Is This B00?
A baker is just getting ready to lock his front door when a woman rushes up. "I need to have a cake made right now!" she exclaims.
"I'm sorry," replies the baker. "But I was just closing up. I've dismissed my staff; I've shut down my machines; I'm afraid you'll have to come back tomorrow."
"I can't wait until tomorrow!" insists the woman. "It's absolutely imperative that this cake be made right now!"
The baker always liked to think of himself as a nice guy, so he says, "All right, I'll see what I can do." He goes inside and turns all his appliances back on. He then approaches the counter and ties on his apron. "Okay, what is it you need?"
The woman whips out a sketch from her pocket. It's a very well drawn depiction of a cake. "It has to look just like this," says the woman. "Exactly one foot wide, one foot long, and six inches tall. White icing, blue icing, and a red "B" in the middle. Just like this."
Somewhat startled, the baker ponders the sketch for a few moments and replies. "I think I can do that. It will be ready in about half an hour."
"Half an hour!?" exclaims the woman. "That won't do. I need this in fifteen minutes."
"Fifteen minutes?" responds the baker. "I'm not sure I can do that. I suppose I might be able to get it done that fast if I used some pre-made cake mix. It wouldn't taste as good but."
"I don't care. Just get to it, please," blurts the woman, while checking her watch frantically.
So the baker goes back and makes the cake. He works faster than he ever has before, and somehow produces the cake in just under fifteen minutes. He presents it to the woman fresh out of the oven. "Will this be sufficient?" he asks.
The woman takes a measuring tape from her pocket. She checks the length, width, and height very carefully. She then compares it to the sketch. Suddenly, a look of horror comes across her face. "No no!" she exclaims. "The 'B' is the wrong shade of red! It has to be the same shade as the sketch. Oh, what will I do now??"
"Calm down," says the baker. "If the shade really is a problem I think I can re-ice it. It may take a few more minutes..."
"You can?" asks the woman anxiously. "Well please, get going!"
So the baker quickly takes the cake back and puts on a new "B". A few minutes later he brings it back to the visibly distraught woman. "There you go. Is this what you were looking for?" he asks.
Once again the woman scrutinizes the cake, checking every detail. She compares the shades of red, and this time decides they're all right. "Okay" says the woman quickly, "this is good. Can I pay you now."
"Of course," says the baker, hastily readying the cash register. "Now, the boxes we have available are over here. Do you want to pick one out?"
"Oh no, that won't be necessary," answers the woman. "I'll eat it here."