The Lucky Ones

2 - Birthday Bash

‘I’m a wreck and I know it and I tend to show it at every chance I get.’

-

You’re supposed to be excited and happy for your birthday, not sad and upset that the only people you will be celebrating with are around four family members that you have known forever, but can’t always visit and make it. That was usually my birthday.

Last year was the first time in over three years I had actually gone out of the house for my birthday. Usually it had always been spent in my living room where we had a small party gathering, where I made people listen to the same album over and over before I finally got bored and changed it.

Throwing the lilac coloured duvet sheets off of me I sat in front of my small white vintage make-up dresser to examine my tangled up hair in the bobble, I had tied before sleeping that night. My freckles had began to become more noticeable from the sunny unexpected weather had, although usually my freckles didn’t need the sun to be made noticeable.

“Good- Oh I wasn’t expecting you to be up so early.” My mother said carrying in a small tray with her. Pancakes towered up on one to the plates while a mug of orange juice balanced on the other end with two glasses placed in-between “Happy Birthday!” She smiled. It wasn’t often I really saw my mother smile without really being made to. Although when she did, it was pretty it made her face light up and her tired eye’s look brighter.

I gave one last glance in the mirror admiring the messy morning hair I had grown to like before meeting my mother at my bed where she was already dividing the pancakes between us.

If there was one thing I had always loved and could count on, on my birthday it was this. Although most birthdays reminded me I had no friends due to my own issues I couldn’t seem to get over, this had become the one thing that could always count on me. Ever since I was young my mother and I had always kept our secret birthday morning pancake deal. She’d continued this tradition even when she had been sad, she’d put on a brave face and smile through the whole morning and whenever she’d call me down for the small party celebration we had. It was something we had never gone a year with out. It was something that felt right, and would feel wrong to miss.

“Do you want to open your present now or later? Oh and a card came through this morning from Susan and her kids next door.” She smiled handing over the card. I didn’t know who Susan actually was, I just knew my mother had become friendly with our new neighbours, and that the middle aged women was in fact Susan.

“I will thank her later,” I said, tearing open the card to see it was one of the cute honey coloured bear cards, which read ‘Wishing you a Happy Birthday!’ Inside was a £5 note along with a sweet message and the names signed at the bottom, ‘With love, Susan, Robert, Sawyer and Allie x’

“That was kind of them, maybe we can invite them to your birthday meal, show them some of the town on the way down.” My mother suggest as she began to pick at her pancakes.

I frowned slightly but nodded before I was struck with an idea. Sawyer hadn’t attempted to talk to me after our first encounter, he’d tried to wave and smile at me a few times but that was it. I also thought that it would be nice to spend my birthday with more than just two aunts and grandma.

Slipping out of the kitchen after clearing up the dishes from this morning and last night I decided to stumble across to the neighbours and thank them and invite them to the birthday bash I was going to be having.

Ringing the door bell I was hoping the youngest kid, Allie would open the door and I wouldn’t have to really stay and speak long, a quick ‘say thanks for me and come around for my birthday bash later.’ Instead the mother, Susan opened the door smiling as she saw me.