11

I packed up my things and walked out of the kindergarten with Cherry. Bradley and Tommy, one big and one small, stood at the door. Upon seeing us, they immediately came over. “Mom.” “Gina.” The father and son called out to me in unison. “Gina, today is my birthday.” Bradley’s eyes sparkled with hope. “Oh, happy birthday,” I said casually. Bradley’s spirits sank for a moment, his dark eyes lowering as he whispered: “Gina, I was wrong before, always deliberately ignoring your kindness. “Now I see it all. Look, I’ve been wearing the cufflinks you gave me two years ago. “And the tie—that was your birthday gift from last year.” I glanced at his outfit. It must have been a hassle for him to dig out those old gifts. He must have put in a lot of effort. After all, once I gave those things to him, I never saw him use them ; they were just sitting in the storage room gathering dust. “If you don’t like them, just throw them away. They were bought with your money anyway.” I shrug