The Very First Birthday Cake

Memories of earning your very first “paycheck”, so to speak, to buy something special for your mother on her birthday, translated…

The very first cake that’s shown up at my house, was for my mom, I’d saved up my year’s worth of money from writing the submissions into the papers.

My first year of middle school, I’d had a best friend.  She’d invited me to her house, told me that her mother makes cakes and would treat us to them.  And so, on a Saturday afternoon, I’d taken along my two younger sister to my classmate’s place.  That was the first time I’d seen what a rich household looked like, with the fridge, the oven.  And on that very day, I’d, made up my mind, that on my mother’s birthday, I shall, get her a birthday cake.

Back then, an eight-inch chocolate cake cost a hundred dollars, and back then, my father only made two hundred dollars a month, without the spare changes we can save up, being a middle school student, too young to part-time for a job, who can I, earn this money?  And so, I’d started, sending my writings into the papers, the very first time I’d sent my article in, I’d received a whole twelve dollars, and, it’d, boosted my confidence, and I’d started sending my writings to an assortments of magazines then, although there were, better chances of my writings being, returned than being accepted, but I’d, felt more and more encouraged, with the goal of “buying mom a cake”, used my wild and youthful imagination, and, started, planting the fields with my words.  I’d written like so for about a year, and finally, I saved up enough, to buy the cake.

illustration from the papers online…

I’d, taken that hundred dollar preciously earned money, rode my old bicycle out, and, hesitated on whether or not I should, head into that bakery, I’d worried, that the owner of the shop would wonder how I’d, managed to get the hundred dollars, being as poor as I had been.  I’d, set my mind up, and rehearsed a ton of things that could’ve happened as I was about to head inside to buy the cake, and , I saw that chocolate cake I’d been dreaming of, and the kind-hearted owner of the bakery had even, agreed to deliver the cake to my house on my mother’s birthday.

And finally, it was the day of the delivery, I’d, waited outside my house, worried that the bakery owner might get the wrong address.  At the cold noon hour of December, I was so nervous I’d started sweating in my palms, as I reached into my pant pocket for that cherished hundred dollars, as the cake finally arrived, where, did my money go?  I’d, turned my pockets in my pants, and on my shirt inside out, no sign of money, I’d felt, numb from my skull now, but I couldn’t, imagine that I’d, lost the money I’d, saved.

In a hurry, I’d, gone to my next door neighbor, Mrs. Lee to borrow it, it should be no big deal, letting the neighbor know that I’d bought a cake, right?  I’ll just save her a piece then?  As I’d, gotten the money, and paid for the cake, I could finally, think hard, on whether I’d, misplaced my money?  As I was about to wait for the delivery, due to my nervousness, I seemed to have, gone to the bathrooms, I’d, rushed in to see, and, there it was, my one hundred dollars, lying there, next, to the toilet!

After supper, I’d taken out this very first birthday in my house, sang “Happy Birthday” to mom, and, my younger siblings’ drooling, and the tears out of my mother’s eyes, became, etched, into my mind, forever, remembered.

And so, this was, your thoughtfulness, of doing something wonderful for your mother, and, the money was really hard to earn, and yet, you’d, still earned in, and, this was, the memories of your hard work, paying off, because it’d, made your loved ones happy!