From Scratch Read online

  “That’s why you take the course—to learn.”

  “Oh, no!” I said after reading more. “There’s an accounting section. I would have to learn business math. I hate math!”

  “You use a lot of that kind of math already, Mom. You help Diana with her bookkeeping. Besides, you’re taking the course to learn all that. The teacher won’t expect you to know everything going in.”

  “I guess.”

  “Look,” she said, pointing at the laptop screen. “This is great! It says here that when you’re done, you’ll have all the basic skills you need to work in almost any kind of business office. Classes start later in the morning. You could still work the early-morning shift at the bakery before class.”

  “At least until Diana closes the bakery.” I sat back. Could I really make this happen? Then I shook my head. “Katie, this is all great. But, like you said, I didn’t finish high school. I can’t go to college, not until I get my high school diploma. And I don’t have time to do that now. I have to work.”

  Katie scrolled down the screen. “It says right here you may not need a high school diploma. If you’re a mature student, you can often get into a course because of your work experience. You’ve helped Diana run her business for years.”

  That was true. As Diana’s knee got worse, I’d started helping more and more. Now I helped her with almost everything. I mixed dough and baked, but I also ordered and picked up supplies. I answered the phone and took orders.

  I squinted at the course information on the screen. “But the course starts this week. They won’t take me now. It’s too late. And I don’t even know how to apply.”

  “They might have space and take last-minute applications. Let’s try. We can apply right now.” Katie clicked the Apply Online button. “I’ll help you fill in the form.”

  “But how can I afford it? What if I can’t get another job with early-morning hours after the bakery closes? Can I go to school if I’m collecting employment insurance?”

  Katie checked the government site. “Hmm. Maybe, maybe not. You must prove that you are trying to find a job. If you do find work during class hours, you have to quit going to school.”

  She clicked back on the college website. “But you may be able to get money for school elsewhere. There are college grants and bursaries for mature people like you who are improving their work skills. Then there are student loans. Tomorrow we’ll talk to the education advisor at the college about how to pay for your course. She can help us figure that out.”

  “Even if I can get funding for the course, that money won’t cover all our expenses. I still have to pay rent. And I doubt we’ll get enough from grants and student loans.”

  “I saw a sign in the window of the donut shop in town,” Katie said. “They’re hiring now that summer is over. The students that worked at that café are going back to school. You could get a job there while you finish the course. With your experience working at the bakery, I know they would hire you.”

  “I should just take a full-time job there and forget about the course.”

  “Mom, taking this course will help you get a better job.” My daughter took my hand. “I know this all seems scary,” she said. “I was nervous when I started college last fall. Everything was so new. I wasn’t sure I could handle it all.”

  “You were nervous?” I asked. “You always seem so confident, so sure of yourself.”

  “You helped me. When things got hard, I always knew I had a safe place to come home to. To you.” She patted my hand. “Now it’s my turn to help you. I’ll drop a class so you can afford to do this. I’ll take a job at the donut shop too. We’ll piece together enough to get by.”

  “Oh, Katie. I don’t want you to do that.”

  “A lot of my friends have to work while they go to school, Mom. It’s just the way it is. I can make up the dropped course over the summer. Or online.” She grinned. “Come on! Once you get used to school, I know you’ll have fun. I’ll help out more around the house so you have time to do your homework.”

  “You already do your share.”

  “Mom, you’ve given up so much for me. Let me help you now. Isn’t it time you started thinking about yourself ?”

  I laughed. “Diana said the same thing today.”

  “Take it as a sign,” Katie said.

  I started to feel excited. Maybe Diana and my daughter were right. I could take this college course and try something new.

  “Okay,” I said. “Let’s apply for that course, before I change my mind.”

  Katie and I went to work, filling out the application form. When we were done, Katie said, “Let’s celebrate!” She eyed the plastic container I had brought home from the bakery, as I did each night. Diana let me take some of the baked goods that hadn’t sold. “What did you bring home this time?”

  I opened the lid and offered her Murray’s favorites, my oatmeal doily cookies.

  Three

  As soon as I walked into the college classroom my first day, I knew I had overdressed. I’d worn the one dress I owned, bought for Katie’s high school graduation. All the other women in the class wore jeans and T-shirts. A few even wore yoga pants.

  I sat at the back by the door and pulled out a notepad from my bag. My hands were sweaty, I was so nervous.

  I stared at the computer monitor in front of me. There was a computer in front of every student. That made me even more nervous. I did use the computer at the bakery to send brief emails as I ordered supplies. But I wasn’t sure how to use the word-processing software. How would I organize files on this thing? Would I make a fool of myself ? I took a deep breath to calm down. As Katie said, I was here to learn all that.

  Our teacher introduced herself as Heather, and she wasn’t what I’d expected. She was quite a bit younger than me, and pretty. She was dressed smartly but casually. Heather asked students to introduce themselves. When it was my turn, I mumbled my name with my head down. I was used to serving people at Diana’s bakery, but I didn’t like a crowd looking at me.

