I woke up early feeling depressed because it was my birthday, and I
thought,"I'm another year older," but decided not to dwell on it. So I
showered and shaved, knowing when I went down to breakfast my wife would
greet me with a big kiss and say, "Happy birthday, dear."

All smiles, I went into breakfast, and there sat my wife reading the
newspaper as usual. She didn't say a word. So I got myself a cup of coffee
and thought, "Oh well, she forgot. The kids will be down in a few minutes,
they will sing 'Happy Birthday' and have a nice gift for me."

There I sat, enjoying my coffee, and I waited. Finally the kids came running
into the kitchen yelling, "Give me a slice of toast! I'm late! Where is my
coat? I'm going to miss my bus!" Feeling more depressed than ever, I left for
the office.

When I walked in, my secretary greeted mew with a big smile and a cheerful.
"Happy Birthday, boss," She then asked if she could get me some coffee. Her
remembering my birthday made me feel a whole lot better.

Later in the morning, my secretary knocked on my office door and said, "Since
it's your birthday, why don't we have lunch together?" Thinking it would make
me feel better, I said, "That's a good idea."

So we locked up the office, and since it was my birthday, I said, "Why don't
we drive out of town and have lunch in the country, instead of going to the
usual place?" So we drove out of town and went to a little out-of-the-way inn
and had a couple of martinis and a nice lunch. We started driving back to
town when my secretary said, "Why don't we go by my place, and I will fix you
another martini?" It sounded like a good idea, since we didn't have much to
do at the office. So we went to her apartment, and she fixed some martinis.

After a while, she said, "If you will excuse me, I think I will slip into
something more comfortable," and she left the room. In a few minutes, she
opened her bedroom door and came out carrying a big birthday cake. Following
her were my wife and all my kids, and there I sat with nothing on but my
socks.