I FOUND A VIDEO UNDER HIS FLOORBOARDS: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY”

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I FOUND A VIDEO UNDER HIS FLOORBOARDS: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY”

I shouldn’t have been snooping, I know, but the loose board in the hallway always bothered me. The house smells like dust and old wood—the scent of secrets.

And secrets, I guess, are what I found. It was a VHS tape, labeled simply with a date. Inside was a grainy video of a little girl, maybe five, holding a cake with one candle. “Happy birthday, Daddy!” she squealed, her voice echoing with a sweetness that punched me in the gut. It wasn’t him I recognized, though.

It was my best friend, Sarah, who’s smiling, beaming, behind the camera. He had told me she was his “cousin”, it’s the way he always brought her name. The way he always looks at her. The realization hit me cold, like a slap, there’s a buzzing feeling in my ears and I think the lights starting to blur. The tape ends abruptly.

Now my phone is ringing. It’s Sarah.

👇 Full story continued in the comments…
I FOUND A VIDEO UNDER HIS FLOORBOARDS: “HAPPY BIRTHAY, DADDY”

I shouldn’t have been snooping, I know, but the loose board in the hallway always bothered me. The house smells like dust and old wood—the scent of secrets.

And secrets, I guess, are what I found. It was a VHS tape, labeled simply with a date. Inside was a grainy video of a little girl, maybe five, holding a cake with one candle. “Happy birthday, Daddy!” she squealed, her voice echoing with a sweetness that punched me in the gut. It wasn’t him I recognized, though.

It was my best friend, Sarah, who’s smiling, beaming, behind the camera. He had told me she was his “cousin”, it’s the way he always brought her name. The way he always looks at her. The realization hit me cold, like a slap, there’s a buzzing feeling in my ears and I think the lights starting to blur. The tape ends abruptly.

Now my phone is ringing. It’s Sarah.