Mom's Chocolate Cake

“What do you miss the most about home?” Evan asked.

“Really? You want to do this now?” Aaron questioned.

“When else? I thought we could both use a distraction,” answered Evan.

Aaron leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and let it out as slow as he could manage. He opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Evan for a moment, before facing forward again, staring at nothing in particular.

“There’s so many things,” Aaron said. “Without a doubt though, the thing I miss most is my wife and kids.”

“Ha,” Evan blurted out.

“Something funny about that?” Aaron asked sharply as he turned to look at Evan.

“No, no, I’m sorry about that,” Evan said apologetically. “It just… it just makes my answer seem even dumber. How long have you been married?”

“Almost ten years,” answered Aaron.

“Ten years?” asked Evan, quite surprised. “Surely you can’t be older than maybe... twenty-five?”

A big smile suddenly appeared on Aaron’s face. He looked down, deep in thought, and slowly shook his head. Evan raised his eyebrows and looked over at Aaron, confused.

“You know, it’s funny,” Aaron said. “The things that go through your head at times like this can surprise you. I might not ever see my family again, and all that was going through my mind was Leslie Nielsen.”

“Um… who’s Leslie Nielsen?” Evan asked.

“Really? Damn, you are young,” said Aaron as he leaned his head back to look at the sky. “Don’t worry about it. Anyway, I’m actually thirty-five… and don’t call me Shirley.”

Evan stared blankly at Aaron.

“Forget it, the moment's gone,” Aaron continued. “I am thirty-five though, to answer your original question.”

“Wow, you sure don’t look it,” said Evan. “I’m only twenty-one.”

“Shit, you’re just a kid,” Aaron said as he let out a sigh. “Somehow that makes this worse.”

“If you say so. I don’t think anything could make this worse,” said Evan.

Both men froze as they heard someone yelling off in the distance.

“Never underestimate how bad things can get,” Aaron whispered. “Any situation can always be worse.”

“Wow. Way to stay positive. Very motivational,” Evan said quietly.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening carefully for any sign of activity nearby. When everything remained calm and still, the two men continued their conversation.

“So, what’s your wife’s name?” asked Evan.

“Brandy,” answered Aaron. “Her name is Brandy.”

“How about your kids?” asked Evan.

“My boy is Brandon, and my little girl is Ashley,” Aaron answered in a sad and distant voice.

“How old are they?” asked Evan.

“You’re just full of questions, aren’t you? Does any of this really matter? Aaron asked, becoming annoyed.

“Sorry, I guess I’m just nervous,” said Evan. “Actually, that’s a lie. I’m scared.”

Aaron sighed again and looked over to see Evan with his head down.

“I didn’t mean to… I just miss them,” Aaron said. “And you’re not alone. I’m scared too.”

Evan’s head remained down as he fidgeted with his hands, continuing his silence.

“Brandon is eight and Ashley is four,” said Aaron, trying to restart the conversation.

“It’s okay, man, we don’t have to talk if you’d rather just stay quiet,” Evan said, clearly not wanting to upset Aaron.

“No, you had the right idea,” Aaron admitted. “Talking will take our minds off things. So, what about you? What do you miss the most about home? If I remember right, you said you had a dumb answer that I’d love to hear.”

Evan finally raised his head to look at Aaron.

“It really is pretty dumb compared to your answer,” Evan said.

“Come on, let’s hear it,” Aaron urged.

“Well… I really miss my mom’s chocolate cake,” Evan said with a little smile. “What I wouldn’t give for one more piece of that cake. I can picture it so clearly in my mind. A perfect little triangle-shaped piece of the best chocolate cake you’ve ever had in your life. I swear I can almost taste it. It was the icing that really put it over the top. I don’t know how she made it, but it was incredible. So dark and smooth… it belonged in a five-star restaurant.”

“That must have been some cake,” said Aaron.

“Yeah, it really was, but I guess it’s more just the memories it brings back,” Evan said sadly, lost in thought, before suddenly remembering he wasn’t alone. “But like I said… pretty dumb compared to your answer.”

“It’s not dumb,” Aaron corrected. “You miss what you miss.”

“Yeah, I guess, but I still…” Evan started before he was cut-off by loud yelling, this time much closer than before.

Aaron and Evan looked at each other. They nodded in silent agreement, knowing what needed to be done. The yelling was getting closer by the second. They both lifted their guns and peeked out from the small ditch where they had taken cover.

“Enemy sighted,” Aaron whispered as he looked through the scope on his gun. “They’re coming right towards us.”

“What do we do?” a very panicked Evan asked.

“We don’t have any other options, so I guess we…” Aaron said, but his words were drowned out by sudden shooting.

As the gunfire continued, bullets started to hit the ground directly in front of the two men. They quickly dropped back down into the small ditch.

“I would have liked to meet your wife and kids,” Evan called to Aaron.

“I would have liked that too,” Aaron called back, trying to be heard over the gunfire. “I wish I could’ve tried your mom’s chocolate cake. I could really go for that right now.”

The gunfire died down, just as three different grenades landed, one right after the other, directly between Aaron and Evan.

“Me too,” Evan said as he closed his eyes.