Sally + the Best Birthday Ever

I'm six now! Thought the little girl eagerly. She rushed out of her room and jumped onto her mother's bed. "MOMMY! It's my birfday, wake uuuuuuuuup!" Her mother smiled at the familiar little voice. Once out of bed, little Sally's mother let her wear whatever she wanted for once. Sally clomped out of her room in her good clothes, a big hat, pearls, and much-too-big shoes. "Here, wear this Mommy!" Sally ordered, handing her mother a hot pink feather boa. Her mother laughed, but obeyed. They walked out the house, hand-in-hand, and went down the street to the store and bought Sally a Barbie cake. Back at home, Sally's aunt and cousins showed up to help celebrate. Her cousins were the same age as her, and they danced and sang and greedily ate cake. Everybody gave her dolls for presents.
--
It'd been a year since her Barbie birthday. Shortly after she'd gotten them, she stopped playing with dolls. They grew dusty in the box in the corner. Now she liked Hot Wheels. She dragged her mother out of bed, and bounced down to the kitchen. She opened the fridge, already knowing what she was going to do. She gathered all the necessary ingredients, and started mixing once her mother came in. Together, they made a batch of birthday brownies with walnuts, Sally's favorite. Her mother's favorite too, but who cares?
That night as she went to bed, she smiled to herself, and hugged her brand new stuffed horse.
--
Eight years old, Sally had been hoping to party, but her mother was sick. She had just had surgery on her neck. Sally read the pamphlet again, careful to sound out the hard words. Thyroid Surgery and You She had read the words hundreds of times so she would know just what her mother was going through. After feeding her two new guinea pigs, Sally put in her favorite CD. She was at her mother's beckoning call, eager to nurse her back to health. On break, she walked the dog or got food for herself, but the majority of the day was focused on her mother.
--
Sally sighed and looked out the window. She was so close to ten she could practically taste it. After dressing warmly, Sally's mother took her to the ice-skating rink across town. Sally had never been ice-skating before, so she was very excited. At the rink, she traded her shoes for some boots with sharp blades at the bottom. Yes, I am so happy! I'm going to learn to ice skate forwards and backwards and do camel toe and lunge and... her thoughts trailed off to all the cool new ice-skating terms she'd learned from watching the Winter Olympics and reading the biography of Michelle Quan. The librarian had laughed when Sally told her her dream, but she didn't care. She could do it, she knew she could. She stepped on to the ice as her mother watched. She had to grip the handrail tightly, as she could not control her feet. Her mother smiled and waved, and Sally started shuffling. She made it around the rink a few times before landing on her butt. As she landed, she felt her dreams of being a gold-medalist being squashed flat. Frustrated, she sat there a moment as tears streamed her face. She half-shuffled, half-crawled back to the landing. I hate ice she told herself.
--
Her mother had just finished recovering from another surgery. Her second battle with cancer. Sally spent the day on her mother's bed watching cartoons and romantic movies. It was a nice day in. In the late afternoon, she dozed off, and awoke hours later to the smell of chocolate cake. She ran downstairs and met her mother in the kitchen doorway. After icing it bright pink, Sally took a big piece and put it on a plate. She licked off the icing, and then handed it to her mother. She only liked the icing, cake was gross.
--
Sally spent her eleventh birthday at her mother's work helping with filing. It was not an interesting or fun birthday at all.
--
It was nighttime, and Sally and her mother were at their favorite restaurant. The waiters had just finished line dancing. "I want to be a hostess here when I grow up," she told her mother and the manager, Steve. They both smiled. She ate her steak really fast so Steve would bring her ice cream. He smiled at her and said, "Your potato too, Missy." She ate that too as he went in back. He gave her ice cream with a pin just like the staff wore. He then lifted up the huge box of toppings and let her take her pick. Her mother looked away as she drowned the bowl with chocolate syrup. Next, rainbow sprinkles, the best topping ever. She finished it off with whipped cream and a cherry. She offered the cherry to her mother, who also took a taste of whipped cream. After eating the sprinkles off the top, Sally let her ice cream melt into milk, and stirred it so it was thoroughly chocolate. After she finished wiping her mouth, Steve handed her a bright red shirt, just like his. "In case you still have that dream in a few years," he said. He told her he couldn't hire her until she was fifteen or sixteen, so Sally promised to wait a few more years.
--
For her thirteenth birthday, she invited several of her friends to go to Build-A-Bear. She and her boyfriend both made Koala bears. Sally named hers Jasmine, and bought it a kimono and fan. She found a bear purse that matched the one her boyfriend had given her. The staff member who took the kids around was really funny, and Sally had lots of fun. After driving all the other kids home, she gave her mother a hug, "Thank you Mom. I love you."
--
She cried as her mother drove. Sally didn't think family was supposed to be so cruel. "I hate them. I never want to see them again." Her mother stroked her head and said, "Me neither sweetie."
--
Sally was sure to let everybody in the building know what a big deal she was, it was her fifteenth birthday. She strutted around her high school, but most kids disregarded her because she was a freshman. She was determined she didn't have to work, which angered her teachers, and she talked a lot with her new friends.
--
Sweet Sixteen a la Masquerade. Sally was taken away when she walked into the ballroom and saw the party of her dreams. Her friends all in ballgowns and masks from the dollar store. Trapeze artists swung around above their heads. She hugged her mother and smiled. A cute boy came up and asked her to dance. As they spun, she thought to herself This is the best birthday ever...
--