A Love to Live For by Nikita Heart Page A

the common saying that when you couldn’t say anything good, it was better to be silent but I had always believed that silence, especially when there were words that needed to be said, could be extremely hurtful, and that was the case now.
    For a moment, I wanted to cry, both from the pain of knowing he was dying soon – I was fully convinced of my suspicion now – and the pain of his silence, but I took a deep breath and held the tears back. Now was not the time for tears or resentment. More than ever, I needed to be there for Joseph and to make him feel special, to make him feel loved so that he would die happy.
    But what exactly was I going to do?
    A glance at the calendar on my desk gave me my answer. Next week was Joseph’s birthday and there and then, I decided I would make it the most memorable, the best birthday anyone could ever have. It could likely be Joseph’s last, after all.
    Yes, I was going to make his birthday the best birthday ever.
     
    As soon as I had finished redoing my illustrations for my client and sending them off, I set to work planning for Joseph’s birthday.
    I quickly found out that it was not an easy task and there was so much to do but I was not going to give up.
    The first real obstacle I came across was deciding whether to have a small and simple intimate birthday party or the whole caboodle. I initially leaned towards the first, thinking that Joseph might prefer it but decided to go with the second. If it was going to be his last birthday, then it might as well be the grandest celebration.
    Usually, people did not spend too much on birthdays or even did not celebrate them sometimes because there was always that thought of a next birthday or more birthdays to come, but when you only had one birthday left, then it was only proper for it to be really special.
    Indeed, I was going to invite everyone Joseph knew, including friends from high school and the friends he met in Middleton – I did not know exactly who they were but I was determined to find out, even if it meant taking a trip to Middleton myself and asking at the restaurant where Joseph used to work.
    I debated on whether or not to invite his parents – this was my second obstacle. Both of them no longer lived in Continental, after all, instead living with their second families. I knew, too, that Joseph did not really get along with them, as if he had never really gotten over his resentment towards them for getting a divorce, and so he would not be pleased to see them. Still, I decided it was only right to invite them. Joseph was still their son, after all, and inviting them would mean giving Joseph the perfect opportunity to reconcile with them, which he certainly would want to do if he wanted to die peacefully.
    Deciding whether or not to invite Stephanie was problematic, too, but deciding not to be selfish or jealous, I wrote her name down on my guest list anyway.
    After I had completed the guest list, I proceeded on choosing a venue – my third big decision. I couldn’t have Joseph’s birthday party at his house, after all, since it was meant to be a surprise and I couldn’t have it at our house, either, because it simply wasn’t big enough to hold the thirty people I was inviting. In the end, I decided to ask my old high school if I could rent out the auditorium for a small price – I was paying for things out of my own savings, after all. Mrs. Meyer, the principal was reluctant, but after I let her in on the big secret, which I felt I was compelled to, she agreed.
    With the venue decided, all I had left to do was buy or make the decorations, discuss the menu with the caterer, order a birthday cake and hire a DJ to inject life into the party with excellent music. The latter three were relatively easy but the first one turned out to be harder than I thought, easier said than done. Still, a day before Joseph’s birthday, I managed to finish all the paper decorations and banners and order the balloons, and though I was