Welcome to the Moth Podcast. I'm Kate Tellers, your host for this episode. I am known as someone who is, to put it mildly, not chill about birthdays. I live by the words of Emily Saliers. If we ever leave a legacy, it's that we loved each other well. In my eyes, one more trip around the sun is a great reason to show love to the

special people in my life. A few years ago, I decided to do this by making my husband a photographer,

a cake in the shape of a camera. It should be noted that I don't bake, or really assemble anything in the

kitchen, or have any patience. So after texting my sister incessantly,

things in all caps like, how to make icing pitch black, I emerged from our tiny kitchen,

victorious, and set my masterpiece on the table. One guest, confused, yelled, a tank. But I'd like to

believe that my loving sentiment rang true. But let's be honest, how often does a birthday celebration go exactly as planned?

First up is Sheila Kavanaugh, who told this at a Boston story slam in 2022, where the theme of the night was, appropriately, birthdays.

Here's Sheila live at the mouth.

Thank you so much. I'm 18 years old. It's June following my freshman year in college, and I have a newish boyfriend. I'm still discerning whether or not I like him

when the phone rings. And he said, what are you doing on Saturday, June 23rd?

And I said, I'm free.

And he said, I'd love to take you out to dinner.

Now, he lived in Boston.

I lived in Worcester.

So I had to take the bus to Boston to go out on a date.

And he didn't really mention anything about the dinner being fancy or anything.

So I dressed in my best casual outfit.

I had a fresh rinse of Listerine when I departed the bus.

And I see Larry dressed in a three-piece suit.

And I got a little bit nervous because I had only seen three-piece suits at weddings,

and I did not want him to propose.

...