On the eve of Jet’s sixth birthday, Jet crawled into Lillian’s bed after a bad dream. Lillian’s irritation melted as she held Jet and played her requested lullaby, “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes.” Jet woke exuberant, and Lillian reflected on how quickly time was passing.

Lillian recalled that Ryan had missed Jet’s first birthday due to a hangover and that his absence ended Lillian’s pleading for him to come home. Although Ryan occasionally visited Jet, he had never attended a birthday party; saying he “might make it” to this one proved empty.

Lillian hosted a mermaid-themed party, baking an “ocean” cake and playing music from The Little Mermaid. Neighbor Shauna and her son Kendall (“Kendi”) attended, along with other children from the apartment complex. Shauna joked about color stereotypes after Kendall once called blue a “boy color,” and she and Jet shared an ongoing hobby of spotting cardinals.

During the party, Kendall gave Jet a hand-drawn Hubble Telescope card, and Shauna gave Jet a cardinal card. Lillian appreciated Elise’s calm leadership lighting candles and guiding the children through singing.

As Jet blew out her six candles, Lillian suppressed grief over absent family: Ryan and three grandparents, and the baby boy she relinquished in 1974 who would turn eighteen that summer. She wondered about Jet’s future, recalling Jet’s compassionate reaction to footage of the L.A. riots, which made Lillian believe Jet would be a healer.

When a child reported that Kendall was crying, Lillian found him hiding after someone named Chris mocked his hair. She comforted Kendall, reframed the comment, held his hand, and invited him back for cake. Lillian contrasted Kendall’s quiet response with Jet’s, Ryan’s, and Shauna’s more outspoken styles, noting her own shared instinct to hide.

Lillian, Shauna, and Elise laughed over the amateur mermaid cake decoration before serving it. The children enjoyed the sugary frosting as Sebastian’s song played, and Lillian winked at Jet and wished her a happy birthday, closing the day with warmth despite Ryan’s absence.