I Won't Let You Wilt

We just can't catch a break

"Happy birthday, Sunny!"

Sunny opened his eyes. He smelled something delicious cooking in the kitchen, but there was something more important on his mind than food.

"Morning, Basil," Sunny replied, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. "That smells delicious."

"I made all your favorite food!"

You must've woken up extra early...

"You're so kind to me." Sunny scratched his head, embarrassed that Basil was always up earlier than himself to make food for him. "If you're tired, don't be afraid to get more rest."

I should listen to my own advice sometimes...

"Don't worry, Sunny. I got enough sleep."

After washing up, Sunny went to the kitchen and saw what Basil had spent the morning cooking.

On the table sat a big cake topped with strawberries, decorated by colorful icing that illustrated sunflowers, roses, chrysanthemums, orchids, and tulips. Beside it, a warm juicy steak sat on a plate, demanding to be devoured. There were additionally fries, tacos, miso soup, and—since Basil cared about a healthy diet—a stew of carrots, potatoes, bell peppers, and cabbage marinated in sauce from the steak.

"This is..."

Astounding. I'm in heaven.

"You like it?" Basil asked.

"I love it! This is the best meal I've ever seen!"

Basil smiled with a faint blush. "Thanks, Sunny. It's all yours."

He didn't hesitate to start gobbling down everything. There was just so much food and all of it smelled and tasted so good.

He'd worked extra hard on his story last night and collapsed asleep in bed without eating dinner, despite Basil's attempts to get him to eat something. His appetite was ravenous and that certainly reflected in the way he'd cleaned half the plates before he allowed himself to take a breather.

There's still a lot of food left...

"Please have some of your food!" Sunny insisted. "I can't finish all this by myself."

"Ah, maybe later. I'm...kind of not feeling like eating right now..."

"Did you already eat? You must've worked so hard to create all this food, you have to feel pretty hungry by now if you didn't."

Basil smiled a little nervously. "I went and checked my mailbox, Sunny."

Yeah, my letter with the envelope to submit my story to the writing contest is supposed to come in today...

Did something happen?

Basil walked towards a chair in the living room, where Sunny noticed that two envelopes had been placed on the seat. Basil picked up both envelopes and showed them to Sunny.

"This one's for you, from the writing contest," Basil said, giving that envelope to Sunny. "The other's..."

Sunny glanced at the letter that Basil held in his hand.

He glimpsed from the address printed on the envelope that the letter had come from the state.

"Is that...their reply to your proposal?" Sunny asked.

"Yeah..."

Wow, it arrived on the exact same day as my writing contest's letter and my birthday!?