Chapter 7

Chapter 7

That night, He Chen and I bought a small cake.

I asked him to make a wish with me.

Through the warm glow of the candlelight, I looked at him intently for a long time.

Three and a half years old.

There was still such a long time before he would be grown up.

Truly too long.

I wouldn’t have the chance to see it.

So, I made a long, enduring wish to stay by his side.

I wished that every year, he would be safe, healthy, and happy.

The candles were blown out.

The warm lights flickered on.

Like a magician, he pulled a flower from behind his back.

The flower was wilted.

Its colors were no longer vibrant.

I knew he must have spent every last penny of his allowance to buy even this less-than-perfect flower.

Every holiday, he would always buy a single fresh flower for me from a shop near his school.

He would wrap it in cartoon-patterned paper and present it to me with the utmost care.

It took him a long time to save enough for a single flower.

Sometimes, when he couldn’t save enough, he would bring me one that wasn’t quite as pretty.

Some children are simply born knowing how to love.

My eyes began to sting.

His little face flushed as he handed it to me, his eyes bright and his voice soft. “Happy birthday, Mommy.”

“Next year, I’ll give you the most beautiful bouquet of flowers, okay, Mommy?”

He was making a promise to me.

I took the flower, so choked with bitterness that I couldn’t speak.

I could only nod repeatedly.

I would just have to take more painkillers and hold on for one more year.

It wouldn’t be that hard to endure.