Today…
May 3rd
“Thanks for coming!” I greet Donald and Anna, my neighbours, cheerfully, holding the front door open. Donald steps insides and give his feet a quick wipe on the mat. Anna takes off her cardigan and throws it over her shoulder.
“No worries Talia, glad to be here. Oh, and happy birthday,” Donald adds with a wink. He gestures to his wife, who is holding onto a wrapped present.
“Oh, you didn’t,” I say jokingly. “No need for a birthday present on a birthday.”
“Think nothing of it,” says Anna happily.
“Open it now,” Donald insists. Anna hands me the present.
I look at the pretty green wrapping. It’s got the number sixteen printed on it everywhere.
I shake my head. “Nah,” I say, “We’re opening my gifts later.”
“Alright,” says Donald.
“You can join everyone else over there,” I advise, pointing to the table behind me. “I’ll be over there soon.”
Anna and Donald cross to the dining area, where some other guests are seated. Everyone seems to be having a lovely chat and most, with the exception of the only other teenager in the room, are drinking lightly. It’s great that everyone is intermingling so well. I wouldn’t want any disasters, especially on tonight, of all nights.
I close the door they left open and beam.
Who would have thought that I’m sixteen already? It’s quite scary that the beginning of the year has flown so quickly. One minute, I’m an inadequate, inexperienced teen, the next; people are urging me to hurry up and apply for my Ls and to search for colleges and their courses. “Best to start sooner,” they tell me.
I place my present on my gift table and return to my guests, but especially to my best friend Cassie.
“Back,” I say, and slip into a seat beside her.
“Here, come closer,” she says, “I want to get a photo.” She has her fluoro pink camera out and into position.
“Sure.” I pull a silly face. The camera flash blinds me momentarily and I hope that I haven’t blinked in the picture.
She cradles the camera in her palms and uses her fingers to bring up the photos.
“Show me,” I say. She laughs and hands it to me.
“You fool,” she teases. “At least I appear to be half-decent.”
I bring the camera up to my face and giggle.
I do look like a complete idiot. Although my long, dark brown hair is okay and my makeup is fine, the expression pulled on my face is ridiculous. My eyes are wide and bulging. My pupils, normally a muddy grey, are a devil red from an unfortunate retina flare, and my tongue is poking out, so it makes me look even crazier. I wish now that I had have blinked.
At least Cassie looks sensible. Her short, dyed, bright orange hair is curly and barely grazes her shoulders. Her smile is sweet but there’s no teeth showing; a normal Cassie smile. Her eyes aren’t red and bulging, the lucky brat.
She takes the camera back from me.
“Delete it immediately,” I demand, but Cassie shakes her head.
“Uh-uh, no way. This is a definite keeper.” She pockets the camera before I have time to snatch it off her.
“Just you wait. I’ll take it from you when you least expect it, and then I’ll delete it then.”
“Yeah, right.” She rolls her eyes and reaches for her glass of coke.
I shrug and turn my attention to the nearest conversation, which is between Anna and my raucous aunt Regina.
“And would you believe it, that little blighter made off with my purse! He just sprinted off down the road with it! I had never felt so disgusted in my life!”
That was Regina. The story she is sharing with Anna obviously is distressing my aunt, because in between gulps of champagne and the dramatic flailing of her arms, including the one with the glass grasped between her fingers, she keeps rubbing her forehead and temples. Her eyes are slightly bloodshot: she is clearly intoxicated.
Anna sits still, and barely replies. She is smiling politely but it is small and strained. I think she is a tad afraid of my aunt and the damage she can do with that glass in her hand if it flies out. I sure am.
“Regina, let me refill that glass for you,” I say, holding onto her arm to stop it from spilling the contents of her cup. I have no intention of filling it up or returning it to her. I am just going to put it into the kitchen sink, and hope that she’s too drunk to notice its missing.
“Be quick with it,” she says dismissively, and lets me take it from her. As I manoeuvre around my aunt and walk off, I turn and give a slight nod of my head to Anna. She grins at me and I know I’ve done the right thing and saved her from certain injury.
I head across the room to the kitchen opposite.
The best thing I love about my house is that is it big. Nan always was a person with a taste for the lavish and magnificent. There are no small spaces because everything is so open. I don’t mind if walking from room to room is longer here then in a normal house, because I’ve always been a little claustrophobic. So although the kitchen is opposite the dining room, its takes half a minute to get there, drop the glass into the sink and return again.
I approach Cassie but it is then I realise my aunt will see me and demand for her drink. Whoops. Clearly I didn’t think of that in my ingenious plan.
Maybe I can signal Anna to distract her.
