"Hello?" I mumbled into my bedroom phone on the clear Saturday morning. Morning, too early.
"Wake-up, wake-up! You will be picked up at twelve thirty pm exactly. A red car will be parking in your driveway and awaiting your arrival back to the car on the arm of a very handsome young man, if I may say so myself." I laughed at Nick's corny way of wishing me a Happy Birthday.
"Nah, I think I'll just go back to sleep."
"It's ten o'clock Amanda, get up, take your nasty self in the shower, get dressed, and you better look good, and don't forget to eat a nice bowel of Captain Crunch cereal, your favorite, on your birthday."
"Now is that any way to say happy birthday to a girl?"
"No, but Happy Birthday. Now get up!" Nick said excitedly. He had to have her up and ready to go by noon if he wanted her birthday to go the way he wanted it to. And the way he wanted it was perfect. This was the day he was not only going to make her happy, but he was going to make himself happy, by making a dream of his come true.
"Nick, talk normal to me. Please?" I pleaded while rolling over with my brand new pink comfy comforter.
"Alright. I will."
"Good."
"But not now. When I pick you up at noon, precisely. See ya then Amanda." I groaned and hung up my cordless phone. Who was he to order me around? I rubbed my eyes to help dissolve the bluriness from my vision. Oh yeah, it's Nick. I smiled to myself and screeched as I stretched my arms upward. This was going to be a long day I had no idea how to prepare for.
"Amanda! Please, your singing voice is just not good this morning." Jakob said as he walked by my door and stopped in the threshold.
"Shut-up!" I threw my pillow as far as I could, but it didn't even get close to him. "I was just stretching you idiot."
"Yeah, you'd like me to think that wouldn't you?" He rolled his eyes back in his head and I picked up another pillow aiming it for his head, and hit smack dab in the middle of his face.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Help help!" he cried and dropped to the floor covering his entire head with his arms.
"Oh hush up. I don't fall for that."
"Fall for what? I'm just showing you what I wanna do when you sing." I dropped my mouth open.
"You disgust me."
"I know. But think fast." Jakob grabbed the two pillows I had thrown at him and came running to my bed and began squeezing my head between them.
"Ah! You jerk! Stop Jakob! You're pulling out my hair!"
"Blah, blah, blah. Now is that any way to say mercy?"
"NO!" I screamed. Jakob and I often made each other cry for mercy, and this time, I was NOT giving in. "You call mercy!"
"But you're not even touching me birthday girl."
"GRRR! JAKOB! You wait till I get out of this situation!" I tried to back away from him but I ended up falling backwards off of the bed, hitting my head. "Ow," I said mildly while laughing. "That kinda hurt."
"Call mercy and I'll stop. Mercy! C'mon! You can do it!"
"NO! It's my birthday, you have to listen to me! I'll never say it." I continued trying to get up and run but Jakob always pushed me back on the ground with his knees.
"Merrrrrccccyyyy," He sang close to my ear. I grunted in exhaustion from fighting off this disease.
"Fine!" I shouted. "MERCY!"
"There, that wasn't hard was it?" I watched from my spot on the floor while Jakob stood up and brushed the floor lint off of his blue shirt. "Happy birthday Amanda," he said before throwing the pillows down to my face.
"Wait Jakob! Give me a piggy back ride downstairs so I can see Dad!" He turned around and gave me this look like I was crazy! "Pleeeeease?"
"Fine, fine. Hurry up." I ran and jumped on his back and I knew I was killing the baby's back.
"Gosh girl! How much do you weigh?"
"Hey! I only weigh 110 and that's darn good for my height. I can't help it if you are too weak to lift me up." I knew he rolled his eyes at my comment but he just continued walking awkwardly down the hall and even down the hardest part, the stairs.
"Hold on, and don't make me fall." I smiled and wrapped my arms really tight around his neck. "Amanda, let, go! I can't breathe!"
"Sorry." I snickered and loosened my grip around his neck, but tightened my legs around his waist.
"Alright, Amanda destination is, the kitchen chair next to Dad." I laughed and let Jakob drop me in my regular chair at the table.
"Nice job Jake. I imagine your sister's making you do everything for her for her day right?" my Dad asked as he took a bite out of his chocolate covered donut.
"Ha! Only after he shoved two pillows in my face on end, making me beg for mercy." I took a glance in Jakob's direction and saw him covering up a laugh with the box of cereal he was hiding behind.
"Uh huh Amanda. Whatever you say. Happy birthday." he leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Do you want your gifts from us now or later?"
"Now pweaaaaase!"
"Alright, Jakob go and get them from you know where." He nodded and quickly left the table.
"Dad? Is it okay if I go out with Nick today? He wants to come and get me a little after noon."
"Yeah, anything you want. It is YOUR birthday." He hesitated. "Are, are you and Nick..." he sighed. "Nevermind. I shouldn't be prying." He looked up and smiled at me.
"No, Dad, what?"
"Well...I don't know how to put this, but are you and Nick..."
"Having sex?" I finished. "Dad, if that's what you think, well, is it?" I grabbed my empty cereal bowel and placed into the kitchen sink. I tried doing anything to keep me from looking into his eyes.
"No, that's not what I wanted to know, but...now that you mention it. Are you?"
"No Dad. We're not."
"Are you even together?"
"Nope," I said with a slight sound of agitation in my voice. "We're not."
"Oh, you know he's such a nice guy. That's the kind of person I'd like to see you marry, get involved with. Don't you think?"
What was this, twenty questions? So now he was basically telling me the kind of person he'd like me to have sex with? What was wrong with this picture?
"Well Dad, I don't know." Jakob decided to enter the room just that second with gifts in hand. "If by involved you mean in love with, it's too late for that," I mumbled under my breath.
"What did you say sweetie?"
"Nothing," I said with a wide smile across my face. I glanced at the stack of presents on the table and took a seat.
I had opened up my gifts one by one, taking in the glory of them all, and once I was complete, I bounded happily up the stairs to my room. I was quite glad to be in the privacy of my room and breathed a sigh of relief. I knew if I had stayed down there any longer more questions would arise that I would feel uncomfortable with answering, or even just hearing them being asked. But most of all that I was worried about was that I would start crying.
I picked up the photo album I had received and opened it to page one. There, in the arms of my deceased Mother, I was. Throughout a few pages were pictures of me as a baby with the family, and one or two with Nick at my birthday party.
This was my first birthday without my Mom, and it scared me. I knew this wouldn't be the last. But what kept me from crying out, was the fact that I knew I wasn't alone. I was staying here on Earth with my mother and my friends. And I was here to share a life with Nick, whether he was my boyfriend, or just a friend.
I smiled at my courage, and grabbed a towel to quickly get ready for my day out with Nick.
