older, not any wiser

i turned 26 yesterday

A brief interaction with a coworker twice my age right before I clock out to rush home and pack for Venice somehow turns into a cathartic kick-off for my birthday week.

“So, how old are you turning?”

“Twenty…six. Twenty-six..” I stutter and seem visibly tense. Not because the question caught me off guard — it’s just that this kind of number sounds unnatu…