by Anne Leigh
He remembered that today was my birthday.
When I’d arrived at my desk this morning, three pink balloons were tied to my office chair and my staff had gathered around me as I walked into the kitchen to refill my cup with hot water. They’d sang happy birthday and showered me with hugs.
Nelson handed me a card that was the size of a billboard and the amount of the giftcard inside it was just as enormous.
Every year, he’d give me a gift card to Neiman’s. I didn’t normally shop there. The prices were out of my range, though Nelson would argue otherwise.
“I’ll share it with you,” I whispered even as he closed the door to my office.
“Yippee all the yippity yap!” As usual, he was immaculately color-coordinated. The pink tie, white suit, and white dress shoes. He could get a side job at the local fair, entertaining tourists with his wardrobe.
I pushed aside a stack of paperwork and placed the package in the center of my desk.
“Take a picture of me! I’ll send it to Mom before I go to our meeting.” I was giddy to open it. I’d tasted cakes from around the world. My mom’s was and will always be the best.
“Settle down, birthday girl.” Nelson laughed, and he was lucky I was giving him a piece. A tiny one, but still a piece.
I removed the cardboard box it shipped in and found a white box with a light pink ribbon tied around it.
A small note was attached to the top of the box.
“Happy birthday, my dear Nalee. I hope this one’s a great one.”
I held the tag a little longer, missing my mom just a little more.
The sight of the strawberries, apples, kiwis, tangerines, and cherries artfully arranged on top of the buttercream that covered the two sponge cakes was enough to make me drool.
I was amazed that the fruits didn’t shift to the sides or topple all over the cake during shipment.
Nelson took a picture and I sent it to my mom’s email. She didn’t care for a smart phone, so she’d see the picture later this afternoon when she fired up her computer.
Reaching under my desk, I grabbed two small paper plates and cut two unequal slices of the cake.
The big slice was for me of course.
Nelson looked at his piece and shook his head. “You’re lucky I’m trying to lay off the calories, or birthday girl or not, I would throw you on the floor and steal this magnificent delicatessen.”
I sat on my chair and tasted my childhood in between bites. Geniah sent a video message this morning. Mom and Dad left a voicemail. I was in the shower and tried to return their call, but my call went straight to voicemail.
Xavier gave a quickie, ahmm mmhmm, birthday breakfast in bed and rushed out. He was going to be busy the whole day so we’d probably just have a quiet dinner tonight.
As I finished the last bite, for now, I checked my light pink silk sleeveless blouse for any evidence that I’d just devoured my cake.
Nelson was still preoccupied with checking his e-mails on his phone when I stood up.
It was going to be a busy day.
I canted my head to the left, watching the sun breaking through the marshmallow-puffed clouds, and gave a silent prayer to the Man above.
Another year.
When I woke up at 6:05 this morning to the chime of my alarm, I’d felt the stiffness in my muscles.
I attributed it to getting older.
Or maybe it was a mental thing.
It was a blessing to have what I had at this stage of my life.
Seeing Nelson with frosting stuck on his bottom lip made me laugh. If he came out of my office right now, everyone would see that we’d been hogging my cake and they’d rush inside my office. I’d made the mistake of sharing it with everyone two years ago. I was left with a slice that wasn’t even enough to count as a mini-cookie.
“Gah, I love your mom’s cake – it’s so decadent and yummy and just so much heaven in flour.” He salivated over the last bits, and I offered him a napkin to wipe the side of his face. “Thanks for sharing it with me. My day is off to a good start.”
I agreed with him.
Saeng Cream Cake, my mom’s specialty, otherwise known as Korean Fresh Cream Cake, possessed that quality – they can make anyone’s day better and a birthday greater.
I loved birthday parties.
They were special days.
The day I entered this earth, the world’s temperature became ten degrees warmer.
Nales and I argued about it all the time.
She attributed climate change to the greenhouse effect when the atmosphere, the blah…and all the blah happened.
I didn’t discount that climate change happened.
I just wanted her to accept that it happened because of me.
My hotness was trapped in this world which in turn caused the temperatures to spike up and the chain of events followed.
You got the drift of it.
There were arguments she won, ninety five percent of the time she presented her evidence and I found myself agreeing.
I wasn’t capitulating on the origins of climate change.
One day she’d see that my theory was right.
I hoped when the time comes that it’s a known fact, it wasn’t too late for her to admit it.
“Is there anything else you need from me, sir?” Claire asked as she stood by the door to my office.
I had a long afternoon of meetings and contracts and docs to review.
“No, nothing. Thank you for everything that you’ve done and still do, Claire. You’re a great asset to the company.”
Her eyes widened in shock and I observed the faint smile on her mouth.
I wasn’t sure if my dad complimented her enough.
My old man was pretty stoic, especially when it came to anything and anyone in the company. He didn’t smile much during meetings, not even business dinners with his comrades in the accounting and business world. But it didn’t mean that he wasn’t a good boss. I’d seen Claire’s compensation package and I’d taken a look at our employees’ salaries during the summers I’d worked with him. They were compensated well. But it didn’t hurt to say nice things to the employees, especially if they were excellent at their jobs.
