Heartbreak Cake

The cake was beautiful....It sat in the middle of the table in Josie's bar....Olivia ,her niece, Beverly and her friend, Celeste Tate ,who now was not pregnant...sat around the cake...

Gus the head bartender and owner brought it over and placed it on the table..

"Mabel Jenkins made this cake...She said she was sorry that she couldn't be here tonight..but she said Happy Birthday and enjoy." said Gus.

"Aww tell her thanks Gus."said Celeste.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIVY....."said Celeste...who hugged and kissed her good friend.

''Awww thank you Celeste..This cake is gorgeous...Thank you so much."said Olivia...

"Your birthday is in three days isn't it Beverly?" said Celeste...

"Yeah, but I'll be on my way back to D.C. by then....I just took some days off and came up to Philly to celebrate with my Auntay..."said Beverly...

"The person I wanted to be here to celebrate with me is no where to be found..."said Olivia..

"Where is worthless tonight anyway??Did he give you anything for your birthday?"asked Beverly...

''Well we had quickie sex this morning...and he said Happy Birthday and kissed me after that and left."said Olivia,smiling weakly....

''He didn't buy you anything girl?" asked Celeste, incredulous...

"No his bum ass didn't buy her nothing.......You couldn't melt and pour him on me."said Beverly...

"Liv..Why don't you leave him? You're making good money now..You could easily get another place..It wouldn't be like your house..but it would be all yours..I couldn't put up with his lies and his cheating."asked Celeste..

"I don't know...He was just different at one time...I keep thinking one day he'll change...Someday he'll stop being...well...Him!"mused Olivia..

"Auntay...you keep thinking someday he'll change, you keep saying someday you'll leave that firm and start your own firm.....There are seven days of the week Auntay and someday isn't one of them."said Beverly...

Olivia smiled at her niece...

"How did you get so wise?" she said.

"You taught me that...You told me to go after my dreams..."said Beverly....

II-

Symphony Sam came up to the podium...

"Ladies and Gentlemen.....We have a young man here all the way from New Orleans ,Louisiana....His name is Mr. Donnie Ray Alexander....Show your love for him folks.." he said and the crowd clapped lightly as I came on with my trumpet...

I came on and played a very beautiful and new tune I had just written...I looked straight at Olivia when I played it...

Our eyes locked and I could swear I felt a connection...Like she remembered that we had been married, that we were very much in love...At least in the world I had been in before this strange alternate world I was in now...

"Auntay...That's the crazy man we met the other day..The guy that swears he's married to you and that you and I have some kind of law firm...He plays good...Figures he would be a musician."laughed Beverly...

"I've seen him in here before..He's handsome...Dresses nice and I would swear he's playing that tune just to you Olivia..He's staring daggers at you." said Celeste...

''Wow...Why couldn't I meet a guy like him?  A sane version of him." said Olivia...The three women laughed..

Celeste nudged Beverly....

Olivia's husband, Elwood was in Josies in the back..He had no idea Olivia was in here..

He was busy smiling and talking to Honey Brown , the head barmaid...

"Honey,I swear you get sexier and sexier everytime I lay eyes on you....What are you doing after this place closes?" he said.

"I'm going home ,ALONE!! and you're going home to your wife....Your lyin adulterous ass will never get anymore of this!"she said..

"Awww Honey...That's cold...I'd like to go home with you baby...It would be good."he said.

 "Mannn please...your wife is sitting upfront...It's her birthday...Go wish her a happy birthday or send her a drink or something....Get outta my face."said Honey...

He smiled...and walked away....

Cherry Johnson was sitting alone enjoying a drink when Elwood saddled up next to her..

"Cherry, Cherry,Cherry....I've been dreaming about you..." said Elwood..

"Have you now?" she said dryly.

"Yeah...I haven't been able to get my mind off of you since we last did the damn thing...Remember in the park..In my car...??" he said smiling..

"You dog!!!...It would have been nice of you to tell me that you were married.."she said.

"We bout to get a divorce...Come on, let me go home with you and I'll tell you all about it." he said.

"Uhhh How bout we not?" she said.

"Baby come onnnnn now.." he said.

"Go away.."said Cherry Johnson, who got up and moved away....

Elwood  suddenly felt an entire drink being poured on his head....

Beverly had caught his act and poured an entire drink on him...

"HEYYYYYYYYYYYY, WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU???  This is a very expensive suit!" he said.

"On a very low rent bum....It's your wife's birthday for crying out loud and not only did you not buy her anything, you disrespect her by trying to push up on two women in the same club she's in...You're incredible...This is low...Even for your bum ass"said Beverly...

But Elwood was furious...He stood up and stared Beverly down....I have to give her credit..She has spunk ,She didn't back down...But she'd of been no match for Elwood..

"You know the only reason I've gone easy on you is because you are related to my wife...but you just poured a drink on me...I'm gonna ..."he said...

"You're gonna what? Hit a girl?  No you're not!" I said standing in front of Beverly...

"I don't know who you are, but you'd better get the hell out of my way...This aint got nothin to do with you..."said Elwood...

"You aint gonna hit this girl..."I said.

"No you're not....Elwood...You're not going to hit my niece....I want a divorce...I'm not going to further be humiliated by you in public...I've had enough of you and your shenanigans...I'm tired of finding panties and bras under the seat of MY CAR as well as yours..I'm tired of you cheating on me ,with me being just inches away and I'm tired of you ignoring me and taking me for granted...I'm just tired and you are just tired."she said.

