Frank, 101, was sitting at his desk, looking at the cake he had bought at the bakery next door. Despite having no one to spend this special day with when he woke up that morning, he was optimistic and confident that he would be happy to celebrate his birthday.
A few minutes later, however, a feeling of loneliness overtook Frank. He sighed sadly as he looked around his house, worried that it was his last birthday. Unfortunately, all of his friends had already passed away, and his neighbors were too busy with their own lives to celebrate with him.
Frank finally got up and went to his kitchen cabinet to get some candles, thinking he would blow them out and cut the cake by himself. But, he looked down at his phone and an idea popped into his head.
«Should I do it?» he wondered, unsure. Finally, he decided to go for it and dialed 911.
«I really wanted to celebrate my birthday, and I ended up calling the police. Would you stay for the cake cutting?»
«911. What is your emergency?» the operator asked.
Frank hesitated. «Ugh, well, my name is Frank Williams, and I’m 101 years old….»
«Okay, sir. How can we help you?» the male voice asked.
«I — I’m alone today, and I don’t want to be alone right now, you see.»
«Are you in danger, sir? We know your location and we can send a unit immediately. Can you tell us more about the nature of your problem?»
«It’s my birthday,» Frank finally said, «and I’d like to celebrate with someone. I realize this isn’t a real emergency, but I didn’t have anyone else to call. Please. Please help me! »
There was a sudden silence, and Frank heard faint whispers.
«Okay, sir, I’ll connect you to one of our responders. The unit is on its way. Please remain calm,» the man replied as he resumed the call. Then a female voice appeared on the other end of the line.
«Don’t worry, sir. It’s Officer Woods. We have your address, and my colleague and I will be there right away,» the woman said.
«The thing is…,» Frank was about to say something, but the phone cut off for lack of charge, and the call was disconnected. Fearing the worst, the officers decided to go to the address immediately. They realized they had no time to waste.
Meanwhile, Frank waited and wondered if the officers would come and if they would really stay with him on his birthday. Being alone on his 101st birthday was almost a danger to him, as he feared he wouldn’t be alive long, but would the officers take it the same way?
A few minutes later, Frank’s doorbell finally rang. He walked painfully to the door, leaning on his cane for support, and saw two officers waiting on his porch.
«My name is Reese Woods, and this is my partner, Officer Simon Caldwell,» the woman said, flashing her badge. «We received a call a few minutes ago. Are you okay?»
Frank nodded. «You see, I really wanted to celebrate my birthday, and I ended up calling the police. My daughter has also been on the police force and she lost her life saving someone’s child. I know this line of service comes with its flaw, but my daughter was telling me that the police always protect and serve the citizens. I hope you will stay for my cake…»
As Frank said this, Simon frowned. «I told you this was a bad idea, Reese! Do we really have to stay for this? We have better things to do!»
But Reese didn’t listen to Simon. «Of course, sir. I’d love to. And yes, you were right to call us. We protect and serve our citizens, which certainly includes celebrating a senior’s birthday. May we come in?»
«Oh, please, please do,» Frank said with a smile as he shed tears.
Frank led the officers through the living room to the dining table, where he finally blew out the candles on his cake and sliced it while the two officers sang the happy birthday song.
With tears in his eyes, Frank thanked them and served them large slices of cake. Then he asked them to spend a little more time with him as he headed to the kitchen to make them some tea.
«There’s no need to do all this! We’re late!», Simon grumbled, trying to hide the anger in his voice, and Reese glared at him.
«That’s downright mean, Simon,» she muttered. «He’s a lonely old man. It’s our duty to take care of the elderly, the women, and every citizen for that matter, so stop being mean!»
At this point, Simon had no choice and agreed to stay with Reese.
As Frank brought tea and cookies to the officers, he began to tell them his story, which Simon was not interested in hearing. However, he had no choice.
«My wife and I only had one daughter,» Frank said. «She was our world, and she was a beautiful officer just like you,» he said, looking at Reese. «But the Lord had other plans. He took her away too soon.
«After my daughter died, my wife couldn’t handle the grief and she left, too. I’ve been alone ever since. I know Officer Caldwell is not happy to be here, but I want to thank him…. Thank you so much, officers. Because of you, I was able to spend my birthday with someone. Now I will be at peace if God calls me back to him soon. Thank you,» he said, his eyes filled with tears.
Simon saw how sad Frank was when he said this, and he regretted the way he had behaved earlier. He apologized and the two officers again wished Frank a happy birthday before leaving his house that day. But that’s not where things ended.
After attending Frank’s birthday party, Reese visited him from time to time with her children, Mia and John. Her children loved spending time with the old Frank, as he always shared his daughter’s police adventures with them and spoiled them with treats like pizza and Coke.
They even started calling Frank «Grandpa» out of affection. «Grandpa Frank is the best, Mom!» 5-year-old Mia always told Reese. «He tells us stories and gives us delicious food!».
Thanks to Reese’s kind heart, old Frank lived out his last years with great happiness. When he died at 102, after celebrating another birthday with Reese and her family, he left her his home, which Reese turned into a senior citizen facility.
