Happy Birthday

As of 8 am, there were already 3 signs and even 3 was an unlucky number. Elsa ran the zip of her backpack all the way to the other end of the bag then slung it over her shoulder and covered her mass of golden brown curls with her hoodie.

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Finally, she slid a pair of dark glasses on her nose and then made her way to the bus station when she was sure that the bus would be there in 5 minutes. If there was anything Elsa loved, it was being orderly even to her teeth. She could plan her entire outfit, her events for the day, and even how she was going to walk or talk to someone, but she hated it that she couldn't control the situations she found herself in.

She hated it that she could wake up and water wasn't running from the shower and that she kept the bread too long in the toaster and it got burnt. However, those were minor occurrences compared to the black cat that suddenly appeared on her kitchen window just before the bread got burnt. Shortly after that, her mirror slipped from her bed when she was throwing clothes around the room, looking for the white hoodie she was currently putting on. Now, just as she came out of her house to wait for the bus, she stepped on a crack in the sidewalk.

For some reason she couldn't understand, there were tears in her eyes when she arrived at the bus station exactly 5 minutes later and the bus hadn't arrived yet. The bus was never late, and she never miscalculated. As she stood there with her arms hugging her torso, her phone began to vibrate in the front pocket of her jeans. She honestly didn't feel like speaking to anyone so she ignored it but whoever she was refused to be ignored. She picked up after the 3rd ring.

“Elsa! Where did you drop your phone this time?”

Elsa rolled her eyes beneath her dark glasses. She was thinking Peggy, her favorite half-sister, would at least begin with a birthday song in that sonorous voice of hers.

“It was in my pocket”

“Whatever. Meet me at the fountain in 30 minutes, I have something urgent to show you”

“It's my birthday and I'm taking the day off. I'll see you tomorrow”

“You pathetic little thing!” Peggy cried, “Going to an old house where your old man died every year is no way to celebrate a birthday. No wonder your life is so gloomy. I'll be waiting at the fountain. 30 minutes.”

Elsa slapped her hand to her forehead. Another bad sign.

Since she was 17, she had never celebrated her birthday elsewhere other than the house her father built and died in. She had packed everything she needed; blankets as all the furniture and bedding had since been moved by her step-siblings, snacks to share with the portrait of her father which sat prettily on the floor waiting for her to come wipe dust off its face every year, and that old, cracked, chess board.

If she didn't head over to the old house, today was going to be just like every other day when she would wake up in that tiny condo of hers and head over to open the library at 8:30 am.

To be honest, she was already tired of the day and she wanted it to come to an end as quickly as possible. Some birthdays were like that.

She sighed wearily after 7 extra minutes and crossed over to the other side of the station to pick a bus going in the opposite direction.

Peggy was standing right in front of the fountain when she alighted from the bus. Despite having to see her every day, she still thought Peggy was the most beautiful young lady she had set her eyes upon. She was dark-skinned with perfect white teeth that glowed whenever she smiled. It was like someone switching up the lights in a dark room, Peggy's smile always brought a smile to her face, just like it was doing now.

“Hello pumpkin, happy birthday” she kissed her on the cheek and took the bag away from her. “Come on, I said I have something to show you”

Peggy literally dragged her into the five-star resort just adjacent to the fountain. She didn't understand what was going on but she knew Peggy was up to something even though she trusted Peggy so she followed her sheepishly.

“So, I want you to meet someone you've always wanted to meet. Now close your eyes, count to three, and open them.

“Four, I'll count to four” She was scared of the number three already and didn't want it jinxing whatever she was going to do.

Peggy let her do her thing.

When she opened her eyes, the room was filled with everybody she loved including Jason, that dark-haired boy on her street who she was secretly crushing on.

There were balloons, and petals on the floor, and Mr Hyde, her boss, was holding a chocolate cake, her favorite.

She couldn't control the tears that washed down her face.

“I thought today was going to be a bad day,” she kept saying over and over, “I saw a black cat this morning, my mirror broke, I stepped on a cracked sidewalk…”

“You believe in those superstitions too?” Jason asked her, she nodded and they both chuckled.

That was the best bad day she ever had. It was the first time she smiled because she was happy, it was the first birthday that had been celebrated since she was 17. It was the first time she received a kiss on the lips.

It was the first time she had a truly perfect day.