I just had a birthday. On the morning of my birthday Uta saw my wedding photo on the bureau and was astonished at how young I was then. No, I protested, I look exactly the same, don't I? No, he said, one of your eyes is growing smaller than the other. When I checked the mirror, a single white hair was poking out from the top of my head like a flag of surrender. Later Baba showed me how to shave off the calluses on my feet with a razor. Happy Birthday.
That afternoon we went to the Tachibana cemetery plot to clear the weeds that had grown up through the gravel, prune the bushes and replace the dried up flowers with fresh ones. We washed the tombstone with a scouring pad and water, lit incense and candles and prayed for the good health and happiness of our friends and family.
Afterwards we visited a dying aunt in the hospital. She was sleeping when we arrived. Uta stood beside her and studied her monitors. When she awoke she stared at Uta for a long time, tears welled up in her eyes.
To formally celebrate my birthday, Jiji and Baba took us out to dinner.
When I put Uta to sleep that night he was sad. He said he tried to ask Baba to help him make a cake for me but she didn't understand. She thought he just wanted to eat cake and kept saying no. The next day I explained this to Baba and she snuck off with Uta to buy a cake at the bakery. He chose one covered with whipped cream and fruits. It tasted like a cloud.
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