I went to my friend and the next day we bought gifts and balloons and flowers for the sister. She was not allowed to have cake so we got her one of her favorite sweets.
Into the nursing home we went with our gifts. Everyone we passed wanted to know whose birthday. We went right up to sisters room, knocked on the door (you never could go into her room without knocking), entered with a cheerful “HAPPY BIRTHDAY.” The sister had a look of surprise I had never seen on someone’s face before. Tears began to stream down her face. My friend went over and hugged and kissed her and then I did.
“Who told you it was my birthday?” asked sister
“You did!” I said.
“When?” she asked puzzled.
“Last night when I was leaving.”
“I was making a joke.” She began to laugh and we joined and laughed until we were all crying. Then she stopped laughing then seriously said “We will pretend today is my birthday.”
Hearing all the commotion the other employees and residents wanted to come in and find out what had happened. We announced its sister’s birthday. Not letting anyone know it really was not.
One nurse stopped us outside and said, “it’s not sisters birthday.” We explained what had happened and we all began to laugh again until we cried.
Before the night had ended almost everyone in the community and the staff including the director of nursing stopped to wish sister a happy birthday.
I soon left to work at another facility. About a month later I had heard sister had passed away. She didn’t make it to her real birthday.
