The fussy customer

Peter, the baker was about to call it a day when a man rushes into his bakery.

"I want to have a cake made right now!" the man exclaims.

"Well, I'm sorry," replies Peter. "But I was just closing shop. My staff has left, all my machines have been turned off. I'm afraid you'll have to come back tomorrow."

The man insisted, "I cannot wait till tomorrow. It's absolutely essential that this cake be made right now!"

Now, Peter hated to turn a customer back, so he says, "Let me see what I can do." He goes inside and turns all his machinery back on. He then comes back to the counter and ties on his apron. "Okay, what do you want?"

The man takes out a sketch from his pocket and shows it to Peter. There is a nicely drawn image of a cake." It has to look just like this," says the man. "Exactly one foot wide, eight inches long, and six inches tall. White frosting, light blue icing, and a green cursive "R" in the middle. Just like this."

Somewhat taken aback, Peter ponders the sketch for a few moments and replies. "I think I can do that. I will have it ready in about an hour."

"An hour!" exclaims the man. "That's will be a problem. I need this in 30 minutes."

"30 minutes?" responds Peter. "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 dough. The taste will not be as good though..."

The man replies while checking his watch frantically "I don't care. Just get it done."

So Peter goes back and makes the cake. He works harder and faster than he ever done before, and manages to produce the cake in just about half an hour. He presents it to the man fresh out of the oven. "Will this be adequate?" he asks.

The man takes a measuring tape from his pocket. He checks the length, width, and height very carefully. He then compares it to the sketch. Suddenly, a look of horror comes across his face. "Oh no!" he exclaims. "The 'R' is the wrong shade of green! It has to be the same shade as the sketch. Oh, what will I do now?"

"Relax," says Peter. "If the shade really is a problem I think I can re-ice it. It may take a few more minutes."

"You think you can?" asks the man anxiously. "Well then, please do it fast!"

So the baker quickly takes the cake back and puts on a new "R". A few moments later, he brings it back to man. "There you are. Is this what you wanted?" he asks.

Once again the man examines the cake, checking every detail. He compares the shades of green, and this time decides they're all right. "Okay" says the man quickly, "this is good. Can I pay you now."

"Of course," says Peter, quickly readying the cash register. "The boxes we have available are all over here. You can take your pick."

"Oh no, that won't be required," answers the man. "I'll eat it here."