On the weekend I decided to surprise Sharon to talk about everything that happened. I knocked on the door, but when she answered I immediately knew I shouldn't have come.

"Ms. Heron, what are you doing here?"

I took the note, "I came by to get the homework from the class I missed?"

"Sharon, honey, who's at the door?" A woman's voice called from inside.

"A student of mine. I'm just going to take her into my bedroom to give her the homework and explain it."

She took me by the bedroom and I glanced over and found an elderly couple that resembled Sharon around her table. She sat me down on the bed.

"What are you really doing here?"

"I was going to come over for a surprise dinner and talk, but I didn't know you had guests. Are they your parents?"

"Yes, they are, and I'm not sure you should exactly meet them yet."

"Right."

"I have to give you something so take this number coloring sheet and you can turn it in for extra credit if you want."

"Okay."

She opened the door and took me back to the entrance. "You better get going now, Ms. Heron."

"Shar, don't be so pushy, invite the girl to dinner." Her mother told her.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea-" I started.

"Nonsense, I'm she'd love to have you here to celebrate her birthday."

"Birthday, huh?" I narrowed my eyes at Sharon.

"Yeah, the big twenty-five." she wouldn't match my eyes.

I gave her mother a huge grin, "well then of course I'll stay. If that's what Sharon wants, of course."

"Yeah, sure, that's... totally cool with me." I was torturing her.

She pulled up an extra chair to what was supposed to be a table for two and stared at the table. There were plates with chicken breasts, green beans, and rice.

"I'll get you some chicken." her mother told me, getting up. She brought back a plate a little smaller than the rest.

We ate in silence for a second before her mom piped up, "sorry Bobby couldn't be here."

"It's fine." Sharon looked at her food.

"Who's Bobby?" I couldn't help myself from asking.

"Oh, he's Sharon's best friend from childhood, she hasn't told your class about him?"

"No, she's not very open about herself." I felt her foot give me a tiny nudge to tell me to stop.

"Well Bobby and Sharon were inseparable, they used to collect snails during the rain together. They got so muddy that we had to wash them off as soon as they came in the house. Me and Bobby's parents always thought they'd end up together, but Bobby turned gay and then Sharon did too."

"Mom, stop talking." Her face was fully red now.

I stifled a giggle. I turned to her father, "So what do you do for a living?"

"I'm an auto mechanic." he told me.

"Interesting, could you tell me more about that, we didn't use cars too much in Africa."

"You're from Africa?" he asked me.

"Yeah, I just moved from there this.. Last year."

"I was actually born in Africa."

"Huh, where?"

"Right outside Cairo. Granted, my parents were just on a trip to see the pyramids and I've never actually been back, but I want to."

"I'm from Kenya, I was born in New Mexico actually, but my parents moved us before I could actually remember anything."

By the end of the night I knew I had impressed her parents. The first time I caught her eye was when she blew out the candles on her chocolate cake. Her face was illuminated by the light, I saw the reflection of the flame in her eye. She looked happy. When she blew out the candles, I couldn't help but hope the wish was about me.

"What'd you wish for?"

"If I tell you, then it won't come true."

I smiled. At the end of the night we ate cake and watched her open presents. She got a stack of records from bands I couldn't even pronounce, a pack of new sheets, a pair of roller skates, some light bulbs, and a silver necklace with a moon at the end.

"Thank you, I love it so much." She hugged her parents.

"Sorry I didn't bring anything for you."

"You didn't have to, I never told you to."

Her parents left before me, I overheard them talking about how I was a good kid. Sharon told them I was her favorite student. I couldn't help but continue to smile. I examined her roller skates while waiting for her to come back inside. She shut the door and I turned towards her.

"Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?"

"Because I'm not big on birthdays and I didn't want something like that to happen."

"I think it ended up fine."

"Yeah, somehow. They never like anyone I date, but for some reason they like you."

"Maybe because they don't know we're dating?"

"No, I've tried that before. I brought my second girlfriend home as my 'friend' and they did not like her at all."

"I guess I'm just good with parents."

"Yeah."

I stepped closer to her and planted a kiss on her cheek, "that was for the fantastic dinner. And this…" I kissed her on the mouth, "...is a birthday present."

She looked lovingly at me.

"Happy birthday." I opened the door to leave.

"Don't you dare bring me anything tomorrow."

"No promises."

I left. I waved back at her in the doorway when I reached the street. Then I went home and made cupcakes. I brought them over to her house before she got up in the morning and left them on her porch with a note: 'Happy late birthday, your not-so-secret admirer'. She smiled extra brightly at me when I came into class that day.