17

If his adolescent development continued in the same way, I imagine that his mustache would have fully come in by now. If the eating issues resolved, I imagine that he would probably be more bulky than sinewy given how plump he was as a baby, and given the physical exercises that we had begun. If we identified a doctor that could successfully address the issues with his right leg, I imagine that he would clearly stand taller than me by now.

If he were alive, Sekai would be 17 years old today.

I can only imagine how he would look. I have a hard time imagining who he would be as a person, because by the time of his passing, he was a much different person from who he was before the reality of his experiences, trauma response, and depression took over his very being. But since this is me imagining...I would like to imagine that his sarcastic nature and sassy wit would have increased and been more widely recognized as his ability to display his intelligence would have increased and been more widely recognized once his educational opportunities improved; that his charisma and interpersonal skills would have grown exponentially once his pain had been addressed; that his compassion and humor would have begun to shine once he felt that these qualities of his--that all of his qualities, and indeed his very existence--were appreciated by others.

I can only imagine how beautiful his face would be with the light of 17 candles shining upon it. Happy birthday, Sekai! Happy birthday, my darling, darling boy.