At the Book Club Meeting

by Lori Cramer

Heidi doesn’t know any of the women here, except for Janis, the hostess, who invited her last Wednesday afternoon while they were chatting at their kids’ bus stop. Heidi’s no reader. She just wanted an excuse to see the interior of Janis’s house. And wow, what a glamour palace! Classy furniture. Stylish window coverings. Trendy tchotchkes. Heidi shouldn’t have been surprised by the exquisite décor; Janis always sports designer clothes and handbags. Could Janis be a compulsive shopper? Heidi ponders the possibility, deciding that the best way to find out is to return for next month’s meeting.

Lacey, who’s wished for a female sibling for as long as she can remember, couldn’t have been more delighted when her brother married Janis. Honored that Janis asked her to join the book club, Lacey offered to bake something delicious for the first meeting and arrive early to help set up. Janis said little to Lacey as they arranged the chairs, so now Lacey’s concerned that Janis is displeased with the triple-chocolate cake she brought. Had Janis wanted a different flavor? Or another dessert altogether? Lacey can’t focus on what anyone’s saying, too worried that she’s disappointed her sister-in-law.

Even though Belinda belongs to half a dozen other book clubs, she begged her niece, Janis, to include her in this one. An English Lit major in the mid-sixties—until she quit school to get married—Belinda’s confident that she has a wealth of knowledge to impart to the others. Like which tense is best. The proper point of view. How much dialogue is too much. Motivated by the opportunity to flaunt her wisdom, Belinda raced through the entire novel in a single sitting. Only one problem: The book she read was for a different meeting. 

Janis regrets organizing this pathetic event. She’d envisioned a lovely gathering of intelligent women discussing interesting novels and getting better acquainted in the process, but she’s apparently chosen the wrong participants. Did anyone even read the book? It certainly doesn’t seem like it, based on the blank looks she received after asking the questions she’d so carefully crafted. The lively discussion she’d anticipated never materialized, and the only thing anyone talked about during cake-and-coffee time was Lacey’s baking skill. What a waste of energy this evening’s been! Janis clears her throat—and announces that all future meetings have been cancelled. 

Lori Cramer’s short prose has appeared in Ellipsis Zine, Fictive Dream, Flash Boulevard, The Mersey Review, Scaffold, and elsewhere. Her work has been longlisted for the Wigleaf Top 50 and nominated for Best Microfiction. Links to her writing can be found at https://loricramerfiction.wordpress.com. Twitter: @LCramer29. Bluesky: @loricramerwriter.bsky.social.