  Heather told us what textbooks we would have to buy from the college bookstore. She handed out sheets that explained how we would be marked. Then she told us about all the things we would learn in the course.

  “In this first month, you’ll learn how to use a computer to organize files. We’ll also write letters and reports. We’ll do other things too, like make ads and pamphlets for promoting a business. How many of you have a laptop at home?”

  Everyone in the room raised a hand. I slowly put up mine as well. I didn’t own a laptop, but Katie did, of course. I had worked extra hours for Diana so I could buy it for Katie’s birthday. She needed it at college.

  “And how many of you are on social media?” Heather asked. “Facebook? Twitter?”

  Again all the other women put up their hands. I was the only one who didn’t. I suddenly felt old, out of it.

  “Later we’ll learn how to use the Internet to find information,” Heather said. “And to promote a business. Okay, let’s get started!”

  For the rest of the first class, Heather showed us how to log into the online classroom, where we would do a lot of our work. This Internet site looked confusing at first. I took careful notes in case I forgot something later. At the end of the first class I felt like my head was spinning. Everything was new, and there was so much to take in. I kept telling myself that Katie had felt the same way when she first went to college.

  The first week of classes went by quickly. We practiced typing for part of the day. Then we learned computer skills. I worked hard on my assignments and got Katie’s help in the evenings. I made sure I handed everything in to my teacher on time. On top of that, I worked the morning shift at Diana’s bakery. By the end of the week I was really tired.

  As everyone in the class packed up for the day on Friday, my teacher came over to my table. “Eva, can you stay a few minutes?” she asked. “I’d like to tal
k with you.”

  “Have I done something wrong?” I asked.

  “No, no, nothing like that,” she said.

  Still, I fretted as I waited for the others to leave. I hadn’t received my marks from the week’s assignments yet. Maybe I wasn’t smart enough to be in this class.

  After the last student had left the room, I said, “I’m sorry if my work isn’t good enough. I haven’t been in a classroom for a long time. I’ll try harder.”

  Heather smiled. “Your work is really good, Eva. I was just a little worried about you. You haven’t said anything in class all week. A good part of your mark comes from taking part in class. You’ll have to answer questions and work in groups. Learning to communicate, to talk with others, is a big part of every business. In the workplace, you’ll have to greet people and answer the phone. You’ll also have to exchange information and ideas with the people you work with.”

  “I do all that at the bakery,” I said. I fiddled with the backpack I’d borrowed from my daughter. “I don’t know anyone in the class. And like I said, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in school. Being here makes me nervous.”

  Heather nodded. “Students who sit by the door usually aren’t sure if they should be here or not. But Eva, you do belong here. Look.” She handed me my week’s assignments. I was surprised to see that I’d gotten good marks on most of them.

  “I saw on your application that you didn’t finish high school,” Heather said. “Judging from your work, you must have taken courses over the years.”

  “No. I’ve worked at the same bakery for many years. Now Diana is closing it down. She’s retiring and couldn’t find a buyer.”

  “Diana is your boss?”

  “Yes. She owns the bakery in the strip mall just out of town.”

  “You’re soon out of a job then?”

  “That’s why I’m taking this course,” I said. “I only know how to bake. I need the skills I will learn here to get another job.”

  “Well, you clearly learned a lot about running a business from working with Diana,” Heather said. “Looks like you’re going to be one of my star students.”

  “Really?” I stood a little straighter. “I’ve been so worried I wouldn’t be able to find work. In fact, I wasn’t sure I could do the work in this course.”

  “From what I see in your assignments, you have a natural business sense. Have you ever thought of starting your own business?”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

  “Most of us know more than we think we do. Tell me what you do at the bakery.”

  I paused to think. “On the early-morning shift, I start up the big ovens and mix the dough.”

  “I bet you use math there, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I guess I do. It’s important that everything is measured the same each time. Otherwise the cookies and breads won’t taste the same. Once the dough is mixed, I form the cookies or pastries and put them in the oven.”

  “You use your hands, work fast.”

  I laughed. She had that right. I worked up a sweat in the kitchen. “There’s so much to do,” I said. “I have to be really organized. Everything must be planned out ahead of time. The kitchen has to be tidy, with everything in its place.”

  “See? You already have math and organizational skills. If you can do that, you can organize files on your computer and do some basic accounting.”

  “I also help Diana with her bookkeeping,” I said. My teacher was right. I did have more skills than I’d thought.

  “And you clearly love what you do,” Heather said. “Your face lights up when you talk about working in the kitchen.”

  “I do love it. I hate the thought of leaving the bakery.”

  Heather smiled. “So why aren’t you running your own small business, selling your own baked goods?”

  I stopped to think for a moment. Maybe I could run Diana’s bakery. There was just one big thing I lacked. “I don’t have enough money,” I said.

