Sweet Revenge
It had looked like the opportunity for revenge would be a bust. Countless ideas, that seemed perfect at first ended up being discarded as either too gross or plain cruel in the long run.
Until yesterday.
Lunch at Nedlingers changed everything. While enjoying the hour away from the office, an overheard conversation at the next table, revealed to the spy that ‘Operation: Sweet Revenge’ could now go from inactive status to active.
From what the spy overheard, three possible scenarios presented themselves. Hopefully, one would work. A review of the hastily written notes showed only two items needed to be purchased. A trip to the cooking supply store garnered the first.
Later that evening, two dozen jelly donuts nestled in boxes sat on the kitchen table. Trial and error would shrink the number down a bit, but still more than enough to get the job done.
The first test entailed placing a donut on a plate in the microwave, using ten-second bursts of heat. Supposedly, this would melt the jelly filling, allowing it to run out when held upside down. By the time the jelly oozed out, the donut itself looked wet and soggy.
Scratch that method.
The next technique required a straw inserted into the donut hole and the jelly sucked out. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy to get the straw in just the right spot. On the first attempt, the straw speared all the way through the donut. The second attempt had been successful, but had taken entirely too long to achieve results.
Another failure.
The last idea involved the use of baking syringes. This had to work. With a prayer to the gods of revenge, the operative inserted a baking syringe into the hole and pulled the plunger back. When the jelly filled the syringe, the spy grinned. It took two insertions of the syringe to remove the majority of the jelly leaving a mostly vacant cavity.
Next, another syringe carefully refilled the empty cavity with ketchup. A dab of leftover jelly--squirted over the top of the ketchup, camouflaged the exchange of centers. It wouldn’t be beneficial to have someone suspect tampering of the product before biting into it.
A taste test revealed that while not great tasting, they weren’t overly gross either.
An hour later, all the ‘doctored’ donuts rested on a tray. Ten minutes in the freezer helped the jelly to congeal again.
Removing the puffy pillows of payback from the freezer, a careful inspection ensued. Discarding any that ketchup overflowed or with telltale signs of fingerprints.
The perfect dozen donuts sat nestled in a box, ready to exact revenge on the unsuspecting victims. Now, who would be the first to bite into the ‘bait’? The answer remained a mystery until tomorrow morning.
***
The unopened box of donuts sat innocently in the center of the conference table, next to a stack of napkins, waiting for the first patsy.
“Okay, everyone time to get this meeting started.” Billy entered the conference room. His eyes zeroed in on the box. “And who do we have to thank for the morning refreshments?”
“I don’t know, Sir,” Amanda said. “They were here when I came in.”
“Beats me.” Lee shrugged his shoulders then took a drink of coffee.
Billy opened the box. “Jelly, my favorite.” He rubbed his hands in anticipation, pulled one out, and placed it on a napkin. “Help yourselves.”
“I’ve already had breakfast,” Amanda stated.
“A little donut won’t hurt. Go ahead and take one.”
“I guess so.” Amanda rose and took one, placing it on the napkin in front of her.
All the other agents followed suit.
“First things first.” Billy took a bite of his donut and began to chew. “What the hell?” He tossed the donut down onto the table and took a large gulp of coffee. “That’s not jelly,” he sputtered.
Beaman split the donut in half and leaned over the table to sniff it. His finger poked into the red center and he brought it to his lips to taste. “It’s ketchup.”
“What!” Lee had been about to take a bite instead he squeezed his donut and red splotches appeared on his tie and shirt. He frantically rubbed at the offending spots with a napkin, making them bigger and deeply embedded into the fabric.
“Oh my gosh! Who would do such a thing?” Amanda pushed her uneaten donut away from her.
“Who could defile something as delicious as a jelly donut?” Billy sat back in his chair, a look of disgust on his features.
“I don’t know, but I love ‘em.” Leatherneck licked his fingers. “I used to put ketchup on everything when I was a kid. Mashed potatoes, meat, fruit, and vegetables, even ice cream. This brings back happy memories.” He took another, began to eat it, his eyes closed and he smacked his lips. “Yumm….”
Francine cleared her throat, pulled a big red sign with blue printing and smiley faces scattered around the border. In big letters it read:
‘April Fool.’
Francine laughed. “Remember last year when you pulled that stunt on me?”
“What stunt…” Billy’s eyebrows furrowed. “Oh yeah, the king. Now I remember. We got you good.” His mouth curved in a smile.
“And now I’ve gotten you all back. This is my revenge for that little prank. Paybacks, aren’t they sweet!” Francine smirked as she rose and left the room, her head held high.
Lee watched Francine leave. Just wait. She would pay for ruining a good shirt and tie. He glanced down in disgust at his stained clothing.
The End
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King and its characters belong to WB and Shoot the Moon Productions. No infringement is intended. This is written for entertainment purposes only. Please do not redistribute or reproduce this story without my permission.
Thanks to Sue for being my beta and giving me some ideas on how to expand this little story.
Thanks to Sue for being my beta and giving me some ideas on how to expand this little story.
Author's Chapter Notes:
This story is a sequel to ‘Francine and the King.’