I wave behind Regina to grab Anna’s attention. Her dirty blonde hair flicks as she looks up at me. I point at Regina and make an uh-oh face. She smiles understandingly.
“You know the painting over there?” Anna gestures to the picture on the opposite wall away, “I recognise it. I must have a similar one at my place. Isn’t it wonderful?”
The distraction works. Regina stares at it and taps her lips. “Well the colours are all wrong, of course. See, the grass is blue and the sky is green. Actually, now that I think about it, it is a weird picture in general…”
I don’t listen to any more comments she has about the painting, because I’m busy slipping past her quietly. I succeed, and when I fall into the chair beside Cassie, I am relieved.
Cassie gives me a strange look. “What was all that about?”
“Don’t worry,” I whisper with a hush signal and a side glance at Regina. Cassie smirks at me and returns to shifting through the photos on her camera. I decide to listen into another conversation.
This time it’s between my uncle Dale and Donald.
“You can’t trust customers these days,” Donald explains to Dale, scratching his bald head and stubbly chin. “I offer one couple half a grand for a 3 day’s work on their power grid. It was giving them trouble: you know, the power grid wouldn’t connect to the front of the house’s lights. Anyway, half a thousand is a bloody good price, but the buggers won’t pay up.”
Donald’s a sparkie, slang here for an electrician. I don’t know much about his work but I know he’s renowned for his good service. It’s part of the reason why I respect him so.
“Take it to the courts,” replies Dale, removing his glasses and giving them a small wipe. “I’m sure if you got them to sign a contract for the work you can force them to legally pay up.”
Good old Dale, the wise one. He seems to know a solution to pretty much anything about law, physics and chemistry. Pity he can’t fix teenage problems. I bet he’d get a ton of business there.
Donald responds by playfully slapping Dale on the shoulder. I have to stop myself from giggling when Dale winces under contact.
“Thanks a ton, bud,” Donald
“S-sure thing,” he quavers nervously.
I stop eavesdropping on the conversation and look around, and that’s when I notice I can’t see Nan anywhere. I turn to Cassie and grab her attention by tapping her on the arm.
“What?” she says, annoyed.
“It’s my Nan,” I reply. “I don’t know where she’s gotten to. Did you see her leave?”
“Settle down. She’s probably gone to the toilet or something. Geez, stop being so paranoid.”
She’s right, of course. I am being a little paranoid. But it’s just me: I have a tendency to expect the worst sometimes. Even the psychologists I’ve seen in the past haven’t been able to cure that fully.
“Hey birthday girl, that’s a pretty impressive cake,” says Donald in awe.
What’s he talking about? I follow his line of sight and I see my Nan and Anna placing a gorgeously decorated, rainbow ice-cream cake. A grin never leaves my face the whole time they are lighting the candles and dimming the lights. I feel like a little girl, all giddy over a dessert. But it is very pretty. And it has a blue “16” candle in the middle.
Cassie’s leaning forward and studying it. “Awesome.”
“Everyone ready to sing?” says Nan with a little smile. I’m glad she looks presentable today, with a pink shawl, crimson top and loose black pants. She’s wearing a pearl necklace and earrings.
I groan jokingly. “I thought I was too old for songs!”
“No way, little kitten!” says Donald with a chuckle. “Come on everybody, on the count of three! One, two, three!”
The guests begin a rowdy chorus of the birthday song while I blush, and hide my mouth with my hands. I appreciate the gesture, but it is embarrassing.
When it’s over, someone yells “Make a wish!”
I bend over to the candles, close my eyes, blow out the flames and wish for a miracle.
-x-x-
A boy, huddled up and pressed against the window, watches the party. He is clothed in a black hoodie and his features are undistinguishable against the shadows of the night. He is silent and still.
The boy hears the shouting and sees the candle’s flame disappear against her breath.
He stays for a few seconds longer, amused and curious into this way of life, and then he slinks off and leaves.
-x-x-
The atmosphere is jubilant. I can’t seem to wipe the smile off my face. Someone hands me a knife and I slice into the cake.
“Don’t touch the bottom!” Cassie squeals. “Then you’ll have to kiss the nearest boy!”
“Oh, ha-ha,” I reply dryly. I choose instead to pass the knife to grandma to let her cut the cake into pieces.
I turn around to sit back into my chair but something catches my eye. I raise my head to glance at the window. I’m sure I saw something move across it. But it’s so dark outside, I can’t be certain. I shrug and sit back down.
No one looks for universities in year 11, unless they're doing uni part time in year 12, which does, of course, happen. But generally you have to earn it, like my sister. She received the highest grades in her year, so she was offered a "SUN" program ("Start University Now") which is a kind of scholarship.
