Woken up by the loud incessant ringing of the phone near the nightstand table which was close to the bed. Eva groaned sleepily as she stretched her hand to reach for the source of such noise. Upon reaching it, she discovered it was a call.
She sleepily answered.
"Hello!" she said.
"Happy Birthday!! " Kate chimed in her usual high-pitched voice.
Eva cringed a little at the loudness before replying "Thank you".
"Babe, why aren't you here yet? The manager will soon be looking for you," Kate asked her.
Eva looked down at the clock on her nightstand table, and muttered shit! When she saw it was a little over eight in the morning.
She quickly told Kate she would be there in no time and hung off the phone.
Looking around her small apartment, she discovered she was in a disheveled mess and to think today was her birthday.
Eva never looked forward to her birthdays. It was always the same as every other year. Just a normal boring day. But her best friend Kate always made a fuss about it. She always urged her to go out, have fun and live life to the fullest. Even when she knew Eva's opinion concerning the matter.
To Eva, her birthday wasn't worth celebrating. It was the day her mother died. The day she was born into this world was the day her mother left also, and she was the cause. For years, she blamed herself for it. The constant reminder that she would never get the chance to see her mother, to feel her embrace, to bask in her love and care. She hated her birthdays.
Pushing away the guilt and sadness threatening to take over her, she stood up and quickly hurried to the bathroom. She was already very late as it was. In her workplace, all workers were supposed to be there before 7:40, and it was already passed eight. After quickly dressing up, she grabbed her purse and her phone and made her way to the door, practically running to work.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry " Eva said, apologizing to a man she just bumped into while rushing into her work station.
"It's okay" the man replied,
"But you should look where your going next time" He said and left after being served his coffee.
Eva worked at a coffee shop called Creame Latte. This was by far the busiest coffee shop in the whole of Haden valley. For some reason, people loved coming there and The mornings were always the busiest. Some say the way they treat and pay attention to their customers is very good. Others say their coffee is just too good.
Trying to settle down in her work station, Eva put on her apron, fully convinced in her mind that today couldn't get any much worse than it already was.
Time flew by in a blur and it was almost closing time. Eva was indeed exhausted. As she looked around the almost empty shop, she could see the exhaustion in the face of her co-workers who also were still trying to pack and tidy up the place.
"Eva darling", Kate called her
"Could you please go get the remaining supplies in the van? "
" Sure, I'll go get them now" she said while leaving
On reaching outside, the cool air from the night breezed against her skin. Shivering slightly, she subconsciously rubbed her hands on her arms as a way of shielding herself from the cold. Everywhere was dark and quiet. She saw a wheel barrow by the side walk. Her mind began to conceive some creepy images. Seeming afraid, Eva decided to just quickly use the wheelbarrow to go get the supplies in case they were many and rush back inside before something terrible could happen.
Carrying the supplies in her hands, Eva rushed back in just as quickly as she left, but was surprised to see everywhere dark and quiet also.
"Where did everyone go?" she wondered.
Dropping the supplies she was carrying on one of the tables, she began to roam around, in search of everyone.
"Kate!" She called.
"Megan!"
"Common guys, if this is a joke it's not funny", she shouted as she made her way into the kitchen.
"Surprise!!!" Everyone shouted in a cheerful tone as they switched on the light.
They began to sing the birthday song and Eva just stood there, shocked and speechless. She never celebrated her birthday, so she didn't know what it felt like. But what she was seeing and feeling right there, the warmth and love in their eyes as they genuinely wished her a happy birthday. The happiness and joy radiating off them was quite contagious. Long gone were the exhausted faces she saw a while ago. For once in her life, she felt loved, cherished and wanted, like she belonged to a family, her own twisted family.
A tear slipped away from her eyes as she laughed and made her way towards them.
"It's not fair, you guys have been planning this, and I was so clueless," she said playfully.
" That's why it's a surprise", Tyler teased back.
"But seriously guys, thank you" She said sincerely
" I've never known what it felt like to be celebrated like this. I truly appreciate it".
"You're welcome!" They all replied in unison.
"Don't thank us yet, the part hasn't even stated and we've not given you our gifts yet" Kate said with a wink.
"Now let's go take some pictures" Kate said, practically dragging Eva to take some pictures.
And so the night went on as they celebrated, drank and played games. While Eva was thrilled with the gifts she received from her friends, Nothing could compare to the joy she felt when Kate gave her a dog for birthday.
To her, that was by far the most special gift she had ever received. Eva was particularly fond of dogs. She was a dog person and often talked about it when they hung out as friends. So she was indeed happy to have one of her own. She enjoyed herself so much, she never wanted that day to end.