Claire went fully above and beyond any measure. She would stay long after everyone had gone home because I was still in the office. She didn’t ask for extra pay or extra time off, which I’d gladly give her anyways, she just did it because she had an innately great work ethic.
“Thank you, sir,” she said, her hands on the door handle. “I’m glad that you’re here. Your father’s a great boss and so are you.”
My dad had started coming into the office since last Wednesday.
He’d really wanted to get back in his old stomping grounds. I’d talked to Nalee about it and she’d mentioned that it gave him self-worth and upped his self-esteem to jump back into the company.
He didn’t make a commitment to return full-time and I don’t think he would ever go back in that capacity again.
His priority was Mom. Second was his health.
Since Mom had a full-time nurse and he was only going to work 20-25 hours a week or even less, and he wasn’t going to handle anything that required him to spend more hours than what he’d planned on, he and I had agreed that maybe it was time to look for another person to be in my position.
I wasn’t miserable, but I knew that this wasn’t my cup of tea. I was only doing it as a favor to my father and his legacy.
There were men and women out there who were more than capable of doing the same things I did and were truly passionate about it.
I had someone in mind and my father had looked into his resume. If I could just convince that person to take the position.
“If that’s all, sir, I’m off to my vacation and I hope you have a fantastic time and please give Nalee a birthday hug for me.” I’d invited her to Nalee’s party, but she already had vacation plans with her husband. They were leaving for a seven day Alaskan cruise tomorr
ow.
“I will. Thanks again, Claire. Have fun on your vacation.”
She closed the door and I leaned back on my swivel chair, staring at the black and white photo of Mom, Dad, Nalee, and me taken during last weekend’s dinner.
Mom and Dad couldn’t make it to Nalee’s birthday party tonight so Mom had us come up for dinner on Sunday.
My work here was almost done. I’d be going back to design, lacrosse, and to start building the future that I’d envisioned for Nalee and I.
I turned my head to the side, soaking in the glorious view of the evening sky that blanketed downtown San Francisco.
Reminiscing the first time I’d been here in my father’s office, back then I didn’t quite grasp on just how much of a difference his/our company made in other people’s lives.
We were an accounting firm.
We dealt with financial statements, audits, risks, assets, investments; all concrete and defined operations.
That was just scratching the surface of what my father’s company did.
Because underneath it all and on top of everything, we served people. And the people served us. I never quite learned the meaning of laying everything on the line until I was forced to do so. Because every single time my signature was inked on paper, my decision affected every person in the company.
I was a different man because of the circumstances that I’d faced in my life.
I used to take things for granted.
But now…
I couldn’t afford to and I chose not to.
I eyed my computer, the 4D ultrasound of our daughter, flashing once in a while on my screen. I’d saved her image as my screensaver.
I faced my desk and scanned the photo again. Mom, Dad, Nales.
They’re the compass that steered me to continue to be a better man.
Achieve greater things.
My life now had meaning.
More meaning that I could even comprehend, because of them.
Always them.
“This is a great party!” John yelled. He must have acquired a deaf ear because he was loud. He was always loud, but this time he was extra loud.
Tanya shook her head. “He’s had four shots.” Her tone was one of disbelief. Since becoming a pro football player, my best friend’s tolerance for alcohol had diminished rather drastically. I shouldn’t judge because I really didn’t know what he’d drunk, but still, four shots? He was a runner-up in beer pong. I couldn’t remember if he was third or fourth or whatever shit our frat had managed to award him with during our last year of college’s beer pong tournament, but he clearly was on the outs.
“She’s happy, very happy.” Tanya’s green eyes lifted and a small smile formed on my face. Her gaze was on Nalee who was chatting with Brynn, who was Kieran-free at the moment, but her brother was here, so the guys who were trying to hit on her were clearly shut out.
If there was anything that cockblocked a guy, it was the news that the blonde beauty’s husband was a national hero and her brother was none other than Milo Tanner, who was a badass dude.
I’d given Ava, Milo’s much better half, a hug and I swore that Milo was counting how long the hug lasted to which Ava had rolled her gray eyes and gave a quiet sneer to her fiancé.
“There’s no need to punch me, dude.” I laughed, clearly not amusing Milo, because his dark stare burned holes through my Tom Ford dress shirt. “She’s all yours.”
I made an exaggerated gesture of placing Ava’s hand in Milo’s after our mini-hug. “There. All’s good.”
How Ava could stand that brute wasn’t something I’d lose sleep over.
But seriously, the guy needed to chill.
I’d heard from Nalee that Milo had become a fighter in Vegas when he was banned from swimming. His sister Brynn had confirmed it, and though I’d never bring it up, I would count my aces that it was true.
When I’d invited Brynn, she’d asked if she could also invite her brother Milo and her future sister-in-law Ava, who just happened to be her BFF, to the party. Kieran didn’t want Brynn to fly alone, especially now that a bun was baking in her oven.
Brynn was a master baker so the pun was completely intended.
Ha.
Kieran had suffered a minor knee injury from his last swim meet so he was under strict orders to rest.
