It's a Piece of Cake!

The slice of cake sat there between them on the table. Looking soft and moist, the sun glinted mildly off the skin of the glacé cherry inside the deep chocolate layer on top and the jam that sat in the middle of the slice. The velvety ganache dripped down the sides from the top. The mound of cream at the thick end of the slice had been carefully sculpted into a flower with a beautiful ring of gold with a single large diamond sitting in the center. Elly looked so happy as he asked her to marry him, here in their favourite cafe with the chocolate cake she ALWAYS ordered.

But it all changed in an instant as the door behind him opened to “So here you are?”

Elly sat frozen in place no longer looking at the cake as her clear, blue eyes quickly darted between the tall, strong man sitting opposite her and the scrumpled-looking man who had just entered the cafe.

The tall man's smile began to fade into a quizzical expression as he turned to see what had interrupted his plans. Taking in the fact that all the staff were staring at this man, fear and uncertainty in their eyes. He was suddenly glad that they were the only customers in the place.

“What's wrong?” he asked turning back to her.

“That's..........” her voice trailed off as the fear continued to rise inside her. Still unable to move, she took a deep breath and stammered “Ben, it's him, my father.” Ben knew the story, the violence he had used against the family ending in the murder of all of them except her. He knew the fear that she had always carried, that had honed her life, that had miraculously made her one of the most caring and loving people he had ever met.

He'd had occasion to witness this love in action a few times now as she had stood up for random people they had come across in the street being attacked by another person.

It's how they had met in the first place. She had stopped to help a young woman who was being attacked by a couple of idiots, she was only still on the scene when Detective Ben Cooper arrived because she couldn't extricate herself from the terrified, sobbing girl. Having done what was required at the scene Ben had led Elly into this cafe to talk about what had happened. But they ended up talking for hours. Over the intervening 2 years, he had proved himself as someone that Elly could trust heart and soul, and become her home, safe and warm.

There was a slimy smile painted on her father's face like he thought that everything was going to fall into place for him.

Ben twisted for another quick at the man. Coming back to face Elly he caught her chin in his hand and lifted her head slightly so he fixed her focus just onto him.

“You don't have to be so afraid.” Ben realized she had to be the one to crush the man's expectations (whatever they were), she had to be the one to stand up and end this. “You are the most wonderful person I've ever meet, loving, kind, and strong. You can stand your ground with anyone. You're able to defend against any attack. You can end this any way you want.”

The grubby man laughed then as he raised a knife and started slowly towards to table. Ben tried to give Elly and smile of reassurance as he released her face. The movement of the man triggered something in her. She stared into Ben's eyes a half-second longer and then stood up, looking her father square on in the face. The man hesitated, unsure about the certainty that was in her eyes.

“Don't take another step.” She stated in a firm voice. The hesitation became a pause. She glanced at the cake long enough to pull the ring out of the cream.

“You were wrong.” the man glanced around and noticed the badge Ben had pulled slowly from his pocket and placed in conspicuous sight. He glanced around, trying to ascertain if there was an escape route of some kind. If the staff were close enough to use as hostages. But the staff had moved well out of the way as Elly licked the cream off the ring and took 2 small paces forward. As she slid the ring on her finger, she held it out at her father,

“You were wrong to think you could get away with what you did back then.” She took another step.

“You were wrong when you said no one would ever love me.”

Closing the last of the distance between them she moved her extended arm up knocking the knife from his hand and letting it clatter away on the floor.

“I was wrong to have been so afraid of you. To have given your existence one more moment's thought.” Elly placed a hand firmly in the center of his chest and pushed him against the wall. She had glimpsed, out of the corner of her eye 2 police officers coming to take a closer look.

“I have the best life, and it has no place for you.” As the officers entered the room Ben stood and ordered them to arrest this now pathetic-looking mess, reading him his rights as they did.

Elly took a couple of steps back to make room, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. He had indeed been wrong she thought as her hands came together to play with the new ring. He had been wrong and her entire life had been the evidence of that fact.

Elly opened her eyes so she could move to give Ben a big hug and answered “YES!” looking up into his eyes she added, “It would make me so happy to be your wife”.

Ben gave her a big kiss looking at the retreating officers and explaining (mostly as a courtesy) that he had to go and deal with this now.

She beamed back at him, “That's okay I have the chocolate cake to eat”.