A Piece Of Cake: A Memoir

Sex work didn’t faze Cupcake anymore or make her feel ashamed; she did it to survive, feed her substance use, and forget her past. Cupcake reflects on how quickly she grew up while “living on the streets” (78), eating out of garbage cans and carrying a butter knife for protection. She was found one night after falling unconscious on the street due to alcohol poisoning, and she woke up in the hospital bed. She escaped before they could figure out who she was, confused about how something she loved (alcohol) could “poison” her. Cupcake hitchhiked her way to Hollywood and stayed there for a month. She met a man named Tim at a party who was 25 and who housed and fed Cupcake during that time. Tim was also a drug dealer and ended up getting arrested, which left Cupcake stranded once again. Cupcake doesn’t remember much of her time in Hollywood, because she was constantly taking drugs and alcohol. When some policemen found Cupcake at a park a few days later, she was taken back to Diane’s again.