Chapter 18: The Birthday Party
Chapter 18: The Birthday Party
Ten months after we left the old house, Maya turned ten years old.
To celebrate hitting double digits, we threw a massive backyard party at the lake house. There were no expensive caterers. There were no arrogant socialites sipping vintage wine and judging the decor. There were no hidden agendas or fake smiles.
Instead, the backyard was filled with twenty screaming, joyful kids running through the sprinklers, jumping wildly in a rented bounce house, and eating hot dogs fresh off the charcoal grill. Mrs. Gable, the observant school counselor who had made that life-saving phone call, was sitting on the patio, chatting warmly with my assistant, Sarah.
I stood by the grill, flipping burgers, watching Maya laugh as she ran past me, chasing her best friend with a bright green water balloon. She was wearing a bright yellow sundress, her hair flying behind her. She was glowing with health, energy, and happiness.
I looked up at the clear blue sky, feeling the warm sun on my face, silently thanking Sarah for giving me the strength to fix my terrible mistake and save our little girl.
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"Hey, Dad!" Maya yelled, running over and tugging affectionately on my shirt, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Can we cut the cake now? Everyone's hungry!"
"You bet we can, kiddo," I smiled, putting down the metal tongs. "Let's go."
