There'd Better Be A Cake This Time

Back in April of 2000, Aaron, my youngest son, and I visited a sick friend, whom I had not seen for five years. His name was AD. “AD” was not initials for a proper name, but just A, D. His birthday was on April Fools’ Day, and we carried him a homemade fresh frozen coconut cake. He loved coconut cake.

As we entered his room, we were shocked at how he appeared. Colon cancer had ravished his body. Loss of weight, hair, and health had him confined to a wheelchair. He was very pale and feeble. His deterioration had been swift. He had always been full of energy and life. It seemed as though we were visiting a complete stranger.

I will always cherish what AD said as Aaron and I approached him singing “Happy Birthday.” He said, “There’d better be a cake this time.” He tried very hard to smile. Aaron and I laughed and smiled, concealing our sadness at the change in this once-vibrant and carefree person.

There is a story behind his comment. Years before, I had baked a fresh frozen coconut cake for a Baptist men’s cake cook-off. I had carried a piece to work for him. He said, “I love coconut cake!”

I said, “I will bake you one for your birthday.”

AD and I had worked together at the cement plant in Calera for eighteen years. He was a kiln burner and I was his oiler. We became very good friends during our years together. He taught me how to burn, that is, operate the cement kilns. We fished together, cut firewood together, and we visited one another’s churches. AD loved long weekends, when he could travel in a motor home. His goal was to retire and travel over the whole United States.

AD became a shift supervisor (a dream come true for him) and I became a kiln burner. He was not my foreman, but I did work for him occasionally. It was always good working with him. We talked of all the shenanigans we had done together when he burned and I oiled.

On one of his birthdays, he was working twelve-hour evening shifts, coming four hours prior to regular starting time. I got one of Sharon’s Tupperware cake plates. It was yellow and it was empty. I carried it to work; everyone quizzed me about what I had. Well, I had an empty cake plate, but everyone thought I had a cake for AD’s birthday. They commented how good a friend I was to AD. Remember it was April Fools’ Day.

As I entered the control room where AD worked, I held the cake plate as though it had a cake in it. I sang “Happy Birthday” to AD. I know it was mean, but it was funny and would get funnier.

AD said, “Put it in the refrigerator, and I will make some coffee when we can eat it, around six.” I did, and then I went to doing my work. In the meantime, MC (another co-worker with no name, just MC) sneaked out from the plant to buy ice cream. It is amazing what workers will do to add excitement to work, is it not?

The magic hour came, and the birthday boy summoned his two oilers to mission control. AD, MC, and the coffee were ready. AD had plates, ice cream, and napkins ready for a party. Now, I thought for sure that AD had sneaked a preview at the invisible cake, but he had not. I opened the refrigerator, took out the empty cake plate, and opened it, saying, “April Fools’ Day!” It was hilarious. You should have seen the look on the faces of AD and MC. It was my best April Fools’ ever.

So, as Aaron and I took the fresh frozen coconut cake to AD, he had a shine in his eyes as he said, “There’d better be a cake this time.” The chemotherapy had killed his appetite, and he did not want to eat any cake. We left him the cake, and I do not know if he ever did eat any. We did have a good time that day, and Aaron got to hear some of the humorous things AD and I had gotten into during the eighteen years that we worked together.

The last time I spoke to AD he was very sick. I told him I was going to preach a trial sermon at a church. He told me to do my best and that the church would call me if they were smart.

AD went to be with the Lord the weekend I preached the trial sermon at that church. I preached that morning and that evening left early to attend AD’s funeral visitation in Clanton. The church voted one hundred percent to call me as pastor that night. AD and I both celebrated a new beginning that weekend. I thank God for placing AD on my path as I made my journey in life.

            “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” (Proverbs 27:17, KJV)

Do you know someone who is battling sickness, such as cancer? Write his or her name and make a commitment to do something special for them.

What is something funny that has happened at your place of employment?

Who mentored you, and are you a mentor to someone?

This a story from my book I Will Speak Using Stories: A Thirty-one Day Devotional published by AuthorHouse.