Jason.
Then Sarah.
Then the twins.
And finally Daniel and Emily.
Six familiar faces.
My six children.
“Happy birthday, Mom!” they shouted.
I burst into tears.
They ran up the walkway and wrapped me in the biggest hug I had felt in years.
“You said you couldn’t come,” I whispered.
Jason grinned.
“That was part of the surprise.”
Mark handed me an envelope.
Inside were documents.
A mortgage statement.
Balance: $0.00
“We paid off the house,” Sarah said softly.
“All six of us,” Emily added.
My knees nearly gave out.
“You… what?”
“For two years we’ve been saving,” Mark said.
“You spent your life taking care of us,” Jason said.
“Now it’s our turn,” Sarah finished.
Later that night, we sat around the table again.
The same way we had in 2006.
The same way we had in that photograph.
Six grown children laughing and talking over one another.
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