Me, to an old man I know who turned 79 today: So, is your wife making you a special birthday dinner?
Man: I think I saw T-bone steaks in the fridge.
Me: Ooo! That sounds good! I can't wait until I turn 79!
Man: It takes a long time.
And I picture all the birthdays going by, each one more surprising than the last...
"Am I really 30 already?"
"Can I really be 45?"
"Sixty? Me, sixty?"
And finally today came along for my old man. Today he turned 79. Today he found it quite amusing that his two big numeral candles could be swapped on the cake to make him prematurely 97. Today he shared a vanilla sheet cake with his friends at the adult day center. Today he will have a T-bone steak with his wife. He didn't know it, but he waited a long time for this day. Turning 79 takes "a long time."
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