When she said it was the best birthday ever
he knew she was either lying or a masochist.
Nothing can make a man feel lower
than making his girlfriend cry on her birthday
even if he was dead on
about her behavior.
Things wouldn’t have gotten to this point
had she come home or given him a call
and perhaps he could have communicated better
verbally
but her actions indicated where her head was.
He should have seen the writing on the wall
that day
and should not have been a surprise
to him when he was finally fed up
and started sneaking around with other women.
A couple can’t come that close to breaking up
(on one’s birthday no less)
and expect things to magically fix themselves–
especially with someone who walks out the door
at the first sign of conflict or difficulty.
They managed to salvage the day
dressed themselves up
went to a fancy dinner
had drinks with a friend
had some smoke
and some sex.
He went to every extreme to bring her joy
after such an intense morning–
the image of her crying playing
in the back of his head the whole evening.
He was thankful that she was
seeing someone now who was more gentle
with her.
He handled her a bit rougher than he intended–
something he still felt bad about to this day.
He could still hear her whispering those words in his ear
before they passed out on his floor
“Best Birthday Ever.”
God he hoped she was lying.
~Edward Austin Robertson
Nuclear Polio Vaccination 
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