“Thank you, Bea,” she said as Beatrice grabbed her hand and pulled her into Ms. Debbie’s house.
There were balloons and paper streamers everywhere, attached to chairs and end tables and hanging from corner to corner of the living room and kitchen ceilings. Helium-filled balloons tied off with shimmery ribbons danced around the ceilings. There were so many that Clara had to wade through them like vines hanging from jungle trees. She followed Beatrice into the kitchen where she saw a huge chocolate cake sitting in the middle of the table. And next to it sat Evan grinning from ear to ear.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Your sister invited me,” Evan replied. “Is that okay?”
“When? How?”
“At dinner the other night,” Evan explained. “When I brought over Chinese. You went to the bathroom and she told me about your birthday.”
“Oh.” Clara felt a little embarrassed. She wasn’t one to make a big deal about her birthdays. In fact, she preferred quiet ones, and this year she didn’t want one at all. She looked all around her at the balloons and streamers, Ms. Debbie hustling about in the kitchen preparing her birthday dinner. Beatrice standing smashed against her side, watching her every reaction and grinning with delight that she surprised her sister with a birthday party. Clara couldn’t help but smile. It was kind of all of them, and she forgot all about one person missing who should have been there.
“Happy birthday, Clara,” Evan said softly.
“Thank you,” Clara replied, and watched as he took something off of his lap.
“Nope!” Ms. Debbie said. “Dinner and cake first. Then presents.” She shooed Clara and Beatrice out of the way as she set the table.
“Happy birthday, honey,” she said to Clara on her way back to the stove.
“Ms. Debbie, thank you for all of this,” Clara said blushing. “You really didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”
“It wasn’t any trouble, Clara. You only turn seventeen once. And anyway, Beatrice had the whole thing planned out,” Ms. Debbie said. “All I had to do was follow orders.”
“Follow orders, huh?” she asked looking at Beatrice.
Beatrice was dying to tell. “Okay Clara, so first I tricked you by telling Evan about your party when you were in the bathroom.”
“I know. He just told me.”
“And I gave him the task of bringing over all the balloons and streamers. He had to make a lot of trips because he couldn’t fit all of the balloons in his car at one time, right Evan?”
“That’s right,” Evan replied. He kept his eyes fastened on Clara.
“And so he was in charge of hanging the streamers, but I showed him where to put them because I don’t think boys decorate as well as girls,” Beatrice said.
Clara smiled.
“And I asked Ms. Debbie to make you dinner and a birthday cake because I don’t know how to cook,” Beatrice said.
“That was wise of you,” Clara replied looking over at Ms. Debbie. She was standing at the stove smiling down at the spaghetti sauce as she stirred it.
“And my job was to keep everything a secret which was really hard because I’m not good with keeping secrets,” Beatrice went on.
“I know,” Clara said laughing.
“Oh Clara! I’m dying for you to open your presents!” Beatrice said. “I don’t know how I’ll make it through dinner.”
“I think once you start eating, you’ll forget all about them,” Clara said teasingly.
“Speaking of,” Ms. Debbie said. “Grab your plates and come here. Everything’s ready.”
“And garlic bread, Clara,” Beatrice whispered as they walked over to the stove. “I just think it’s divine.”
“It is pretty divine,” Clara said dropping a clump of noodles on her plate.
Clara’s birthday dinner was everything she could have hoped for. Ms. Debbie made the best homemade spaghetti sauce, but it really wasn’t about the food. She enjoyed the company and listened happily as Beatrice chattered on about her day at school and her plans for when she got married. Evan asked Clara what her plans were when she got married, and Clara flushed crimson. She couldn’t think of anything to say, so she took a bite out of her garlic bread instead.
She felt a tiny flutter in her heart as she watched Ms. Debbie place the blue, yellow, and pink twisty candles on her birthday cake after dinner. Seventeen of them, and Beatrice told her it was imperative she blow them all out at the same time if she wanted her wish to come true.
“And when did you learn the word ‘imperative’?” Clara asked.
“Oh Clara,” Beatrice replied, dismissing her with a small wave of her hand. “I’ve known that old word for ages.”
Clara laughed at Beatrice and then laughed while Beatrice, Evan, and Ms. Debbie sang “Happy Birthday” to her. No one started or ended on the same note, and Clara was unsure if Evan even knew the tune.
“Make a wish, Clara,” Beatrice said.
Clara did then blew out the candles with one breath.
Beatrice wanted to give her present first. She pushed it onto Clara’s lap as they sat around the living room after eating cake.
“I went with Ms. Debbie to the mall, Clara!” she squealed. “When you were at work one day. Do you like it Clara? Do you?”
Clara held up a pale pink long-sleeved T-shirt speckled with faint flowers. The flowers sparkled ever so slightly, almost iridescent.
“I wanted to get you something you could wear in the winter,” Beatrice said. “Do you like it?”
“I love it, Bea,” Clara said placing the shirt back in the box. “It’s so pretty.”
Beatrice squealed and clapped her hands. “It’s not over, though,” she said, and shoved a small box into Clara’s hand.
“That one’s from me,” Ms. Debbie said.
Clara hesitated before opening the box. It looked like a jewelry box, and she couldn’t imagine what Ms. Debbie would have picked out for her.
“Go on, Clara!” Beatrice said impatiently.