and there was CAKE!!!

Not just any cake, either.

You know what I'm talkin' 'bout!!!

Yes, THAT cake...

pineapple upside-down cake...

and, even though I was almost twenty-five minutes late getting to Asbury, there were still a couple of pieces of it on the dessert table.

Most diners must have opted for the pumpkin pie -

as I almost did -

since this final Wednesday Night Supper offered a meal of Thanksgiving to us -

but my hand darted to the tropical delight with the maraschino cherry instead.

Best of all, it had been made as a single entity, no cut edges anywhere - gorgeous!

So after I ate my salad - having packaged my dinner to go - I sat right there and, in front of God and everyone, I picked up that little cake and ate every bite, pausing to savor each one, eating all around the edges first and saving the center, with its sweet maraschino cherry, as the last bite.

Perfect.

Did I care that folks were watching me as I slowly consumed that treat?

Not even the tiniest bit.

They don't know that April is coming and I need this bit of sweet for that month of so many lost loved ones: Grandma, Sam, Daddy, Mother Pat, Jean Marie.

Now, I'm home again, and it's time to eat the rest of my dinner.

Perfect.