Man was told stranger paid for his birthday cake—then a heartbreaking note on the cake made him weep
Acts of selflessness and generosity from strangers often catch us off guard. These acts rarely stem from bittersweet realities but when they do, the outcome is one of the most profound and invaluable, one-of-a-kind experiences and feelings one will ever have. A man named Bryan Durkos was fortunate to witness this act through the gesture of a stranger, per Newsweek. The man had gone to purchase a birthday cake and when it was time to pay, he was met with a note from a stranger, stating that the cake had already been paid for. This selfless act was inspired by a heartbreaking reality that left him on a bittersweet rollercoaster.
Sharing in a post on Reddit, the man revealed that he went out to get a birthday cake for his father-in-law, who was celebrating his 70th birthday. “The girl working said someone had paid for the cake and they left a note,” he revealed. The man tried to acquire a name, contact or some other information to know the identity of the person but the woman had left nothing behind. Her poignant note only revealed that she was a mom and that was likely the identity she wanted the recipient to remember her with. The man looked at the handwritten note that read, “My daughter is 35 today. She’s in heaven.” It further had a request for the buyer.
“When you blow out the candles, make a wish for her,” the mom wrote. Durkos had no idea who the mom or daughter was. He only knew this kind gesture came from a grieving yet strong heart that wanted to honor her daughter by doing something good. "It didn't hit me until I walked away and was in the aisle on the way to exit the store. I stopped and read it again and got goosebumps,” the man said. He added that though he was not an “emotional person,” he still found himself in tears at the words. As the man pondered the thoughtful event, he stumbled upon a heart-melting coincidence.
“When I did the math, my father-in-law would have been 35 years old the day this girl was born — and that is how old she would have been on this exact day. That made it even more special to me,” he remarked. This random event was too special not to share. He explained the entire scenario to his family, including his father-in-law, who also got emotional. "He was speechless; it really touched him,” he noted. “When we sang happy birthday to him later that evening, he said a little prayer for the young lady and we all followed it up with 'Cheers.' He saved the note and took it back home with him,” Durkos added.
He made fair attempts to trace the woman by asking the store workers and even looking up obituaries of the specified date, but in vain. As the mom wished, he left a prayer for the woman. “Happy 35th Heavenly Birthday, Young Lady,” he wrote. u/lilymagil said, “This is so lovely, I’m crying. I find it extra synchronistic that your father-in-law turned 70 and 35 is half of that.” u/GullibleRiase4853 added, “I didn’t think I would be crying when I looked at a birthday cake! What a beautiful gesture.”