“Happy Birthday, Nana!” Sammy yelled and helped my mother to blow out the candles on her cake.
I held my son up so he could reach them, but I looked at Ellie, catching the joy on her face as she snapped pictures. She smiled at me from her place next to Gabby, Mom’s best friend, and the woman Ellie once thought I might be cheating on her with.
It wasn’t funny at the time, but once Ellie saw the elderly woman with gray curls sitting in her wheelchair with a crocheted lap blanket spread across her, along with a dozen knitting projects, my wife had blushed adorably.
“Okay, does everyone have room for cake?” Mom asked, and a round of deep masculine yeses went around the room.
I was surprised when Adrik, Marat, Josef, and their families had said yes after Ellie insisted that I invite them to Mom’s birthday. It was the Saturday right after Thanksgiving, and I expected them to be tuckered out.