02/14/85

I will never forget the day. It was February 14, 1985, my 12th birthday. We had moved to a new city about two months before. I didn’t have any new friends yet, so no one knew that it was my birthday. I remember feeling so sad and alone. It was Valentine’s Day, my special day, and there was no one to wish me a Happy Birthday. After school I got on the bus and rode all the way home without speaking to anyone. I got off of the bus and I wanted to cry. My mom was not getting off of work until later that evening and my older brother was working in his studio at the university. There was no one home. I slowly walked to our apartment and took out my key. I could feel my eyes filling with tears as I turned the lock. I was alone on my birthday and no one cared. As I opened the door and walked in I saw something that I will never forget as long as I live. There on the table was a single cupcake with white icing and a red heart on top of it. Right beside it was a card that read "Happy Birthday...Love Mom." In the small amount of time that it took me to see that cupcake and read that card, all of my sadness and loneliness disappeared. At that moment I knew I was loved. I knew that if no one else in the world ever told me Happy Birthday on my special day, my mom would never forget about me.