[Sometimes, especially after they were family for a while, it is very hard not to forget that he isn't that much younger than she is. That in another time and place they would be, for all intents and purposes, in the same peer group, with similar responsibilities and expectations.]
It is your birthday. [She says it quietly, like she's trying to soften difficult news.] I would never color it with sadness that way.
[action]
It is your birthday. [She says it quietly, like she's trying to soften difficult news.] I would never color it with sadness that way.