
05/29/2025
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# # # **Title: “The Birthday He Missed”**
Emma turned five that day. The balloons were up, the cake had a sparkly pink unicorn on it, and her little hands clapped in joy. But deep inside, she kept looking toward the door.
“Daddy’s coming, right?” she asked.
Her mother knelt down, hiding her tears behind a smile. “He promised he’d try his best, sweetie.”
Miles away, in the desert heat of a foreign land, Sergeant Daniel Brooks looked at the same date marked in his pocket diary: *Emma’s 5th birthday.*
His unit was ambushed that evening. While helping evacuate the wounded, Daniel was shot protecting his team. He didn’t make it back.
A month later, a package arrived at Emma’s doorstep. Inside was a worn-out teddy bear, her dad’s dog tags, and a letter written in messy handwriting:
*“Happy Birthday, pumpkin. I’m sorry I can’t be there. But always remember — your daddy is your guardian angel now.”*
Emma held the teddy bear close and whispered,
**“I love you too, Daddy.”**
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