And then she did something that completely surprised me.
She ordered tiramisu before the main course.
The waiter blinked.
“Before dinner?”
Mom smiled.
“That’s what birthdays are for.”
I raised my glass.
“Now you’re making sense.”
When the tiramisu arrived, she took one bite and closed her eyes.
“Still good?” I asked.
“Better than I remember.”
Seeing her relaxed made the entire evening worth it.
Then she leaned back and looked around the restaurant.
“Maybe I should start doing this more often.”
Something tightened in my chest.
I tried not to show how much those words meant.
“I happen to know a daughter who would support that.”
“An expensive daughter.”
“A devoted daughter.”
“Those two things can both be true.”
We were still laughing when I noticed the woman at the table beside ours.
She had been sitting there for most of the evening.
Until then, I hadn’t paid attention to her.
