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18 HAPPY BIRTHDAY

When I came back from the bathroom the following morning, I got the shock of my life. At first, I thought I had walked into the wrong cell by mistake. There were about ten people, sitting around a table, wearing those party hats that are made of coloured tissue paper. They all looked up at me when they heard the door open.

'I'm so sorry. Perdón,' I mumbled, backing out into the corridor.

'¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS!' they shouted at the tops of their voices.

It was only then that I recognised Jack, sitting there with his dark sunglasses on. And there was Carlos, with his wife next to him. And Ricardo. And most incredibly, up the far end of the table, sat Sylvia Venables, my 'angel' from the Anglican Church. She smiled at me and blew on her plastic party whistle, the type with paper that unravels when you blow into it.

Without warning, Yasheeda sprang out from behind the door. 'Surprise!' she yelled, kissing me on the lips and pushing me into a chair. 'You get to sit here at the head of the table, since you're the guest of honour.'

On the table in front of me sat a massive birthday cake. It was my birthday! I had completely forgotten about it. My birthday had always been important to me on the outside, but the thought of celebrating it in prison that year had made me deliberately wipe it from memory. However, Yasheeda hadn't forgotten. I couldn't remember when I had told her.

'I'm sorry, Tommy,' she apologised, lighting the candles. 'I didn't know how many candles to buy. How old are you?'

I still hadn't said a word. I was too stunned. I just sat there, looking around me.