Long Distance Calla Lillies

 Everyone has friends... Good friends, not so good friends, and people in the cubicle next to you that barely qualify. But everyone has those very few special people that outshine everyone else in your buddy list. You know, the friend who you haven't seen in years, but when you finally get together, it seems like no time has passed at all.

 I'm lucky enough to have a number of these friends. As time passed, and we all got older, my forever friends have been spread all across the country. One of them had it rough for a few years, and entered the Marines to figure out his life. After serving in the front lines in Iraq, and losing close friends in combat, he moved to Texas to get away from life and figure out what to do next. It was during this time that I got a call. He wanted to know how long it took for me to make a cake.

 It was his parent's anniversary in a few days, and he wasn't going to be able to make it back to Minnesota for the party. I promised him that it wouldn't be a problem. I was making a cake for someone else at the moment anyway, and had extra batter that I didn't know what to do with. He got lucky, cuz he only gave me two days! I threw this cake together with no time to spare. It was a butter white cake with homemade raspberry filling. The calla lilies were left over from a previous cake I'd done, and I always have extra leaves laying around. The calla lilies were made of gum paste, and were formed around those little sponge rollers that every girl hated as a kid. (New ones, of course)

So, I got the cake thrown together, and posted the pictures on Facebook so he could see it and know what he was giving his parents. We planned for his sister to come get the cake because I had to work and couldn't deliver it. His parents were completely surprised! They weren't expecting much more than a phone call. From what I hear, his mom still talks about it. I'm sure she talks more about the fact that he arranged the surprise than the fact that I made it, but still. It was so much fun to be a part of it!

My friend now lives very near where my husband grew up, so we still get together from time to time. Life has changed for both of us over the years. We now do double dates and talk about my kids, but he will always be one of those friends I'll care about forever.