I remember as a child, my birthdays were spent eating cake and unwrapping gifts. I’d run around the house with my brother, causing all sorts of chaos.

Although now things are different. These past nine years I’ve been alone, working at the same shitty gas station job. All I have now is my mom, and she can barely even remember who I am.

Today’s my birthday, but I see it more as a step closer to death than anything else. But to be honest, I don’t care. I really just want to be home from my shift. I can see the snowstorm outside of the clear gas station doors, and I stare at it for so long I don’t even see the customer right in front of me. That’s until I hear her speak. My eyes go back to the girl in front of me and I quickly start scanning her items.

“Did you find everything alright?” I ask.