Chocolate Dreams

“The attention you place into preparing your pan is very important, Emily. The cake is the masterpiece, but the pan is the foundation. If you are careless with preparing your baking pan, then your cake will never reach its full potential. Always build your foundation with love and care. That is what people will feel as they take their first anticipated bite. Cooking is love. You place love into everything you prepare as it nourishes the person eating it. Food can fill the stomach, but well prepared food can fill the soul.”

Emily’s mom’s words never left her. They had become a part of her, and in turn, a part of each creation she nurtured in the kitchen. That is the way she felt about preparing dishes. She nurtured each one with her time, her patience, her love and good intentions.

As she had learned from her mom, it is not just about knowing how to combine the right ingredients, but how to let the joy you feel from cooking, immerse itself into each morsel. She allowed each dish to take on a life of its own. When you cook, you create something wonderful and life giving. Your senses are captivated. You are satisfying the sense of smell, taste and touch. A person sits down, and allows their senses and mind to relax into the possibilities of things changing for the better.

If the local little league team came into her diner worn and defeated, she made her famous mac and cheese, creamy with hopes for a victorious day, rich and buttery with the knowledge that a loss only prepares you for a well deserved victory.

Her dishes were her gifts to whomever she fed. Ice cream truffles for a broken heart or the flavorful goodness of chicken soup for someone not quite feeling well; each creation incited the feeling of care and possibilities. The little napkins she placed near each plate only added encouragement with the special messages lovingly scripted on each one.

“Today is just one step towards a perfect tomorrow.”

“Rain only washes away what needed to be cleansed; the sun shines on the growth of what’s to come.”

“When you feel you can’t take another step, stand still and bask in the knowledge of how far you have already come.”

Three cups of flour, three cups of sugar, buttermilk, eggs, cocoa powder of the highest quality; Emily reached for each ingredient like it was second nature. Today was Chocolate Dream Day. Today, Emily was making her famous triple layer chocolate cake with a chocolate cream cheese frosting. She made it when she felt her customers needed to remember the love of home and family, when people needed to remember how special they are - when broken hearts needed to know that love is all around them. A person just has to look up to see it, to remember that dreams are the beginning of a fulfilling reality.

The cake batter finished and in the oven, allowed Emily to work on the frosting. Eight ounces of cream cheese, eight cups of powdered sugar, one and a half cups of softened butter, one and a half cups of cocoa powder, and blend with love until it is light and fluffy. She whipped the chocolaty goodness together with her intentions of everyone working to blend their dreams into a stable reality.

The tables were already set for the customers, and the napkins lovingly folded displaying today’s words.

“Taste your dreams like a rich indulgence and believe that you are worth achieving all you work to create, nothing is impossible.”

The timer chimed, signaling the cakes were ready to come out of the oven and cool. She dipped a small spoon into the frosting and closed her eyes as she felt as if she was floating on a plush and fluffy cloud. Each layer of flavor drifted over her tongue like a piece of silk drifting over a calm brook; perfection.

Rachel and Bridgett, her servers, suddenly walked in to help get ready for the lunchtime crush.

“Hi Em.” They greeted her in unison. They were sisters in their early twenties, one year apart. They were always on time and always had a genuine smile for the customers.

“Hi Rachel, hi Bridgette, just finished frosting the last cake.”

She swiped the spatula one last time over the cake with flourish.

“Frosted with love and precision.” She said jokingly.

They smiled, eyes glued to the counter full of cakes.

“It smells heavenly in here. I hope you have one hidden away for us.” Rachel said picking one up to take to the display case.

“Always, I don’t want you two fighting the customers for the last slice.” She smiled and handed Bridgett another cake before she followed her with a third.

“No, I guess that wouldn’t be good for business, death by chocolate, but what a way to go.” Rachel joked.

The diner was busier than usual. Emily passed a large slice of chocolate cake to a handsome guy and his beautiful girlfriend to enjoy. If they looked in love before, as they slid rich delicious chocolate cake into each other’s mouths, they now looked as though one might propose to the other at any moment.

The tiny bell over the door tinkled announcing a new customer. It was a young mother and her daughter who looked to be about six years old. She held onto her mother’s hand and they both looked around as though they might be asked to leave at any moment. Emily saw the worry in the young mother’s eyes and the trepidation of the little girl, and her heart went out to them immediately.

She grabbed two menus and went over to greet them. “Welcome to Emily’s Diner. I’m Emily. And who is this Summer Princess?” She looked down at the little girl with a smile.

“This is my daughter Sara and I’m Rose. Say hello Sara.” The mother answered.

