My younger brother has a strange relationship with birthdays. One year, he sent me an unexpected birthday card, which turned out to be a double 1 as it arrived four months after my birthday.
"You should just 2 when you feel like it, and not be restricted (限制) to a specific day," he said.
"So basically, that means it doesn't 3 when my birthday is. You just get to celebrate the day I was 4 any time you like, even though I 5 to celebrate it on the actual date?" I asked.
"You've always been a little over the top about 6," he said.
"Fine. But I always remember yours," I said. I would 7 forget the day he was born.
The first year my daughter was away at college, he missed her birthday. By then, we both knew her 8 had many great attributes (特征) except remembering birthdays.
Her birthday is in September. In January of the following year, she 9 a letter. It was from her uncle. No card. Just some 10 and a note that said, "Buy whatever you want."
She later told me the special gift from her uncle 11 made her happy. The idea of surprising her when she was least 12 it was amazing.
And it continued. Once he 13 us with several stylish hats and it was no one's birthday. He had described our 14 to the saleswoman and she had 15 what she thought each of us might like. And she was right; we all liked our gifts.
So this year I was a bit 16 when he called me the day after my birthday. Was his 17 attitude towards birthdays disappearing? Had he been dragged (拖) down by societal expectations to behave 18?
"I'm 19 I missed your birthday yesterday," he said.
"You're 20 to do that. It's what makes you my brother," I replied.
