MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL — Sisters, Saturday’s brunch was a beautiful moment of inclusion. We invited Becca, a mom who lives in the Capstone zone and does not have a second kitchen, and she brought a plastic clamshell of grocery-store blueberry muffins.
The muffins still had the price sticker on them ($5.99). We placed them right in the center of the table, between the hand-laminated croissants, the macaron tower, and the charcuterie board shaped like the school crest. That’s how welcome she was.
I’ll be honest, there was a silence. Not a bad silence. Just a long one. Then Blakely picked one up and said, “Oh my gosh, these are so fun,” and we all knew it was going to be okay.
Everyone raved about Becca’s authenticity and bravery. Several members said she was honestly so refreshing. Kinsley told her she was “like a palate cleanser, but as a person,” which was so sweet. Margaux asked if she’d ever thought about getting a little help with the house and offered her cleaning lady’s cousin.
Becca, who works full-time and came straight from her son’s soccer game, seemed to have a great time and ate four macarons. We’ve invited her back next month and sent along a Google Doc, “Brunch Contribution Ideas (Optional!!),” which is eleven pages long. We just want her to feel set up for success.
For the record, every muffin was eaten. We don’t know by whom, and we are not going to find out.