The first time I ever watched her blow out a candle she was turning seventeen. That was six years ago, but it felt like a lifetime. We’d just started seeing each other, and she’d made sure I knew it was her birthday. I’d brought a fancy bakery cupcake to school in a plastic box so it wouldn’t get crushed. At lunch we sat in my car so I could light a candle for her and taste the frosting on her lips after she ate it.
