After my parents divorced, my mother's birthday became a sad day for her. One year I ordered flowers anonymously because I knew she would refuse if she thought I had spent money. She became convinced they were from an old admirer.
I should have corrected her, but she looked so amused and alive while trying to guess who sent them that I stayed silent. I repeated it the next year. For five years now, my mother has had a mysterious birthday admirer who is actually her daughter. I may have created a situation I can never explain.