Chapter 8 - The Do-Over
In October, the day finally arrived. Ethan, Sarah, and I flew down to Florida under a clear, brilliant blue sky.
On the evening of Ethan's "Do-Over Ninth Birthday," we stood on a private observation deck at Cape Canaveral. The air was warm, smelling of salt water and crisp ocean breezes. Below us, ten of Ethan's closest friends from school—whose parents we had flown down for a long weekend using our accumulated travel points—were laughing and drinking fruit punch.
At 7:00 PM, a massive three-tier cake was wheeled out. It was a custom-made masterpiece designed like the Saturn V rocket, complete with edible sugar flames and shimmering cosmic dust.
Ethan’s eyes sparkled with sheer delight as the bakery staff placed eight blue candles—the very same candles he had kept in his room for months—around the base of the rocket launcher, plus a ninth one right on top for good luck.
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As the crowd of parents and kids began to sing "Happy Birthday," Ethan looked at me with a wide, radiant smile. There were no orange buckets, no lingering spite, and no toxic laughter—only genuine love, laughter, and support surrounding him.
He blew out the candles in one single breath, and the entire deck erupted into cheers.
