Heartfelt

Heartfelt

Jess slowly made her way along the sidewalk to Porter’s bakery. She did not even realize she had opened the door and walked in until she was standing in front of the cakes. As Jess stood there staring at the cakes she was pulled into the past as she relived her last conversation with Brady.

He had weakly smiled at her from his hospital bed and said, “Babe, a year from now you will go to Porter’s Bakery and buy my favorite chocolate cake and eat a huge slice for me, you will remember the love we have for each other and you will honor our love by moving on.

Somehow my heart will always be with you”. She remembered putting on a brave smile and kissing Brady’s forehead. She could almost feel his hand in hers as she pictured his slightly crooked smile and the way he would slightly raise one eyebrow when he wanted to emphasize how serious he was about something. She remembered forcing herself to laugh as she told him she would eat cake until she was sick and him raising both eyebrows and saying, “Ok, let’s not get too carried away and Babe it’s ok if you find someone else to share that cake with, in fact, I hope you do”. He had made her promise that she would go on to live a happy life and that she would buy that cake and eat a slice for him.

Suddenly she was jostled by someone rushing up to the cake counter. She shook off the heartbreak she was quickly losing herself to and quickly grabbed the last chocolate cake just as someone else also grabbed the box. Suddenly, she found herself in a tug of war over a cake.

She could not lose that cake.

Jess felt desperation she had not felt since a year ago when she begged and pleaded with the doctors and Brady’s parents to not take the final step of turning off his life support. She looked up and into the fiercely determined eyes of an elderly lady who was obviously just as determined as she was to buy that cake. Both women stopped tugging but kept firm grips on the cake. Jess looked at her opponent and said, “Excuse me but this is my cake, I have to have this cake.” The lady looked at Jess and said, “What’s your name sweetie?”. Jess confidently said my name is Jess Skipper. “Well Jess, my name is Abby Jerinigan and this cake does not have your name on it”. She sighed and then said, “The problem is it does not have my name on it either”.

She then asked Jess why this cake is so important to you, do you have to have chocolate there is a nice lemon cake and a fancy cherry cake right there.” Jess told her, “I promised someone special I would buy a chocolate cake from Porter’s today and eat a slice for him”. Abby looked at her for a moment and asked, “Are you sharing this cake with anyone or planning to eat the whole thing by yourself, Jess smiled and said, “It’s just me and my memories”. There was an awkward silence and Jess asked, “Why is this chocolate cake so important to you, won’t the lovely, salted Carmel crunch or the triple berry delight cake work for you?”. Abby looked at Jess as she said,” Today my grandson is celebrating an amazing milestone a year ago we did not think we would get to celebrate. When I asked him what he wanted for his special day he told me the only thing he wanted was one of Porter’s famous chocolate cakes, I was supposed to have ordered this last week but was so busy with the end of the year activities for my kindergarteners that I forgot to place the order”. Jess looked at her for a few seconds and huffed out a breath of course you are a kindergarten teacher, good grief how am I supposed to take a cake from a kindergarten teacher?. Jess let go of the box and thought to herself Brady would understand and maybe they will have a chocolate doughnut or cupcake left. As she turned to ask the clerk if they had either of those Abby touched her arm and said, “Jess won’t you please join us at the park to share this cake with us?”. Jess started to say no but then could picture Brady raising an eyebrow and saying, “say yes, Jess”. Jess said “Ok, but part of my promise was that I would buy the chocolate cake so let me pay for it and I would love to join you”.

As Jess was walking up to a picnic table in the park decorated with balloons and a sign that said Happy 1st birthday Reese she could not help but smile at the cute toddler running around the table saying, “Happy Day Unca Reese”. Just as Jess stepped up to the group Abby rushed over to put her arms around Jess and said welcome. As she was sinking into the first hug she had allowed herself in a year Jess made eye contact with the warmest and most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. It actually made her heart stutter for a moment. Jess said, “Thank you for inviting me your little grandson is a cutie”. Just then a deep voice said, “Why thank you”. Jess turned to find those amazing eyes looking into her own. She was confused until Abby laughed and said, “This is my grandson Reese”. Jess said, "Umm your sign says first birthday”. Reese smiled and looked into the greenest eyes he had ever seen as he felt his heart stutter and said “Yes, this is my first birthday since I had a heart transplant last year”. My family and I did not think I would make it but at the last minute a heart was found and unselfishly given to me with one condition attached, I had to eat chocolate cake from Porter’s Bakery on the first anniversary of my heart transplant.

Eighteen months later in the same park, Jess and Reese shared another delicious cake from Porter’s with a bride and a groom on it as a man who was not actually seen stood there with a smile and one eyebrow raised as he said, “I knew that chocolate cake would work”, and then he looked happily at Jess and knew all was well as he felt the love Jess and Reese would continue to nurture for one another in his heart.