Oh, it’s your birthday!

Let’s make you a choco-creation love:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease the pan.
Step 2: Put 3 eggs, 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, and Betty Crocker’s Super Moist Chocolate Fudge cake mix into a bowl.
Step 3: Mix vigorously for 2-3 minutes until no peaks form.
Step 4: Bake for 30 minutes while consecutively checking to see if it comes out clean with a toothpick.
Step 5: Take it out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before flipping it onto a plate.
Step 6: Apply lots and lots of choco-goodness.

“It’s easy as that!” I said.

She took a bite,
“Ah! A perfect balance of spongy texture, melting frost, and chocolate creaminess. Now, this is a taste to cherish and glorify. A taste I have to hold onto somehow.”

I took a bite,
“Ah! I should’ve added sugar for goodness sake. At least my sugar levels won’t be rising now.”

(Though I know I shouldn’t indulge in another slice, I proceed anyway).

“So what if I get the luxury of counting calories and exercising for the next few days. It would be my pleasure!”

“زندگی واقعی، کیک کا ایک ٹکڑا ہے، لیکن میں پورے کیک کو ترجیح دیتا ہوں۔,” she said.

Choco-goodness.

To this day, no one knows it’s a tradition, but me.

To the world, it’s cake. To my mama and me, it’s a creative endeavor in celebrating new beginnings, new experiences, and new formations on each other’s birthdays.

We’re making memories, being present, and whole together.