The Birthday

Ellie

Three years ago

“Ellie Renee White! I will not call you one more time. We are super late already, what is it you are doing up there anyway?”

“I am coming mum, just one sec.” I say while applying mascara. I can be a bit slow especially in getting ready and mum hates this. Not once has she left me in the house even though we were going the same direction.

“Hmmmm something smells nice in here.” I say while coming down the stairs holding my bag.

“I made pancakes. Unlike you, some people in this house can be fast enough to get ready and also make breakfast.”

“Come on mum, I am not that slow.” I say while taking a sit on the dining table.

“Morning dad, at least you are not complaining this fine morning.”

“You know your mother, she has to get things her way if not she can get grumpy, morning sweet pie.” Dad says while taking a bite of his pancake.

“So now you are both ganging up against me. Eat up so we can leave we are already thirty minutes behind schedule.”

“Why do we even have a schedule for dad’s birthday? Aren’t we supposed to just have fun and enjoy the day, I mean dad is turning sixty.”

“We need to go out and have fun but get back here by six thirty in time for your father’s medication.” Mum says while cleaning some dishes in the sink. Ever since dad got sick, we were forced to employ schedules for everything as he had specific time to take his medicine. When to get out of the house and that is if at all he was in good shape to do so and luckily today on his birthday he was booming, when to eat and what to eat. I am not complaining but dad getting sick brought a lot of changes in the house considering he was once a big rich and influential man who was the sole provider of the house and now he needed assistance in almost everything. On days where my mum and I were out of the house we had a care giver who would come and take care of dad.

My father had become a bitter and mean man at first when he lost his company and all of his money over some scandals. The company meant the world to him and losing it shattered him so badly. He got sick, hypertension and high blood pressure that got him in and out of hospital in the past months. It was so bad that he even needed a wheelchair to move around. This did not just shatter my dad but mum too. Mum used to be a housewife with many business and she would get money at home and at ease and mothering was her entire job. Now, she had to work, she worked extra two jobs to be able to afford taking care of the whole family as she was now the sole bread winner of the family. I was also affected by all this as I was used to luxuries of lie but now I had learned to be contented with the little I was getting. Most importantly we were still together as a family and we survived and lived for moments like this when we were altogether and having fun once in a while, like now at dad’s birthday. We had decided to go to the aquarium as dad loved the sea.

“Clean your plate when you finish. We do not want to leave behind dirty dishes and the dish washer is not working.” Mum says while taking my dad’s plate.

“Mum can I drive today, pretty please.”

“Unless we all want today to be the last day of our lives and at least your dad and I do not want that, we have not even gone skinny dipping yet, right my love?” Mum says as she hands over dad a glass of water.

“Yes baby. Sweet pie we all know how bad you drive. At least let us not die on my birthday.” Dad says chuckling

“You too have so little faith in me. I have improved significantly, I sometimes even drive Grace’s car and she trusts me with it. I am so heartbroken.” I say while holding the left side of my chest dramatically to emphasize how heartbroken I was while making a face.

“Baby when your dad and I are a hundred years old and can do nothing without your help, I have already appointed you our designated driver.” Mum says while tapping my shoulders using a kitchen towel to demonstrate her appointment.

“You guys are the worst. I am almost twenty years old, old enough to be a driver.” I say while getting up to wash my plate.

“ You can continue the whining in the car, hurry up with washing that plate and catch us in the car, do not make me call you twice to come out of the house, I mean it. Lock the door after you.” Mum say as she takes her bag and the car keys and wheels my dad outside. I finish off quickly, ran upstairs and get my phone and leave the house. I am so excited for today, we rarely go out and I needed this

“Oh my God, dad did you see that big whale, it is like ten times my size!” I say as my eyes are fixated on the glass separating us from that twenty foot something giant. I have always loved a behind the scenes tour in the aquarium. When I was ten, dad took me there and I saw a mermaid and believed that they were actually true and the whole week that was the only thing I could talk about the whole day, in school, at home, I was fascinated.

