Birthday Boss

25 June 2013.

The week has been depressing enough, she thought. Enough of the mourning, it's a special day today. The tin can that she spent a few days lovingly redecorating, patiently waiting for the paint to dry, was already finished. It wasn't perfect. The paint job was smudged here and there, but it was pretty enough. Somehow, she felt that the tin can - which used to contain delicious Danish cookies once - portrayed herself in a way.

The haze was thick outside. The IPU reading earlier that day in the news said that the area was in the dangerous level. School was closed. Not a lot of people can be seen on the streets. She, on the other hand, was getting ready to go out. Before she exited the house, she remembered to put on a face mask. Together with her younger sister, they walked to a hypermarket just across the area. It was freakishly warm it wasn't even funny. Everything within the eyesight was yellow and, obviously, hazy. Along the way, there was a house under renovation. 

"They're still working under this condition?" remarked the younger sister. She commented nothing and they walked along.

Because of the mask, she was sweating tremendously. Breathing became quite restricted not only by the haze but by the mask too. Walking felt like jogging. Luckily, the hypermarket was air-conditioned. After buying packets of chocolates and pistachios, they dropped by Secret Recipe to buy three slices of cake. The journey home wasn't any better.

Within the comfort of home at last, she got busy making a special bunting and arranging the goodies into the tin can. She helped her little sisters make cards and decorations for the cake. She made cut-out mustaches just for the fun of it. It was a special day after all.

And after all was finished, they waited patiently for the person to come home. She was the most anxious of all. This surprise party wasn't at all planned. She had just suddenly decided earlier that morning that she wanted to make this person happy on this special day. And it was all because of her own gloominess surrounding her lately.

At 6, the door opened and she could almost feel her heart burst. She was anxious. Was he going to like it? She walked around the house aimlessly, pretending to feel completely normal. Until he smiled and looked at her bunting with an expression of absolute content. 

She couldn't hold back the wonderful feeling swelling up inside her. She laughed happily and sang the birthday song loudly with her little sisters and her mother. 

"Happy birthday, Abah." She said with a girlish smile. All of a sudden, she felt like a little girl again. 

This is not a troll face I dunno why I look like this when I'm happy.