A Special Birthday by Anne Aren(3A)



It is the night before my birthday.  I am really excited because I will be turning fifteen the next day.  Turning fifteen is a big challenge for every teenager.  I will be facing more obstacles in life – sadness, betrayal, friends that come and go, but most importantly, I’ll be sitting for my PMR in another nine months.  It’s not easy to be a teenager.
                Three…Two…One…It is midnight and my phone rings to my best friend, Tatiana’s phone call.  Before even letting me to say hello, she sings me the birthday song.  I am so happy to have her as a friend.
                “Happy birthday, Anne!  You are fifteen already.  Congratulations for having gone through fourteen years of ups and downs, and tears and joy.  It is a pleasure being your best friend.  I love you to the moon and back!”
                Tears roll down my face.  It is so sweet of her.  Suddenly, I get a feeling that today is going to be great.  After talking to her for an hour on the phone, I go to sleep.
                Bright sun rays stream into my bedroom as I wake up.  I screw up my eyes and wonder what time it is.  I am fumbling for my cell phone under my blanket when there is a knock on my door.  Before opening the door, I take a glimpse in the mirror. Oh my goodness, I really look like a mess!
                I open the door and find myself greeted by the cries of joy and exclamations of ‘Happy Birthday!’ from my loved ones - my parents, Tatiana and Nick, my boyfriend.  Mother is carrying a cake with my initials on it, father holding lots of colourful balloons, Tatiana carrying an armful of presents and my boyfriend, Nick carrying a life-sized elephant plush doll.
                I am really surprised! We have breakfast in my room – on my bed!  Puffy-eyed and clad only in my pajamas, I blow the fifteen candles on my cake and make a wish amidst the singing of the birthday song.  Nick feeds me a slice of cake and everyone cheers for us.  Pictures are taken and fond memories are built.  It is one of the happiest moments in my life.
                When afternoon comes, Tatiana, Nick and I go to the beach.  It is very windy and the waves are crashing on the shores.  What a beautiful sight!  As Tatiana frolics by the seaside, Nick and I sit on a blue bench.  His brown eyes gaze into mine and I feel the butterflies just like the first time I met him.  He pulls out a Tiffany box and inside is a charming bracelet with sapphires on.  It is really beautiful.  He puts it on my wrist.
                “Happy Fifteenth birthday, love…” he coos as he gives me a peck on my cheek.  I smile.
                Tatiana comes to us after a jolly time of collecting seashells.  She has been my best friend for seven years but this is the first time I spend my birthday with her.  We have gone through a lot of trials –betrayals, backstabs and fighting.  The train goes off the track, but we make it through. Her presence matters the most to me.
                “Anne, come.   I’ve scribbled something special for you,” Tatiana says, as she leads Nick and I to the place where her scribbling is found.  In the sand I can see a sentence that reads “Thank you for being born.”  Moisture comes to my eyes and Tatiana gives me a warm bear hug.
                After swimming in the crystal blue ocean, we go back to my house for dinner.  As the only child, I do not know how it is like celebrating my birthday with siblings.  Tatiana and Nick are able to fill the void with their love.  They are my missing puzzle pieces.
                After dinner, Nick and I go outside and lie down on the grass.  I met Nick in a church seminar two years ago and we fell head over heels in love with each other. He showers me with love when the world seems lonely and vacant.  He makes me feel like the only girl in this world.
                The sky is filled with a thousand stars and we are counting them together.  My birthday may not be the best one in the world but it holds a special place in my heart.  I have what every girl has dreamt of.

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