For My 56th Birthday, My Stepdaughter Gave Me A Pair Of Earbuds. I Was Genuinely Happy—Until I Showed Them At Work. One Coworker Leaned In For A Closer Look, And His Expression Changed. “Don’t Use These,” He Whispered. “You Need To Report This Today.” I Didn’t Make A Scene. I Took Them Off, Filed A Report, And Let The Paper Trail Do Its Job. Three Days Later…

Boilers, vents, doors that won’t close, right? I’ve been there 22 years, long enough that people stop seeing you. That Tuesday was my 56th birthday.

No big plans. Elaine, my wife, forgot until noon. That hurt more than I let on.

At work, the guys in maintenance surprised me with a sheet cake from Kroger and one of those cards everyone signs but nobody really reads. Someone wrote, “Don’t die on us,” in blue ink. “You’re supposed to,” I told them.

I told them I’d gotten a package that morning from Megan. That raised a few eyebrows. Megan is Elaine’s daughter from her first marriage.

She’s 32, sharp as a tack, always in a hurry. We’ve never been close, but we’ve been civil. That morning, seeing my name in her handwriting felt nice.

Unexpected. Like maybe I mattered more than I thought. Inside the box were white wireless earbuds.

Nothing fancy. No brand I recognized. A note said, “Thought these might make work a little easier.

Happy birthday, Ray.”
I brought them to work the next day, still feeling that small, warm surprise in my chest. During lunch, I pulled them out to show the guys. Bob joked that at my age, I should be buying a walker, not earbuds.

Dennis leaned over the table and asked if he could see them. Dennis Brody is about my age. Worked Army signal back in the day before landing in hospital maintenance.

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