"Oh... well..." she looked a little unsure now, glancing at her hands before saying, softer and less excited... "The first time Maria ever wished for anything for her birthday... she wanted her parents to come home and celebrate it with her. They were both working overseas... they came home, or tried to, but her mother was in a plane crash... I guess Maria over heard a lot of people blaming her. She hated her birthday and stopped trusting most adults after that. That's why it was a thank you party, rather than a birthday party. I just.. wanted her to be happy on her birthday rather than just seeing it as the say her mother died... you know..?" she asked quietly.