When smile says everything, words can do more..any words

I spent most of my life trying to make my parents proud of me. Achievements that I thought would make them say the words, "Proud of you!". But it never came out from them. I did good though, in school, in life. But the fact that my parents are not the most expressive people, made me understand that sometimes smile said everything. When I published my first book, they also gave me smile.They didn’t say anything, just smile. That’s enough for me to know that they’re happy with my achievement. But were they proud of me? I still didn’t know.

My 35th birthday was just 5 days ago. They said, "Happy birthday!" to me and that's all, just like any other birthdays I had before. But today, my mom called and said, “We’ll buy you a netbook for your birthday present. How’d you like it?”. I said, “I’d love it!”. The last time I can remember they gave me a birthday present, it was maybe 25 years ago. It’s just not a common thing in my family. And no one complained about it. So, when today my mom offered me a birthday present, it felt like I went back to my childhood. It felt nice. But that’s not the lightning strike. I was feeling awkward at first, then I smiled.I think to myself, “Maybe, just maybe, this is their way to say that they’re proud of me becoming a writer!”

I know, I don’t have to confirm that to them. The fact that it’s just a guess is enough for me. Because I know them for my whole life. When smile says everything in my family, words can do more..any words.