This year it was square; a chocolate cake with raspberry fudge between each of its three layers and a chocolate gonash covering it. White powdered sugar and dusky brown cocoa created an intricate pattern. She placed 15 bright red candles on it. Once she lit each she watched it burn for a moment before blowing them out. “Fifteen. I can’t believe it has been fifteen years since I’ve seen you.” She closed her eyes. “You think that you are a man, and you can’t stand being told anything. You think about girls all of the time. You listen to music like Radiohead and maybe even some old rap like Run DMC because it’s hip. You probably got your first pair of chucks and are wearing t-shirts with bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers. Have you smoked your first joint, taken your first drink…or do you remember how much you hated when I did that?” She sighed. “Do you even remember me? Are you forming lifelong bonds with…with girls your own age?” Leslie cut into the cake, the slice uneven, the gonash tearing.
