Chapter 28 Happy Birthday
The smile froze on Sierra’s face. She struggled for quite a while before finally managing what seemed like a smile.
“I was just joking! What’s gotten into you, why are you being so fierce?”
The corners of Lewis’ lips raised as he chuckled. “I was just kidding too.”
People in the restaurant came and left, and still, Josephine waited silently. An hour passed, and then another. Still, there was no sign of Lewis.
She rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the window at all the lights out there. One by one they went out, and the bustling crowd on the road dwindled gradually.
Soon, the diners in the restaurant left too.
The lights outside were slowly switched off, and in the end, even the lights inside the restaurant were switched off.
The person who promised to celebrate her birthday with her never showed up.
“Mrs. Alvarez,” someone called out behind her.
Josephine snapped out of her reverie and turned around. It was the manager followed by two waitstaff standing beside her.
The manager smiled and said, “We’re closing.”
Josephine looked around her in the dim lights of the restaurant to find that everyone else had left.
She wasn’t exactly disappointed. After all, she was already used to it.
She hadn’t waited that long either. It had just been five hours. Compared to how long she had waited for him in the past, five hours wasn’t that much.
Just as Josephine got up and was about to leave, one of the waiters brought out a cake.
“Mrs. Alvarez, it’s your birthday today. This is a cake that’s been prepared for you in advance. Happy birthday!”
The waiter put the cake in front of her, and the manager said, “It’s almost 12, have some cake before you leave, or you can make a wish.”
Josephine felt that the flickering candles on the cake were not well wishes. Instead, they were the manager’s pity and sympathy toward her.
She tried very hard to put on a smile, although it did not turn out pretty.
Then closing her eyes, she said silently to herself, “Happy birthday, Josephine.”
She did not make a wish, Blowing out candles after making a wish did not work. She’d tried it long ago.
The manager sighed silently to himself at the sight of Josephine’s frail figure.
He had seen her waiting for hours. The man from earlier on had everything planned. out and had informed him that someone would be there soon. But it had been five
hours since, and the person was not there yet.
How pitiful it was to be stood up on one’s birthday.
Josephine opened her eyes and blew out the candles. The manager then proceeded to cut the cake into pieces for her.
Josephine shared the cake with them. The manager smiled when he took the cake from her. Then, he pulled out a little plastic figurine from his pocket and passed it to Josephine. “This is a souvenir from our restaurant. Please take it as our birthday gift to you, Mrs. Alvarez.”
Josephine looked at the figurine and took it. She nodded with a smile on her face. and signed a “Thank you.”
It was then that the manager realized in astonishment that Josephine couldn’t speak.
Not wanting to waste any more of their time, Josephine picked up a fork and took a bite of the cake.
The moment the thick taste of cream entered her mouth, her stomach churned. However, she bit down on the urge to throw up and forced herself to swallow.
She dared not take another bite, so she took her phone out and typed on it. “Thank you, I’ll make a move now.”
“Have a safe journey home, Mrs. Alvarez. Shall we pack this cake up for you?”
Josephine looked at the cake. Although she couldn’t stomach any more of it, she got them to pack it up.
Then, she took the cake and left. She made a beeline for the trash can as soon as she left the restaurant.
She threw up everything there was left in her stomach and felt much better after
– | Chapter 28 Happy Birthday
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