Day Nineteen - Candle

Tiny candles burn brightly in front of our eyes, a circle of them sit on top of the cake we got for Teddy’s birthday.

Calvin helped pick the cake flavour, chocolate, while Mrs Thompson instructed me on how to pipe swirls of icing onto the cake. I asked Mary if she wanted to participate in learning how to make a cake too, but she insisted that she was busy working on something else for Teddy.

I watch from across the table as Teddy takes in a deep breath and blows out all the candles except for one.

Mrs Thompson leans in close to me and whispers, “You know what they say about birthday candles that refuse to go, that’s the number of people that fancy you.”

I resist the urge to wave her away from the teasing and make sure I clap loudly for Teddy as he blows out the last candle.

“Happy birthday!” I cheer for him. He smiles widely back at me. The rest the room also clap and cheer for Teddy, but he can’t hear them.

“Thank you, you really didn’t have to do all this.” He says and waves around to gesture at our dining room that’s been decorated with streamers and a “happy birthday” banner made by Mary.

I shake my head, “I wanted to, and I had a lot of help.”

He reaches across the table to grab my hand, and he gives it a firm squeeze. I feel the butterflies rise in my stomach.

“Thank you, still.” He says.

And we stay in that moment, smiling at each other for as long as we can.

That is, until Calvin chooses that moment to drop a small, wrapped box in front of Teddy. The suddenness of it causes him to pull his hand away from mine.

“What’s this?” he asks in surprise.

“Tell him that I say happy birthday and wanted to make sure he got this.” Calvin says.

I repeat it back to Teddy who begins to unwrap the gift. I slide his birthday cake over to myself and remove all the unlit candles, preparing to slice the cake.

Underneath the wrapping is a small compass. Teddy palms it in his hand and lets it flip open. Calvin whispers into my ear, acting as if Teddy can hear him.

“Calvin says that was the compass he used to find different stars in the sky. He says that he’d like you to have it so that maybe you too can look at the stars together.”

“Thanks buddy!” Teddy says into the air and carefully slips the compass into his shirt pocket. “Let’s look at the stars on the next clear night.”

I begin to pass out slices of cake, with an extra large slice going to Teddy.

Marry slides a card across the table to Teddy. On the front of it is a collection of balloons drawn in pencil crayon.

Teddy opens up the card and begins to read it. And suddenly, the smile from his face fades. The opposite reaction of what I’d expect from someone reading a birthday card.

“Are you okay?” I ask him.

He doesn’t immediately respond and continues to stare at the card for a moment.

“How did they get this?” he asks. “It’s like my brother wrote it today. That can’t be, can it?”

From the corner of my eye, I see Mary nudge William closer to the table. He steps forward.

“I want to tell my brother happy birthday. Can you help me, please?” William asks me, his eyes pleading.

I’m at a loss for words, unable to answer Teddy and William. I’m looking between the two brothers, unsure of how I could close the bridge between them.

“He’s here, isn’t he?” Teddy asks. “Has he been the one helping me out this whole time?”

I look to William, who nods his head at me. I nod my head to Teddy.

Immediately, his eyes fill with tears and a smile breaks across his face. He puts the card down and looks around the room. 

“Billy, I know you’ve always been a guy of few words. Thank you for writing me this card, and for everything you’ve been helping me with.” Then Teddy shifts his focus to me. “And you’re right, I am a lot happier here than I was back home.”

I see William also break out in a smile and he nods deeply.

Teddy wipes at his eyes. “Enough crying, let’s eat cake!”