Sprinkles on Cupcakes

Ivy rushed home to make the cupcakes for Mal's party! Mal loved her cupcakes; the way she iced them and decorated them with sprinkles. He appreciated the tender-loving care she took bringing them to him. You'd think he was five years old, again, when she'd visit, sweets in tow.

Tonight was very special. Mal was coming home with her. His stay in the hospice was only supposed to be for a month, but a month turned into three years. Health problems, after his stroke, forced Ivy to put him in a hospice to get 24 hour care. He wasn't talking, needed a feeding tube and had lost all feeling in his left side. She had no choice.  On what happened to be his 30th birthday, she wheeled him into Dangle Blue Hospice, thousands of miles away from their home.

"My husband...home." She smiled at the thought of having her man around the house again.

She dressed into her "gonna get my man outfit" and packed her cupcakes. Thoughts of the staff's well-wishes humbled her and made her warm on the inside. It was their idea to have this party, as they called Mal "the most perfect resident." He had made such great progress; you could hardly tell he'd been chronically ill.

When she arrived at the hospice entrance, she expected to hear music blasting and the sounds of people partying- but it was silent. Sam Bivens, the hospice director, met her at the door.

"Come, sit down, Ivy." He led her to the sofa.
"Where's Mal? Did y'all cancel the party? Why?
"Ivy, Mal died during the night. He had a massive heart attack. We couldn't revive him. I'm so sorry....

Ivy cried uncontrollably for about three minutes. Then, all of a sudden, she gained her composure! She looked up and there was Mal where Mr. Bivens had been sitting!

"Don't cry, Ivy. I'm o.k. now...no more pain, not even a little bit." He grabbed her hand. "I wanted to touch you one more time, let you know how deeply I LOVE YOU. You stayed my true wife, sticking by me during my illness, seeing that I got the best of care. You traveled thousands of miles to see me every week, did conferencing with my doctors to make sure I was kept with state-of-the-art equipment. Your calls were the highlight of my day, keeping me until our next visit. And you know, with all of that, what I especially loved you for?

"No, what?" Ivy asked, expecting to pass out at any moment.
"The cupcakes with the sprinkles on them."

She reached into her bag and handed him one, only the "him" was Mr. Bevins! He looked puzzeled, but he took the cupcake and put it away on the chair besides him.

"How should I proceed, Ivy?"
"Go into the kitchen for some ice-cream and plates for our cupcakes....