We walk around when a dolphin comes to our glass, right where we are. It starts flipping around and kind of doing tricks for us, I think it is trying to put on a show for us and this highlights our tour. We walk around the Aquatic scene and take a few selfies and I can tell dad is having a time of his life. His laughs make my world. We walk over and meet and even greet a sea turtle. At the end of the Aquarium tour I ended up touching a starfish, a sea anemone and an urchin, my adventurous side kicked in. I even smiled at a stingray and it smiled back! I cannot wait to get kids and take them on dates like this. At the end of the tour we were all pretty tired and hungry and decided to go get food at dad’s favorite Mexican restaurant.

“Happy birthday dad I love you. I got you a little something for your sixtieth birthday.” I say as I pass him a gift bag across the table.

“Oh my sweet pie you did not have to, thanks I love you too.” He says while taking the gift and reaches in to see what I got him.

“Aaaaw you got me a Stanley cup and it is in my favorite color, green. Thanks baby I appreciate this. This has already surpassed your mother’s gift.” He says giving me a wink.

“I know I will never win when it comes to the two of you.” Mum says while reaching out to get her gift.

“I got you something too my love. Happy birthday Tom, to sixty and many more years together.” She says handing him a gift bag.

“Aaaww honey thank you. You got me an album with our wedding pictures. Oh I was so young here and you were pregnant with Ellie. Oh this one was when we were going for my sister’s wedding, that suit looks so good on me. This one was when we were making White and Co.” He finishes off in a low tone and you can sense some hurting in those words. He stared at that picture for a moment before closing the album and suddenly the air in the room was so sad.

“I know I do not tell you this as much as I should but I appreciate the two of you so much. I do not think I could have been able to survive the collapse of the company without the both of you reassuring me that all will be well and you continue to do so even now. I know it did a number on me and honestly I wish I was strong enough and could be able to work myself out and build the company again and go back to providing for the two queens I love so much in the whole world. I feel like I failed both of you. A man does not just fall this hard and not pick himself up and let alone become a burden to his family. I wish I could make this right, give you the world you deserve and we do not have to rent out a small house, only go out when there is an occasion like my birthday, I wish I could take it all back. I love you so much and I hope you do not give up on me no matter how much I might need you.” He finishes off his sad monologue and tears are streaming down my face as my mum and I go over to him and hug him so tightly.

“Tom, you will never be a burden for us. We love taking care of you and seeing you in our lives every day that we wake up is a blessing. You light up our worlds and you should never at one time think so negatively. Besides you took care of us before it is only fair that we do so now. I love you my love, every day that I wake up I choose to love you.” Mum finishes off and gives him a kiss.

“Dad, you are the best. I do not think I could wish to have any other dad in the whole wide world. As mum said we enjoy looking after you. Every day after school I look forward to seeing you, having dinner with you, giving you your meds and the little movie hangouts we have especially the ones where mum is not in.” I joke to lighten up the mood and give my dad a kiss on his cheek.

“Okay so enough emotions let us eat the cake.” Mum says while wiping off tears and signaling the waiters to bring in the cake. Mum had reserved a spot for us in the restaurant and even asked them to make us cake to celebrate dad.

The cake is brought by two waiters as we sing happy birthday and we are even joined by some random strangers that were seated around us. Dad cuts the cake and we eat and share with the people around. It feels nice. We finish off and by this time everybody is quite tired and so we head home. I take things from the car as we had passed by the supermarket as mum and dad get in the house. Just before I get in the house, I receive a call from my school crush and I melt as he talks to me but our call is interrupted when I hear a scream from the house. I ran into the house and find my mum on the bathroom floor and her hand still holding the shower knob. I hear some sparks and figure that she had been electrocuted. In panic, I call 911 not knowing that was the last time I would see my mother.