Say you love me

49

"Happy birthday sweetheart!" Christine said as she led her daughter to the head of the table. The living room was decorated with balloons and crepe paper, the lights dimmed to draw attention to the lit candles of the round, white buttercream birthday cake. It was a pretty cake; vanilla, just how Pearl liked it.

Pearl herself looked like a little dream. She wore a tiny pink party dress Chris had found at the thrift store, still in good enough condition to be worn for a special occasion. Her lace ruffled socks nearly swallowed up her tiny feet, which were wearing shiny black Mary Janes. Somehow or another, Chris had washed Pearl's hair (Pearl cried the whole time) and rolled it in curlers so it waved softly around her face. With her big blue eyes and her round baby cheeks, she looked exactly like Shirley Temple.

Pearl sat down at the head of the table where her cake awaited, shyly glancing at the table full of people around her. John, Mick, Stevie, Lindsey, and Chris all smiled at her, waiting for her to smile so Stevie could pounce with the Polaroid hidden underneath her gypsy blouse.

"Happy birthday to you..." the table sang as the cake glimmered and shined in a waxy forest of fire.
"Happy birthday dear Pearl, happy birthday to you!" Pearl hid her face behind her hands, embarrassed.

"Blow out the candles, darling!" Chris urged.
"Yes, darling, blow them out!"
Pearl looked at the shimmering candles of the cake, burning down by the second, before blowing them gently and catching two candles out.
"Make a wish, Pearl!" Stevie smiled as she pulled out her camera and, before Pearl could look up, snapped a picture of the little girl and her birthday cake.

"Mummy, I want Stevie to help!" Stevie glanced at Chris, her eyes asking. Chris smiled before reaching for the camera for a shot of Stevie and Pearl together as she helped Pearl blow out her candles.

"Stevie, eat cake!"

She took the perfect shot: Pearl was on Stevie's lap as she hugged her closely, Stevie's long blonde shag framing her face, as Pearl smeared a handful of frosting on Stevie's face. It was a perfectly euphoric moment, it almost looked like Stevie was Pearl's mother instead of Chris.

Lindsey burst out laughing, Chris was mortified, and Pearl reached for another handful.
"Mummy! Cake!" She offered her little frosting covered hand to Chris and smiled, showing her glimmering tiny teeth.
"Pearl Beatrice Mcvie, you know better than that! You'll get your pretty dress dirty, and don't you want to look nice when you have your present?"
"What's pwesent? Tell Mummy, tell pwesent!"
"You'll just have to wait," Chris said as she cleaned her daughter's fingers with a wet rag.

They ate the cake, thankfully it wasn't too dry, while Chris kept glancing at the clock. Hurry up, hurry up! She could hardly wait. She felt more excited than Pearl was for her present.

"Chris, I love these frosting roses! How did you manage these?" Mick asked as he examined the pink sugar rose on his fork.
"Oh, it's simple really! My mum taught me how to make them with her special technique, it's not how you'd find in a bakery, but it works well enough..." Chris explained how she made the intricate loops and curls to form the roses when the doorbell rang.

"That must be Pearl's present!" Chris grinned as she got up from the table.

All anyone could hear from the dining room to the hallway was hushed voices talking in conspiratory whispers. Chris could hardly contain her excitement. She led the way to the dining room, where the others were waiting.

Pearl's gift was dressed in a gorgeous paisley bell sleeve dress with tinkling silver bracelets and strappy white sandals. She carried a guitar slung over her back. Her blonde hair was straight and flowing, with wide bangs that spilled across her forehead. She was a pretty woman with an enchanting smile.

Pearl's little eyes nearly bugged out of her face. She pushed away from Stevie's lap as she ran up to the woman and hugged her knees.

"Mummy, it's Joni! Pearl loves Joni!" Pearl screamed as she jumped up and down. Chris couldn't help but grin as she watched her little girl and her favorite singer.

It had been surprisingly easy. Joni had been in the art gallery Chris had walked by. She was trying to sell one of her paintings, being an artist. She'd heard of Fleetwood Mac, of course, and was flattered that Christine McVie's little girl loved her so. Of course she'd come. She wanted nothing in return but some cake.

"Hello, Pearl! Your mommy says you like my songs," Joni smiled as she picked Pearl up and hoisted her onto her hip. Pearl shyly hid her face behind her hands. She was embarrassed.

"Oh, she loves your songs, Joni! She can sing all of Blue word for word," Chris smiled as she looked at her daughter.
"Darling, stop hiding and say hi! Don't you want to sing a song with Joni?"

Pearl popped up immediately, not shy at all now. "Mummy, song! Joni, can we sing Gween and Blue and Songs for Seagulls?"

Joni grinned. "We can sing anything you want, birthday girl."