“Hi.” Sara answered in a soft, shy voice.

“Well hello Sara. It’s a pleasure to meet you. What an honor to have a princess come visit us. Step this way your highness…Rose, welcome. ” Emily led them to a little booth by the window. Bridgette had just finished clearing and resetting the table.

They slid into the booth and Emily handed them the menus. “We have some wonderful things on the menu…” Emily began.

“No, no thank you. We will just have the house soup and two bowls please." "If that is alright?” It was a statement, but it came out as if she was asking a question.

“Of course Rose, whatever you like. Bridgette, your waitress, will bring it right over. How about something to drink? We have a variety…”

“Water Please.” Rose cut her off again. “Just ice water will be fine.” She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“That will be fine Rose, soup and two waters coming right up.” Emily collected the menus and went to make their order.

Her soup of the day was an all time favorite. It was hearty chicken noodle soup made from scratch, served with fresh baked bread sticks coated with a garlic and herb butter glaze. The soup could comfort the most troubled soul. She filled one large serving bowl, and set out two bowls with the bread sticks for Bridgette to take over to their table.

Emily watched as Rose looked almost shocked at the large portions that Bridgette set down for them. She saw Bridgette smile as she poured their ice waters assuring them that the large bowl of soup was indeed the reasonable price listed on the menu.

Rose ladled soup into her daughters bowl with the serving spoon Emily provided, and then served some to herself. She warned her daughter to blow on the soup before she ate it, and proceeded to enjoy her own. The soup filled their mouths with comforting flavors of herbs and rich chicken broth. The vegetables were hearty and the chicken was tender and delicious. Each spoonful made Rose and her daughter feel like they were home, safe, stable and fully loved.

Sara was usually a picky eater, but the look of adoration and trust her daughter had on her face as she dipped into her soup and bit into the soft buttery breadsticks, made Rose want to cry. Since the death of her husband and Sara’s father in a tragic car accident, they had not felt as if they belonged in this new town with the tiny two bedroom house they had moved into.

Everyone was friendly enough but, without Brandon, Sara was the only thing that was keeping her from feeling like she would crack at any moment into a thousand pieces. Life was too short and she felt like they hadn't had enough time. Sara hadn't had enough time to grow up and create memories with her father that would last into adulthood.

Brandon adored Sara of course, from the first moment she was born, and they had bonded like two old friends. They simply lit each other up. When he passed, Sara’s light, that special energy and zest she had for life, dimmed down. Something about this simple lunch had her daughter shining with the tiniest glimmer of hope. It had the same effect on her.

“How did you enjoy the soup Summer Princess?” Emily had come over to the table just as they had eaten the last of the soup.

“It was wonderful.” Mother and daughter answered at the same time and then looked shyly at their empty bowls.

“Wonderful, then I hope you made room for our Chocolate Dream Cake. This is the last large slice your highness and I was hoping that you and your mom could finish it off for me.”

Emily sat a large piece of the moist and creamy chocolate confection on the table between them, producing two small dessert forks and saucers. They both looked at it in awe.

“No, we couldn’t possibly.” Rose began.

“Of course you can, it’s on the house. How can we not honor a princess when she has come into town to dine with us?” Emily set the two forks on the printed napkins and the saucers in front of them, causing Rose to pay attention to the special message written there.

“Taste your dreams like a rich indulgence and believe that you are worth achieving all you work to create, nothing is impossible.”

“Enjoy.” Emily said with a smile and walked away.

Rose sliced the cake in half and placed it on the saucer in front of her daughter. She did the same for herself. Sara looked at the cake like a gift from heaven and pressed her little fork into the moist richness. Chocolate frosting clung and wrapped itself around their forks like a gentle embrace.

As the first taste of the cake melted into their mouths, they thought they must be dreaming. The rich chocolate notes with hints of butter, cream, and vanilla made love seem imminent, and the future seems possible. They had of course eaten chocolate cake before, but the flavors and indulgence of this cake seemed healing, hopeful, and nourishing. It was like a missing piece in their hearts was being filled with new life. It felt like love.

She suddenly felt Brandon near, as though he was letting them know that everything was ok. There were more things to enjoy, more things to savor in this life, and his love would not, could not, ever die or leave them.

Rose looked up and saw Emily smiling with understanding at her across the room. She knew in that moment that all would be well. Sitting here in this diner having lunch with her daughter, having eaten heavenly soup and this slice of decadent chocolate cake, somehow let her know that she had a hopeful reality ahead of her; filled with sweet and precious dreams to look forward to in the years to come.