“Why are you alone on your birthday?” Lily asked with the brutal directness only a child possesses.
Daniel smiled, a sad, lopsided expression. “Well, I work a lot. I run a big company, which means I am very busy. Somewhere along the way, I forgot to make time for friends and family. My parents passed away a few years ago, and I don’t have any brothers or sisters. I used to have friends, but I was so focused on work that I stopped calling them back, stopped making plans. Now, when I look around, I realize I am all alone. It sort of snuck up on me.”
“That’s sad,” Lily concluded. “Everyone should have someone on their birthday.”
“You are right,” Daniel agreed. “What about you? Where is your dad? Is he helping plan your mom’s birthday surprise?”
Lily’s face fell, her animation dimming. “My daddy died when I was three. I don’t remember him much, just a little bit. Just how he used to sing to me before bed. Mama says he loved us very much, but he got sick and couldn’t get better.”
“I am so sorry, Lily,” Daniel said, his voice rough with emotion. “That must be very hard.”
“It is,” Lily said matter-of-factly. “Mama works two jobs now so we can have our apartment and food and stuff. She works at a restaurant during the day and cleans offices at night. She is always tired, but she still reads to me before bed and helps me with my homework. That is why I wanted to get her a really special cake. She deserves something that makes her smile.”
Daniel had to look away toward the window for a moment to compose himself. Behind the counter, Mrs. Chen wiped her eyes with the corner of her apron as she tied the ribbon on the cake box.
“Your mama is very lucky to have you,” Daniel finally managed to say.
“Mr. Daniel,” Lily said suddenly, an idea lighting up her features. “If you are alone today, do you want to come to mama’s birthday party tomorrow? It won’t be fancy. We are just going to have cake and ice cream in our apartment. But you shouldn’t be alone on your birthday, even if it was yesterday by then.”
Daniel looked at this child, whom he had known for all of ten minutes. She was inviting him into the sanctity of her home, into her family’s private celebration, simply because she possessed the innate belief that no one should be alone. He felt something crack deep in his chest—a masonry wall he had built around himself to ward off the loneliness he had been pretending didn’t exist.
“Are you sure your mom would be okay with that?” he asked.
“Mama always says we should be kind to people, especially people who are lonely or sad. And you are both, I think. So yes, she would be okay with it.”
Mrs. Chen brought the boxes over—the magnificent cake box and a smaller container of cookies. Daniel stood up and retrieved a business card from his wallet, handing it to Lily.
“This has my phone number on it,” he explained. “Ask your mama to call me if it is really okay for me to come to the party. If I don’t hear from her, I will understand completely. But Lily, thank you. You have made my birthday better than I expected.”
Lily carefully tucked the card into her canvas bag. “Thank you for helping me get mama’s cake. You are a good birthday cake partner.”
Daniel insisted on helping Lily carry the boxes. She led him to the address she recited, which turned out to be a modest, older apartment building four blocks away. He waited to ensure she got inside safely. When the door opened, a woman in her late twenties appeared. She had the same piercing blue eyes as her daughter and the weary but kind face of someone who worked too hard and worried too much. She looked from her daughter to the stranger, and then to the expensive bakery boxes, her expression shifting to alarm…
Great