Page 172 of Silent Damage

I can tell Torren’s not a birthday guy—he’s looked uncomfortable the entire time.

“They’re coming,” I yell when I see Linda’s text.

We all get into position, and when the door opens, we all scream, “Surprise!”

“Holy shit,” Gabe yells as his hand rests over his chest. “That almost gave me a heart attack!”

“Happy birthday to you…” I begin singing, and everyone else chimes in.

Gabe’s face is everything I imagined it would be, and it’s breathtaking. To see him this happy after the year—

Well…

To see him like this after the last three years we’ve had is the best thing ever.

When Gabe blows out the candles, Felix asks, “What did you wish for?”

“You’re not supposed to tell,” Linda scolds playfully.

Gabe looks at me and says, “It already came true.”

***

I’d say the party was a hit. Even Doug showed up with a gift.

He’s trying.

Really trying.

He’s stepped in quite a few times to help when shit went haywire with the building.

He’s still emotionally constipated, but he’s not an asshole, and the work he’s putting into helping me means a lot.

I’ve gotten better at controlling my anger. There are things about my life that I couldn’t control—that’s the shitty part about being a kid in a broken home.

There’s nowhere to go.

Now, I try to focus on the things I can control, and the gifts that life has given me.

Am I angry that my mom is absent from my life?

Sometimes.

But I’ve accepted the fact that Linda is a better mom to me than mine was. It’s not fair, but life isn’t fair.

And I have Gabe.

So, as far as families go, I feel really lucky right now.

Everyone’s left, and Gabe and I sit on the couch while his mom sips a glass of wine at the kitchen table.

“Thank you both so much,” Gabe says as he sips a Diet Coke. “That was a perfect birthday.”

Linda glances at me, smiling, and I ask Gabe if he wants to take a walk.

When we leave the trailer, Gabe says, “Damn, it’s cold. Why did I have to be born in January?”

“It fits you,” I say. “You’re kind of like the dude version of Snow White. January is a perfect month.”