A New Day

3

January 2017

My hands ached as I continued typing the message, smiling brightly as I did so. I thought carefully about what to write, for it was very important. As I looked up from the window of my office, I could see the house next to mine, outside of it was a boy of six years old, running around with the family's Old English Sheepdog by the name of Roxy. The boy's name was Nick. I sat in my chair a while, watching the boy and his dog run around joyfully. Roxy was only about one year old, but she didn't need a fence for their yard. She was a smart dog.

The family next door to me was very lucky to have a boy like Nicholas Mandela. He had dirty blond hair going down to his shoulders in crisp curls. His eyes were his own; such a light color of blue that you'd have to look really close to notice a hint of blue at all. I knew the boy from the day he came out of the hospital with his new family to the present day and I never once saw him upset. Even at his age, Nick was the most selfless person I knew. Joey and Cameron raised him well. I chose to continue typing.

The following day at seven o'clock sharp, I woke up, spanking my alarm clock to let it know it did its job. I got out of bed immediately, slipping my cold feet into my slippers and leading my half-awake body to the bathroom. I rubbed my eyes a little as I took out my razor, scared I would fall asleep shaving. I don't shave normally, but on that day, I had to arrive next door for my friend's birthday party.

I came into the kitchen with a cleanly shaven face. I opened my refrigerator to pull out two slices of bread and popped them into the toaster. As I waited, I started up my coffee machine to make a cup of black coffee. I thought black coffee tasted good- many people I knew thought I was crazy because of that. When I heard the startling sound of the bread popping out of the toaster, I rummaged through my refrigerator once more to get out almond butter. I normally had butter on my toast, but I occasionally alternate with almond butter and sometimes avocado. I never knew myself to be picky.

As I took a sip of my coffee, I glanced at the calendar hanging on my wall. I got one with pictures of kittens that year. Crosses were marking each day that went by. It was the thirteenth of January. The January kitten was a small orange one with grey playful eyes. A purple ball of yarn about the same size as him was unraveled and the strands were left hanging over his head.

Sitting by my front door was a narrow tall bag with colorful designs on it. Inside was a bottle of white wine. Before leaving my house, I made sure to put on a thick coat. It wasn't snowing outside, but especially in the morning, it was cold. I went outside to my front porch and looking to my left, I saw Joey and Cameron sitting on their front porch. A few balloons floated on strings around them. If it weren't for the strings, they would be out exploring the world. No intended place to go, but they would leave and never come back.

"Hey, Joey! Happy birthday, man!" I said happily as I trotted up to his steps.

"Hey there, stranger! I didn't think you'd make it!" Joey stood up and hugged me.

"I know, there's been something going on between your lot and mine. I was scared I'd be late." I continued the story sarcastically. Cameron stood up and shook my hand.

"Hey, Carter! Come in, make yourself comfortable. We have an entire day to party away. When it gets later we'll move to the backyard and start some barbecue."

"Come on, Cammy. It's a party. Let's go schedule free." Joey read my mind. For as long as I knew Cameron, he always put a schedule on things. In general, he's an organized guy.

When we came in, Roxy was lying down next to the front door, her head in her paws. She immediately stood up when she saw me, wagging her tail excitedly.