An elderly man, Mr. L, celebrates his 97th birthday alone, having bought himself a cake with no one to share it with. His son, Eliot, with whom he had a falling out five years prior, has cut off all communication. Mr. L sends a forlorn “Happy birthday to me” text to Eliot’s old number, expecting no reply.
To his astonishment, an hour later, a young girl named Soraya appears at his door, introducing herself as his granddaughter. She explains that Eliot had given her his old flip phone for emergencies, and she found Mr. L’s text while clearing out messages. Despite her father’s instruction not to respond, she came to visit him, bringing a handmade birthday card.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Mr. L breaks down in tears. He welcomes Soraya inside, and they share the rest of the cake. They talk for hours, with Mr. L sharing stories about Eliot’s childhood and Soraya expressing her interest in her paternal family. Before leaving, Soraya takes a picture of them together and promises to return next weekend.
Later that evening, Mr. L receives a text from an unknown number, simply saying: “Thank you for showing kindness to her. —E.” The story concludes with Mr. L reflecting on how life rarely offers complete closure but sometimes provides small, hopeful possibilities, and perhaps that is enough. The author encourages readers to share the story as a reminder to connect with loved ones before it’s too late.