Made with Love

Cole wakes up before dawn each morning. He cleans himself up and starts tying up an apron on him. He’s small but determined. He doesn’t speak. He can’t. He doesn’t let it get him down. He found a language he can speak in without any trouble. He starts by making working the dough he let rise overnight. He knows his town and knows them well by now. After he is done with his pastries, he packages them carefully just as the sun starts to peak. It’s still early, but that never deters Cole.

Cole puts his packages and bags into a wagon and starts walking down the street. The smell of sugary sweets fills the air as he takes his route. The first person he greets is Connor O’Hari, the local officer, checking to make sure the streets are safe for the morning run. Cole waives him down.

“Ah, Cole, top o’ the morning to ya, lad. Doing your runs, eh?” Connor grins. Cole nods, a smile on his face as he observes the cop. After a quick look over, he reaches into a bag and pulls out a large bear claw with freshly chopped almonds on it. Connor grimaces now. Cole knows him too well. “Ah, thank ye lad. I suppose I did have a rough time last night.” Cole nods and gives a sympathetic smile.

He could always tell when the beat hit Connor hard. Bear Claws with fresh almonds were always a way to cheer him up. Cole waived and left, walking down the street with more treats to hand out.

Cole passed by the florist shop and saw two people arguing. He rolled his eyes and managed to get their attention before handing them some special heart bagels he had made. The two instantly started cooing and commenting on how cute it was and going back to talking normal to each other, even apologizing for the argument. Cole left them with a smile.

Cole walked past a bus stop where some children were getting ready for school. He handed out small bags of donut holes, in each child’s favorite flavor. “Thank you, Cole!” The children grinned.

He even waited for the bus driver, so he could hand her a large donut with chocolate and sprinkles. “Ah, shucks, Cole. You’re still a sweetheart.” She chuckled, accepting the treat from her former passenger.

Cole just grins and heads towards the railyard. He not only has sweets for the yard men, but also their lunches as well. Egg salad sandwiches for lunch, and then large cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Or vice versa. To Cole, a meal is a way to communicate, and he hopes that they all have a good day at work.

Cole finishes up his rounds as he arrives at an old food truck. He unlocks the truck, checks the ingredients and everything else to make sure it’s still clean and good, though he had done so the night before, and buckles himself into the driver’s seat. He drives the truck to the park by the school where they are doing a family fair that day. He sets up and opens up just as the families arrive to play. He smiles as many come over, asking for his signature dish; a sort of donut or bagel bite with a random filling in it. Cole knew they would ask for it. They always do. He takes note of each person who orders and gets them exactly what they need from the “Surprise Dough!”. Each person’s surprise is more personalized than they probably realize.

For the child who feels down that he lost the race, there’s a chocolate donut hole with soft vanilla ice cream filling in it for him, instantly cheering him up. For the little girl who won the jumping contest, there’s a strawberry donut hole with orange cream inside to keep her energy up. For the tired parents with the new baby, there’s a special bagel that’s dusted with coffee powder and filled with rich cream cheese, allowing for a real wakeup call to focus on their eldest child’s school fair and keep an eye on the baby.

When the day winds down, Cole finishes up by passing out the last few drinks before closing up his truck. He cleans up the truck, checks his stock, and drives it back to the garage he uses. His delivery is there for him to restock his supplies. He puts it all away before making his way home. His wagon has a small amount of supplies for his home baking and cooking.

He passes by Officer Tom on his way home, handing him a large bagel sandwich as he does, earning a grin and a thanks from the cop. Cole enters his home and smiles. He doesn’t speak like others do. He acknowledges that as he puts away his ingredients. He speaks in other ways. His cooking is his strongest way though, he thinks as he starts making dinner. He glances at a picture on the wall with a smile.

“Daddy! You’re home!” An excitable young girl rushes up to him, hugging him tightly while one hand remains stirring the pot. Cole smiles and gives his little one a tight hug with the one arm. “Did you have a good day?”

Cole nods and signals for her to tell him about her own day. She talks nonstop in contrast to his lack of speech. Cole keeps smiling the entire time. He enjoys his daughter’s bubbly nature. Eventually, dinner is ready, despite how Cole keeps having to dance around his little Adri to make it. When he plates Adri’s serving of mac and cheese, her favorite dinner, she giggles.

“I love you too, Daddy.” The two smile, eating their meal together. Cole may not be able to say it out loud, but his cooking has always managed to get his feelings across, even when words couldn’t.

Cole tucks his little girl into bed later that night, and sits on his own, glancing at an image of a happy family at a restaurant. It’s a few years old now, but Cole just smiles at it. He may no longer have what he once had, but his dream didn’t end… it merely changed. He glances over at the empty side of his bed and sighs, a couple of tears falling before he takes a chocolate from the table nearby. He closes his eyes as the bittersweet treat fills his mouth, reminding him of when they were once three instead of two. Food is a language all of its own, and to Cole, those little chocolates his wife once loved so much, still remind him of when she would tell him “I love you.” He just hoped that she understood what he had meant when he cooked for her. All those things he made for her and their daughter… all of it and more… made with love.