Page 4 of Vince
“It’s Unks’ birthday, too. You gotta share this cake, Momma. Or no presents!”
Vanessa’s mouth morphs into the perfect O as her eyebrows nearly shoot off her head. “Presents… You didn’t tell me anything about presents.” She looks between Julia and me, and it’s all I can do to keep a straight face.
“Only for those who wait untilafterwe singHappy Birthdayto eat the cake,” she deadpans.
Once Julia’s finished frosting the cake, she reaches for the box of candles I set out and proceeds to put the whole box of twenty-four, but Vanessa stops her.
“Hey now… we’re only twenty-one. There’s no need to use the whole box. Leave three off.”
Julia does as told, then Vanessa grabs the matches and lights the candles.
Holy shit. The cake’s a fireball.
Instinctively, I pull Julia away from the cake and take her to the table. “Next year, I say we just get the candles with the numbers on them, or the house might go up in flames.”
“No kidding,” Vanessa grumbles as she carefully walks the cake to the table.
As soon as the cake’s safely on the table, Julia sings, and we eagerly join in. It’s tradition that we sing at the same time. Vanessa and I learned at a young age it’s never worth waiting for the song to be sung twice, when all that matters is getting our slice of cake.
For the past few years, I make the same wish, in fear of it not coming true otherwise.
Help us be okay without them.
After Vanessa and I each make our secret wish, we blow out the candles with ease as Julia claps excitedly. It doesn’t take long before we’re devouring the cake and immersed in eating the rich chocolate perfection.
The second Julia’s done, she pops up from the table and runs out of the kitchen, leaving Vanessa and me to stare at one another, wondering what Julia’s up to now.
We don’t have to wonder long because before we can voice our thoughts aloud, Julia storms back into the room, her hands full with two hand-drawn bags in her hands.
“It’s time for presents. Mommy, since you ate the cake first, Unks gets to open his first.”
I’m surprised to find the bag is much heavier than I expect. I already know what’s in Vanessa’s bag, as I picked it out. But I’m confused at what she could’ve picked out for me that’s this size.
Julia’s eyes are wide with excitement as I reach into the bag and discover a package the shape of a shoebox. She’s dying to help me rip into the package as she is for all special occasions. Her cuteness is completely undeniable. “Get over here, squirt, and help me open this.”
Julia squeals with delight as she helps me rip into the packaging and shreds it to pieces in a matter of seconds. “What is it, Unks?” She practically pants. There’s no way she has a clue because this girl can’t keep a secret to save her life, so I glance over to Van to see if she’ll give us another clue.
Nope. Just a knowing grin. I should’ve expected this as she’s like a vault when it comes to secrets. It is indeed a shoe box, but I’m still not convinced that’s what’s in it. It still feels too heavy. But when I pop it open, I find the pair of running shoes I’d been looking at the last time we made a trip to the mall. They’re supposed to be light though, so I pull one out and find it’s weighted down with something.
“What the…” I wonder as I reach inside, only to find five rolls of quarters in each shoe. “Why on earth would you do this?”
Vanessa’s eyes challenge me. “You always guess what you get before opening. I wanted to throw you off. Besides… you know it’s tradition to get money to spend how we want. So… what are you spending yours on?”
Rolling my eyes at her antics, I chuckle. “Uh… quarters are a nice touch, but you don’t have to spend money on me. The shoes were more than enough.”
Vanessa’s head shakes back and forth as her eyebrows narrow in my direction. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was pissed. “I’ve been saving tip money for weeks to pull off this prank. The least you can do is thank me.”
I glance to Julia, who’s watching expectantly. I should know better than to refute a gift from my sister. “Thank you, Vanny.” I tack on her old nickname to make her crack.
Her lips tip at the end, and her eyes twinkle in mischief. But she remains silent.
Of course, Julia can’t stand the silence, so she quickly gushes… “What about your present, Momma?”
Yeah, that makes Vanessa crack. She cannot handle the surprise turned on her. She eagerly picks up her package. I didn’t go to the extent of wrapping anything. I’m all about gift bags. She quickly removes the tissue paper and pulls out the small white box I placed inside and sets it aside, as she reaches for the frame I’d placed beside it. Her mouth forms a perfect “o” when she pulls out the framed selfie I’d taken of the three of us at the beach.
“Oh, Vince, this is perfect.”
It is. The sun is setting, Julia has the most adorable expression on her face, and Van and I are cheek to cheek with her. Julia had just said something to make us crack up, and all of our smiles are wide. Our matching hazel eyes all dance with amusement.