“You break her heart and I will punch you in the scrotum, extract your testicles, and feed it to the piranhas in Paraguay.”
“Christ woman,” I hissed, Big X was already shriveling and cloaking himself in armor with Tanya’s graphic torture, as John continued to be oblivious by her side, lost in his own wonderful world of intoxication. “I love her.”
She patted my back. “I’m just sayin’ –”
“No, don’t continue,” I begged, who knew what her twisted, witchy mind could come up with, I shuddered at the thought. “If you don’t know it by now, then I’m not gonna go on and on about it. Nalee’s the one for me. I’m marrying her.”
Her hands flew to her mouth. “Did…does she…wha...”
Right up there on my crown of achievements, on the same level as Master Beer Pong-er, was this moment – leaving Tanya speechless.
“No, she doesn’t know yet,” I said. Nalee was now laughing with Sedona and Zander, who both looked refreshed after arriving late because they had to tuck the kids into bed before attending the party. Zander’s mom was on babysitting duties tonight. “I haven’t asked yet.”
“Are you going to soon?” Her green eyes glimmered with affection as she watched her best friends having fun. “I just want her to be happy. You may not believe me, but I’ve never seen Nalee this way.
She’s always been cheerful and funny and happy but you make her – more, I don’t know what it is, just more happy, alive, more.”
I nodded. “I get it. She does the same for me. I’ve made a shit ton of mistakes and I’m trying my best to be worthy of her. I expected her to slam me down and slap me around and just constantly throw the shit
I’ve done in my face but she doesn’t. She hasn’t. Instead when she welcomed me back into her arms, she just let me be me. She makes my mistakes disappear.”
From my peripheral vision, I saw Tanya touch her hand to the side of her eyes, her voice took on a much lighter tone when she said, “That’s what love does.” She looked over to John, an uncommon show of tenderness in her expression appearing. “You love them just the way they are.”
“Wazzz that, baby doll?” John’s sleepy and slighty slurred speech sliced through the longest conversation that Tanya and I’d had since I’d broken Nalee’s heart.
“Nothing,” Tanya said, a smile burgeoning on her face. “Xavier was saying he loves you.”
“Pssshhhaww, I knew that already,” John muttered. “How about you?” His drunken eyes on Tanya, he definitely was going to need help getting into the cab. Zander could help haul his ass there since they were staying at the same hotel. “You love me, too?”
Tanya’s smile grew bigger and her shoulders shook. “How can I not love you, my dear big John?”
I laughed along with her because John was ridiculously drunk. It was too bad Dom couldn’t make it or we’d have so much fun with the big guy.
Tanya must love John.
There was no way she’d put up with his insane antics if she didn’t.
Who knew that it would take the Hulk to tame the witch?
“Thank you for a great birthday party,” Nales said as I cradled her head on my chest.
It was a hell of a night.
I was happy that our closest friends made it. I’d even invited my lacrosse brothers and Nalee was more than excited to see Kassandra Evans show up with Correa. Ava and Tanya both fawned over Kassandra, who in return, took everything in stride. Apparently, being ranked number four in the world meant that the women loved you. She was completely down to earth, and she won over the ladies’ hearts without a doubt.
Devon also showed up with a small gift bag and a hug for Nalee.
>
I approved the gift, but not the hug.
He was a good guy, smart, and had great taste in women.
There were gorgeous women at the party, but for some reason, when I caught his eyes, they were always on Nales.
If I wasn’t so confident in Nalee’s love for me, I’d feel threatened. I just hoped Devon found his own lady too so he’d stop pining over mine.
Kendy Weister, I had to admit, had done a great job creating a Hello Kitty themed party without making it look superfluous and too over-the-top that it bordered on cheap. She’d created an elegant, well-coordinated flow from the entrance to the bar to the dining area that had small, cutesy Hello Kitty touches.
“The cake was delicious. The decor was amazing.” Nalee whispered. She’d kept the cake topper in her purse, and I’m sure that as soon as we got home tonight it would occupy the top shelf in her Hello Kitty collection.
“I’m glad you loved it,” I said, my hands roamed over her back. She’d worn a silver chiffon halter dress that hugged all her curves perfectly. “Did you talk to your mom and dad today?”
Technically it was tomorrow already.
It was 1:35 in the morning and we were sitting in my car by the waterfront. I’d driven here after the party, we were both too keyed up from the excitement that I knew we wouldn’t be able to go to sleep.
“Yeah, I talked to them. Dad’s in front of the TV as usual and Mom was in the kitchen. They’re excited that we’re going there for Thanksgiving.” I could tell she was smiling. She was rubbing slow circles on my thighs, and if she didn’t stop, my dress pants would become snug and we’d need to continue this show back at the house.
“We’re spending Christmas with my folks, it’s only fair we fly there for Thanksgiving. Didn’t Geniah say she was going home for Thanksgiving this year?”
“Yes, and Mom just revealed that she’s bringing someone with her.”
“Oohh, mysterious.” Geniah didn’t date. She was too busy climbing up the medical career ladder that she thought dating was a waste of time.
“I know,” she sighed. “Geniah’s been too quiet lately. Maybe she’s fallen in love.”