Rummy

It took everything in her power not to consume it before she had swiped her card and paid. That single slice of chocolate cake was all that had gotten her through the day. She came every other Saturday and always ordered the same thing. One slice of the chocolate cake. It was not any ordinary chocolate cake, with two layers and some frosting or ganache in-between layers that was topped with basic frosting. No, it was heaven personified. Hazelnuts had been crushed and toasted and sprinkled on top while the filling was something light and airy and sweet. The sponge always seemed to be perfectly textured, not too dense nor too dry.

It was always tough to say goodbye, every other Saturday was so frequent. She never wanted this in life. Thinking of all the people who say goodbye, she fought back a tear as she drowned her sorrows in the cake. Why couldn’t things go back to the way they were before? Before the pain, before the goodbyes. Before. When things were normal and happy? She took another bite of the cake and almost forgot her sorrows. Why do people drink when there is cake like this in the world?

It could be said that drinking is what put her in this situation to begin with. She never asked to make this drive every other week. Or for the debt she’d never be able to pay back. Or for the man she married to be, well, no longer the man she married. He will always live in his new home, and she will always be a stranger to him now. She finished her cake and sighed. Time to go home.

Alone.

Again.

She picked up her purse and put on her coat. Winter was coming and it was windy. Walking to her car she thought about going back in for a second slice but decided against it. Ever since the accident, she hated driving alone at night and avoided it all costs. Once on the road, she looked at the radio and put out her hand out to turn it on, then lowered it again and rode in silence. What would happen if she did not come back?? What would her husband do? Would he even know she did not come? This was too hard. This was not fair.

Once home, she took the dog out for a walk and then got the hot water going for a bath. She soaked in the tub until the water got cold and then went down into the kitchen. She was so tired of being alone. Not for the first time, she thought about divorce. Why not? He would never know. But in her heart that was not possible. Without her, he would have no health insurance. His parents could not help, they had passed years ago. They never had children. She is all he has, and he has no idea.

He sat in his chair. A lady had come to see him today. He knew he should have been happy to see her, he could tell that by the look on her face. She was sad he wasn’t excited. There was something about seeing her today that made him happy though. They played cards, he really liked cards. He had just learned a new game called rummy and she played with him and he won. He went to bed wondering if she would come again soon to play cards with him.

The doctor reviewed the test scans from the day before. It was the same as two weeks ago, and two weeks before that. And farther back than he cared to admit. He thought about the patients in his facility and their families. How grateful they were for their loved ones to have somewhere to go for this type of care. How there was not much to be done for them.

The scan he looked at never changed. The man in the chair looked up and smiled at him, holding a deck of cards. Poor guy never knew what was going on from day to day. He woke up to an almost clean slate, never knowing who was who. He loved cards though. The nurses and orderlies and other patients would always teach him rummy and play hours everyday. He was always the same though. Happy as a clam and clueless. The doctor couldn’t believe he’d been a patient there for over a year. He filed the scan away and turned off his office light, heading to his car. He went home, anxious for tomorrow. Tomorrow there would be a new drug available for testing on the market. Tomorrow was trial day. Tomorrow, he’s celebrate by stopping at the bakery and grabbing a slice of that fantastic chocolate cake.

Original work by J. R. Alderson

Picture from: https://www.glorioustreats.com/chocolate-hazelnut-cake/