Marcus held his hand as they approached the pavilion.
The boy slowed.
"Daddy?"
"Yeah?"
"Is this where it happened?"
Marcus nodded.
"Yes."
Caleb stared at the picnic tables.
The old decorations were gone.
The grass had grown back.
There was no sign of the ruined cake.
A family was eating lunch beneath the pavilion.
Children played nearby.
Caleb looked confused.
"It looks normal."
Marcus smiled gently.
"It is normal."
The boy studied the place.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then he asked, "Can we sit there?"
Marcus looked toward the pavilion.
"Of course."
They walked to an empty bench.
Caleb sat beside his father.
He watched a little girl chase soap bubbles across the grass.
He watched a man carry a cooler toward a picnic table.
He watched a group of children play tag.
Then he looked at Marcus.
"Daddy?"
"Yes?"
"I think I want another birthday here someday."
Marcus felt his throat tighten.
"Are you sure?"
Caleb nodded.
"But not with that big cake."
Marcus smiled.
"What kind?"
"Chocolate."
"Chocolate?"
"With strawberries."
"That sounds pretty good."
Caleb looked toward the playground.
"And maybe not Superman."
Marcus nodded.
"Whatever you want."
The boy thought for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"Maybe astronauts."
Marcus laughed.
"Astronauts it is."
He placed an arm around his son's shoulders.
For the first time in two years, Riverside Park felt like a place where good memories might grow again.
The following summer, Caleb turned ten.
Marcus organized a smaller birthday party.
There were twelve children.
A simple cake.
A few balloons.
And a cardboard rocket hanging above the table.
Caleb wore a NASA T-shirt.
His grandfather arrived carrying a model of the International Space Station.