  She jotted down the name of a website on a piece of paper and gave it to me. “Check out this organization on the Internet. They offer loans and advice to small businesses. They may be able to help. You will need a business plan before you ask them for a loan. They’ll want to see it. In any case, creating that plan is the first step to starting any business.”

  I took the website address she offered me. “I don’t really know what a business plan is.”

  “You’re a baker, so think of a business plan as a recipe for making your business. You list the things you need first. Then you write down how to mix those ingredients together to make it happen.”

  “I make a list of the equipment I need. And the supplies.”

  “Yes, and where will you make your baked goods? Who will you sell them to? How much will the equipment and rent cost? How much money do you already have? Where will you get the rest of the money you need? A good business plan may convince an investor to lend you the money to start your business.”

  She pointed at the Internet address she had just given me. “You’ll find a sample business plan on this website. You can use that to make your own plan.”

  “My own recipe for baking up a business, you mean,” I said, grinning. When I said it like that, making a business plan didn’t seem so hard. I created and tested new recipes all the time. But after thinking about it a moment, I said, “I just can’t see myself running my own business. There’s so much to think about.”

  “Well, when you’re finished this course, you certainly won’t have any trouble finding a job working for someone else,” Heather said. She smiled. “Though you could use some help with your writing.” She tapped my assignments. She had circled spelling mistakes and made corrections on many of them.

  “My daughter said she would help me with that,” I said. “She’s going to college here as well.”

  “It’s good to have someone to study with at home. But I’m here to help too. I can always stay after class to work with you.”

  “You would do that?”

  “As I said, you are one of my star students.”

  I felt giddy as I picked up my backpack to leave.

  Heather called to me before I went out the door. “And Eva, if you change your mind about starting up a small business, let me know. Maybe I can help.”

  I smiled in response, but the idea of owning a business seemed out of my reach. Still, I pocketed the website address my teacher had given me.

  Four

  The next morning I felt happy. I hummed as I whipped together the day’s batch of doily cookies and served customers. When I caught Murray watching me from his table, I actually smiled at him. All of a sudden I didn’t feel so shy around him anymore. My teacher’s encouragement had given me new confidence.

  “What’s got into you?” Diana asked. She glanced at Murray, who was still grinning at me. “Did you take my advice and finally have that date with Murray?”

  “No!” I slapped Diana playfully on the arm. “Stop teasing me about Murray.”

  “Why are you so chipper then?”

  “My teacher says I’m her star student.”

  “Of course you are! I don’t know why you feel you need to take that course. You do everything I do around here. You could be running this bakery yourself.”

  “Oh, but I’m learning so much,” I said. “I’m already typing much faster, and I’m a lot more comfortable using the computer now. Last night Katie helped me set up a Facebook account. We should have made a Facebook page for the bakery. You could have used social media to bring in more customers.” I paused. “But I guess now that you’re closing, it’s too late for that.”

  One of our regular customers, Lucy, came up to the counter. She handed me a twenty to pay for the tea and shortbread cookies I had brought her earlier. She was in her eighties, frail and bent over. She needed a cane, and yet she made a point of walking her dog from
her house to the bakery twice a day, morning and afternoon.

  “Leaving already?” I asked her.

  “I was late getting out this morning. If I don’t hurry back, I’ll miss my show.”

  I handed her the change.

  “Did I hear right that you’re closing shop?” she asked Diana. She must have overheard our conversation.

  “Have to,” Diana said. “My knee operation is next month. I can’t bake if I can’t stand all day.”

  Lucy turned to me, looking worried. “Can’t you take over?”

  “I only work here, Lucy,” I said. “I don’t have the money to buy the bakery.”

  “Can’t you manage it while Diana’s away?”

  “Eva couldn’t run the place by herself,” said Diana. “And I can’t afford to pay someone else to help her, not over the winter. Besides, it’s time for me to retire. I can’t keep the bakery open any longer.”

  “Well, what am I going to do?” Lucy asked. “This is the only company I’ve got, other than my dog.” She looked around at the regulars. Many nodded in agreement.

  “I’m sure your kids will visit you,” Diana said, trying to lighten Lucy’s mood.

  “They live too far away,” Lucy said. “I’ll be stuck in that house all alone.”

  I put a hand on her arm. “You won’t be alone,” I said. “I’ll make a point of visiting. I’ll bring Katie. You remember my daughter.”

  “You’d do that? Bring me some of your shortbread too?”

  I laughed. “Of course.”

  “Maybe it won’t be so bad then,” she said.

  I patted her hand before she turned to leave.

  “It’s funny Lucy asked me if I would run the bakery,” I said to my boss. “My teacher said I should think about running my own business.”

  “I wish you could take over the bakery.” Diana waved at Lucy as she left. I waved at her too as Murray opened the door for her. We all watched as the old woman walked her dog back down the road. Murray joined us at the counter, holding his hat. I found myself disappointed to realize he was about to leave too.