakes make us vulnerable.  It would be so humiliating if they ended up as piles of crumbs on the street.

I got the cupcakes home safely.  Mine wasn't actually that tasty after all that and I don't think I'll buy any for a while.  But they made for an interesting trip home on the bus and  I can't believe how protective I felt towards two simple cupcakes.  I don't remember being that protective getting my son home on buses when he was a baby.  Oh dear, did I just say that?

JAHD