Feeling special

Feeling Special

"I'll go over to thank him and his parents properly," Camilla says and leaves the two sisters.

The boy runs up to her when she gets close to their picnic spot. "Did you like it?" he asks nervously.

She laughs and scoops him up in her arms, carrying him back to his parents. "I love it," she replies.

"We're glad you do. He told us a lot about you, especially how well you looked after them at the daycare," the woman who should be his mom, says.

Camilla's cheeks turn reddish. "I'm glad to hear such a good report. I just wanted to thank you," she replies. After bidding them a happy weekend, she goes back to the spot she shares with the twins.

"We should leave now. Our parents will be waiting for us to come home with you," Serah says as she gets her bag.

"Don't you think we should stay here a little more? I'm enjoying the feel of the gentle breeze," Camilla replies with puppy eyes.

"There's nothing you'll say that can change my mind. Better get your things and let's go," Serah says authoritatively.

With a long face, Camilla agrees. She takes her little pouch which contains her phone, house keys, and a few other things.

~~~

The walk to the twins' home was rather long since they live a little far off from the main town.

Kylie rings the doorbell for the third time. "Why are they taking so long to answer the door?" Serah wonders out loud.

"I just want to sit down. You know you guys live very far away. I think this should be close to the outskirts," Camilla groans.

"Oh, shut up. Just say that you need a little more exercise. You're getting too lazy," Serah scolds.

The door finally opens and the three girls are almost pushed to the ground by Mrs. Bradford, the twins' mother. "Oh darling, happy birthday!" she screams excitedly.

Camilla smiles and returns the hug. Mrs. Bradford leads the way into the house. "I'm sorry for keeping you girls waiting. I didn't hear the doorbell ringing until later," Mrs. Bradford apologizes.

Their home is a big one, a structure that Camilla would normally consider a mansion. The living room is separated from the front door by a small corridor.

Camilla's jaw drops when they get to the living room. There are so many people! The decorations are purple and white with a touch of black. There are so many decorations that spell out her name.

"Happy birthday to you," everyone begins to sing. The twins grin from ear to ear when they see her reaction.

"I guess this mission has been accomplished," Kylie whispers to her sister.

"Indeed," Serah replies.

Tears fill Camilla's eyes again for the third or fourth time today. The Bradford family's living room is big and every nook and cranny is filled with people. The thought that so many people made out time from their Saturday to do something for her made her insides warm. "Wow," she mutters.

"Camilla darling," Mrs. Bradford calls.

"Yes ma'am," the girl replies, snapping out of her reverie.

"We asked how old you are now," Kylie says with a smirk.

With her cheeks burning, Camilla replies in a singsong manner, "I am eighteen years today."

"A new adult!" someone in the crowd yells excitedly. They all sing again and come to hug her and wish her a happy birthday individually.

"Time to cut the cake!" Mrs. Bradford yells after some time. With the help of her husband, she brings a three-tier cake to the center table. The twins drag their friend to the cake. While cutting it, she is momentarily lost in the beauty of it. It is the typical cake she had always wanted for her eighteenth birthday: the rims are purple while the cake itself is white. There are little red flowers molded with fondant around the second tier.

"So beautiful," Ava comments.

Someone taps her elbow. "You know, you should stop zoning out. It's not good for you," comes Kylie's voice.

Camilla realizes she had cut the cake a long time ago but she never removed the knife. Everyone has been watching her since then, wondering what the problem could be.

The Bradford couple rush to her side. "Are you okay sweetie? Don't you like the cake?" Mrs. Bradford inquires.

"If you don't like it, we can still change it before the end of the day," Me Bradford says.

"What? No! I love the cake," Camilla blurts out.

"But you've been rigid since you cut it. We were worried that you might not like something about it," Mr. Bradford says.

"Come on, darling. Don't be shy. You know we love you. If there's anything you don't like, we'll be happy to change it for you," the twins' mother says.

Camilla pulls the two of them into a tight hug, shutting them up. "I'm serious, you two. I love everything. I'm just a little overwhelmed that you all went through great lengths to do all this for me," she says. They all release one another from the hug. "I'll forever be grateful."

"You mean the world to us, Camilla. We're glad we could put a smile on your face on this special day of yours," Me Bradford says.

His wife twirls around, momentarily confused. "Oh yes. Those are your presents. You and the girls can go over there and start unboxing while I slice the cake," she says, pointing a finger to a big stack of wrapped boxes.

"I don't think I've ever gotten this many gifts in my life," Camilla remarks jokingly.

"Well, we're glad we could break the record," the twins' parents reply.

Kylie and Serah come over to join them. "It's a good thing that the gifts are all beside the window, so you kids can open the window and get some fresh air as well," Mrs. Bradford tells them.

"But that window is really big. It'll bring more wind than breeze," Serah says.

"Trust me when I say you'll need that wind sooner than you think," their dad says.