A Slice Of Victory

"What do you want me to do with this chocolate cake Ares?" Mandi asked while eyeing the beautifully decorated cake on the counter. The missing two pieces, one on each side did nothing to take away from the detail put into the cake. She looked at the back of a auburn colored ponytailed head with fly away strands dancing under the ceiling fan.

"Toss it. It's missing something." The owner of the hair responded while thumbing through a cookbook. "I don't know what it is though." She continued while flipping through pages.

"I mean, it's really not that bad...it's really not that good either though. Maybe if you kept it simple like she did...." The look she received cut her off mid-sentence.

"Mandi, you do know you're my favorite cousin right?" Ares said completely twisting around in her seat, "Why mess that up now?"

Mandi chuckled, then grabbed the cake in all it's splendor and dropped it in the trash. Ares had been working endlessly for the past two weeks trying to make the perfect chocolate cake. The one just discarded was by far, the worst one. The funniest thing about it is that her cousin was an excellent chef. She owned a successful catering business and was actually taught by the best cook in the world. At least in Mandi's opinion.

"I think I added to much baking powder to the cake and not enough cocoa powder to the frosting." She turned back towards the table. Who leaves a cookbook with no measurements? Like really!" She shouted slamming the book closed.

"Maybe you are overthinking it. Maybe you can reach out to Ma or other people in the family. Surly someone knows her exact recipe."

Ares turned in her seat again to face her cousin. Even with her turquoise colored rounded glasses, Mandi still looked like a beauty queen. Her reddish brown complexion contrasted against her long curly black hair showcased their heritage. She closed her eyes before responding. "Mandi, I know the recipe. I can recite it word for word. At least the ingredients. I have studied that darn recipe for the past 10 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes 52 seconds...

"Okay dear cousin, I do think you are exaggerating a tidbit." Mandi bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing at her. Their grandmother had been deceased for 3 months now and for the rest of the family things were just starting to get back to somewhat of a normal routine. Well almost everyone. Due to Ares being raised by her she was having the hardest time adjusting to her being gone. "Breath...now tell me why is it so important that this cake tastes exactly like Grandmeres cake? The four chocolate cakes that you made before this awf...I mean this one, were a huge hit at the church fair last Saturday."

Ares humped her shoulders and let out a loud sigh before turning back around in her seat. No one in the family would understand why it was important for to make a chocolate cake that taste exactly like their late grandmothers cake. She closed her eyes to hold in the tears and then a light bulb clicked on in her head.

Her eyes popped open. "You now what Mandi. You may be on to something. Maybe I will reach out to some family members to get some input on her recipe." She pulled out a note pad and pen out of her purse on the table beside her. "I will start with you first. Grab a seat." She said excitedly.

"Come on! Now we all know I really wasn't around when the food was being cooked, only when it was done." Mandi said patting her stomach causing Ares to chuckle. In fact they both began to laugh. It was a well known truth throughout the family. Mandi couldn't even boil an egg without burning it.

"Besides that obvious fact that cooking is not your forte, you can still tell me how you felt when you had a slice of Grandmere's chocolate cake." Areas patted the end of the table as Mandi pulled up a stool and sat down.

"Let me think, because you do know that Geneva "Ginny" Beaufort, was an outstanding cook. I mean her chocolate cake was a crowd pleaser and you are asking me to put it in words. I don't understand how it will help you with her recipe.

"You let me be the judge of how it will help. You talk and I will write."

"Okay. Let's see, I am thinking. Okay, whenever I would bite into a slice of her chocolate cake I would think about nothing but how good the flavor was. I mean the last time I had a piece of her cake, all I could remember is sitting down and enjoying it down to the last crumb. I honestly think the last time I even licked the plate. Don't judge me. As a teenager, whenever some loser broke my heart she always had a slice of it and a glass of milk waiting for me. The tears would dry up instantly and the loser became just a name. Had I known eight months ago that it would be my last piece ever I would have told her how delicious it was. " Mandi said as her eyes became wet with the memories.

"Did you feel that way about the cake you ate last Saturday. Let me rephrase that. What did Joanna the moocher say about her daughter?"

"She said that she was getting married to someone she met in a internet chatroom that was from the Dominican Republic. Why do you ask....right...nope I didn't feel that way about that cake you made.

Ares closed her notebook. "That was all I needed. I think I am going to visit uncle Everett." She said sliding the notepad and cook book into her bag.

