The Greatest Gift

So my 20^th birthday is Wednesday. I have always been one to be extremely excited about their birthday. The day after Christmas I start counting down until that special day. My mama says that ever since I learned how to count I have been counting down until my birthday. This year I am excited and sad all at the same time. Last year I woke up happy and excited about it being my first birthday in college so I just knew I was going to go all out for my birthday. My mother called to sing happy birthday to me and told me that one of my friends who was battling with cancer was doing a lot better was going to be coming home soon. That made me even more elated about my birthday. Later that day two of my friends kept calling me but my other ended up calling at the same time. She told me that my friend passed away. My heart was broken and I no longer cared it was my birthday. I was crushed that she would pass away only being 20 years old. We grew up together going to the same church and on the children’s choir together. We never talked a lot but we didn’t have any problems. Our senior year she was going with a guy who I treated like my little brother. I heard that she was cheating and I asked this if it was true. He was like ‘Yeah she is” and said other things. He went back and told her that I said she was cheating. She came in my class and asked who told me she was cheating. I was like “Nobody told me. I asked.” After school was over, she texted me and asked me again. She was like she knows I didn’t mean any harm about asking and she knew I would stand up for her and not talk about her. We texted for a while and I felt we got closer after that. I would text her every day to check up on her and to just say hey. I never got a chance to see her again before she died. And that’s what really hurts me still to this day. I have to tell myself that this connected us even more. I tell myself that her suffering ended on my birthday and what greater gift can I receive then a friend finding the greatest happiness.