The little girl was tired. She planned to join her family (parents, grandmother, big brother, 2 aunts and a cousin) at the beach. Yet there she was working, at home till almost 3am. She was in the office by 5am. This was not the only day she had to work extra. She begged to go home early after putting in a full day’s worth of work.

She went home a bit unhappy, terribly tired and terribly lacking sleep. She kissed her father hello and exchanged pleasantries. No, she wasn’t going to the beach anymore. She was just going to sleep.

She woke up to her father singing the Birthday Song. He was holding a cake, chocolate mousse - her favorite. She arose with a smile and blew the candle. It was her first cake in a long time.

They ate dinner at a posh hotel, seated at a table for two, the only one among three with a Japanese lamp above it. There was candle light, good food, white wine and Tequila Sunrise. There they were, two adults having dinner together - the father and his little girl. Nothing else mattered except for them. The father wrapped his daughter with love, the daughter ceasing to be unhappy, smiling with a full heart.

It was her birthday. There would be no salted dried fish this year. This year she was home. This year her grandmother was here. This year she will celebrate. And this year was made special because of that night when she was reminded of her father's love, as they dined and laughed together, two adults – the father and his little girl.