Mandi wiped her eyes and jumped up from her stool. "Let's make a project of it. I'm off the entire day and I'll be your Uber driver for today only." She said grabbing her purse from the counter.

"So exciting. I get to ride in the Tesla! Let's go." Ares said grabbing her jacket and heading for the door. "Could you grab that box of tissue from the living room please on your way out."

"Tissue, why would we need tissue?" Mandi called over her shoulders as she grabbed what was requested.

*********

Four hours and an empty tissue box later they were back at the house where they started.

"So what's the verdict? I didn't hear one measurement from the five family members we visited. I take that back. Uncle Everett did say that he thought she poured a shot of bourbon in the batter. For the most part I feel that all we got were a bunch of memories that made my heart ache for her presence and red eyes from all the tears." Mandi stated while watching Ares get settled at the table while pulling out her notepads and the old cookbook their grandmother left to her.

" I think I got everything I needed. I will have the perfect slice of chocolate cake on the counter tomorrow morning for you to taste." She said reading over her notes.

"If you say so. I am going to leave you too it. I have to treat my puffy eyes." Mandi started to exit the room but stopped at the door and turned back towards her cousin. "Earlier when I asked you why it was so important, you never gave me an answer. I know you had a different bond with her because you grew up in the house with her, making her passing that much harder for you then the rest of us. Grandmere lived a blessed and fruitful life. Not many people can say that they had their grandmother, in her right mind up until the ripe age of 95, but we can. She would be disappointed if you were not living your life to the fullest Ares. Even if it doesn't taste like her cake will you be okay?"

"I understand your concern Mandi, and as the elder cousin I will take it into consideration. I promise it will all make sense in the morning. Did I ever tell you that you are my favorite cousin?" She asked with a smile and then looked back down to study her notes. Mandi left with a chuckle...

Throughout the night she could hear the banging of pots and pans. The sounds of the mixer. The dinging of timers. As much as Mandi wanted to demand that Ares call it a night, she had gotten use to her late night cook sessions ever since she gave up a career as a college professor to became a fulltime caterer. She fell asleep reminiscing of childhood memories shared in this very home.

*****

The next morning she went downstairs to a disaster site instead of a kitchen. Flour was everywhere. The sink was filled with dishes and Ares head was laid on her arms on the table. The only clean part in the kitchen was the counter where a piece of chocolate cake was sitting waiting for her.

"Ares." She said nudging her cousin. "Where is the rest of the cake?" Surely her cousin didn't trash the rest of the cake.

Ares woke up stretching before answering her. She stood up from her chair and did another stretch before dusting flour or maybe baking powder off her apron. Her hair was in a messy bun and cocoa powder was on both cheeks. Her auburn hair had spots of white in it and also what appeared to be a piece of eggshell. For her to have been woken up, her brown eyes were bright as a deer caught in headlights. She went to the counter picked up the slice of cake and handed Mandi a fork and waited for her to taste it. "Be honest and I will tell you what I did with the rest of it."

Mandi smelled the cake. It definitely had a familiar smell but so did the others ones she baked. She took a deep breath before cutting off a piece and stuffing it in her mouth. The cake melted on her tongue. It was delicious. I was as if their grandmother had been reincarnated in this slice of chocolate cake. She slowly set on a stool before taking another bite. The tears started to flow from her eyes. "What....I mean how? It tastes just like Grandmere's chocolate cake!"

Ares rubbed her eyes and then gave a huge smile before answering, "I realized what I was leaving out. It was missing the drunkenness of Uncle Everett's stories. The wisdom of Uncle Roosevelt's conversations. The daintiness of Aunt Flora's views on dating . The genuineness of cousin Anthony's theories on life. The humbleness of Aunt Alma's Jean approach to just about everything. Most importantly the sadness of teenage heartbreak from you. It was never about the measurements. I was so focused on how to distribute the ingredients to capture her essence, that I forget the key ingredient that would make it all come together. It was missing the love of family. I cut the rest up in slices and placed in containers for you to deliver to all the people I just mentioned. I can tell you have stop listening to me so I am going to bed." She said leaving the kitchen with the satisfaction of victory.

Mandi continued to savor her slice of chocolate cake until every crumb had disappeared. She was pretty sure Ares had asked her to do something but she was too distracted by the piece of heaven that was on her plate to care. That one slice of chocolate cake brought back all the loving memories ever shared of their grandmother. She would ask Ares again how she did it..... And definitely licking the plate.