We all sit through the appetizer and dinner course as if nothing is wrong. In some ways it feels like I never left home.
Dinner is collected and the lights dim, putting me on guard. A maid comes out carrying a massive cake and everyone starts singing happy birthday. I want to laugh at this farce, but I reign it in. If everyone else is going to pretend the last few months never happened, then so will I for now.
The cake is placed in front of me as the song comes to an end. I blow out the candles and everyone claps. The moment feels so surreal. My father asks, "What did you wish for?"
I look him dead in the eye and say, "A pony."
Now that all the normal birthday celebration traditions have been completed, no one knows what to say. The atmosphere gets awkward. Obviously, I don’t want a p