"Livy, baby...boo booo...Come on now...You don't mean this...I was just talkin to two friends of mine is all...It's not what it looked like or what your over imaginative niece here might have thought it was.."he said.

 "Ohh? Cause I sure thought you were flirting with me."said Honey Brown..

"Yeah and I sure thought you were asking me to go home with you."said Cherry Johnson...

"Find somewhere else to sleep tonight...You're not coming back to our place...I'll leave the door open tomorrow..You can come and get your stuff tomorrow...I'll have it boxed up.."said Olivia...

"Olivia...Baby...Come on now..What are you saying?" he said..

"Wow Elwood...You a creep...You ruined my girl's birthday...." said Celeste...

"Why can't anybody mind their gotdamn business around here?" said Elwood, who stomped his foot in anger and stormed out of the bar...

III-

Olivia sat at the table with her niece,Beverly and her friend, Celeste...She was crying profusely...I sent drinks to all of them...

''Who sent these drinks?" asked Celeste and Beverly...

"The trumpet player....Donnie Ray...He said Happy Birthday Olivia and Beverly." said Honey Brown...

"Awwwwww that was sooo nice."said Olivia..who stopped crying and looked at me and smiled weakly...

"I really ought to thank him...He saved me tonight."said Beverly..

"I think he saved both of us baby.."said Olivia ,looking at her niece.

IV-

Symphony Sam took the stage again...

"Ladies and Gentleman...Remember to tip your waitresses...We have a surprise tonight...Sitting in with Mr. Donnie Ray Alexander is a special guest...She's known to all of us...Get on your feet and show your love to vocalist, Ingrid Rhodes yall.." he said as the crowd went wild..



I played...I can't give you anything but love and Ingrid Rhodes sang the hell out of it.

I looked at Olivia the entire time I played it...She looked at me too and for the first time she smiled..

Ingrid noticed it..She smiled at both of us...

I don't know if this was possible, but I was falling in love with Olivia all over again...It was almost like the first time we met in New Orleans, only more extreme...I felt giddy ,like a schoolboy and I played with a wild abandon...

I was oblivious to the fact that I was getting a standing ovation...and that people were screaming and hollering my name...

Singer Ingrid Rhodes hugged me....

"Wow Donnie Ray...you played the hell out of that trumpet...Almost like you were in another world.."she said.

"I feel like I am." I said honestly....I walked to the mike....

"I dedicate that last number to the birthday girl ,Mrs. Olivia Barnes.." I said and bowed...

Olivia blushed...She looked so cute when she blushed....My heart felt like it was about to explode at this very moment...

My set was over...I walked down from the podium...Olivia motioned for me to sit with her..

"Mrs. Barnes...Happy Birthday...Uh Sorry about the other day..I was a little dis-oriented ."I said.

"Have some cake....Thank you....Thank you for coming to my aid the other day...and thank you for coming to the aid of my niece tonight...She means well...but sometimes she acts before she thinks...But thank you again..She was looking out for me..It's time I look out for and stand up for myself.." she said.

"Anytime."I said.

"You know...you said the other day that you thought we were married...Was that just a slick way for you to come on to me?" she asked...

"I uh...I uh guess it was."I said.

"Pretty original....I have to give you that..."she said...

"Where is your niece and your girlfriend?" I asked.

"They're around....I told them I wanted to talk to you...I uh swear I looked at you when you were up there playing and I could swear that I know you, that I've known you for a long time...and that you have played a major part in my life...I swear..Like we knew each other in another life...Another lifetime..It's the craziest thing..Like maybe when you said in another lifetime..You and me, we were married...." she said.

"Crazy aint it?" I said.. "Tonight is your birthday huh?  Shame your uh husband ruined it for you."I said. "I'm sorry...that's none of my business.." I said.

"It's okay....We were happy once...but I've had two miscarriages...and he wanted a child so bad...and since the last miscarriage he's been distant...lying, cheating on me...ignoring me mostly..."she said.

"He's crazy...A baby is a nice thing, a wonderful thing ,don't get me wrong, but there is so much more to you than just a baby maker...You're a beautiful woman...I'm not lying....Any man that had you would be most fortunate..regardless the circumstance...If I had you..I swear I'd cherish the ground you walked on...I wouldn't care...I'm..I'm..I'm just sayin if I..If I had you..."I said.

''You're gallant and sweet..Wow...I sure wish I'd met you first....There's no woman in your life?"she asked.

"I've been engaged twice and both times I was left at the alter....One woman was crazy as a loon, the other woman left me for another man...After I quit the police force in New Orleans..I had nothing to live for ...I moved up here..."I said.

"Why here?" she asked..

"You...I came here to find you or somebody like you.."I said....Where in the hell was I? What world was this where everything I knew had gone sideways as hell?

Olivia laughed...

"Me? You don't even know me..You didn't come here to meet me."she said..

Just then,Beverly and Celeste came back...

"Thank You Mr. Donnie Ray..."said Beverly...

"You used to call me D.R." I said.

Beverly laughed...

"I did? That sounds like me.."she said and laughed..

"Thank you for the drinks...Have some cake Mr. Alexander.." she said...

I sat with the three beautiful women and enjoyed the cake...Heartbreak cake.

(TO BE CONTINUED)