"Here, take one." Gabby said, handing him a firework stick, "I still didn't expect a filthy rich guy like you didn't know what fireworks were."
Michael frowned and took a firework stick, "How do you turn it on?"
"You really don't know?" Gabby put the rest of the fireworks sticks on the table and picked up the matches, "Oh, my dear bitch."
"Not." Michael shook his head, "Geez, stop teasing me! My childhood was filled with piano practice!"
Gabby chuckled and then pulled Michael's hand toward the center of the yard. The girl took the match in her pocket, pointed it at the end of the firework's stick. Gold colored sparks appeared and lit up their surroundings.
"You can make light like a star." Gabby moved the stick near Michael, "Or a heart."
Gabby pointed the stick up and made a big heart. Sparks continued to appear, spreading out little by little. It didn't take long before the sticks that Gabby were holding ran out. The girl took a new stick and then turned it on again.
"Do you like it?" Gabby turned and saw Michael looking at the fireworks in her hand.
Michael looked away and saw sparks near Gabby, "Yes, I like it."
"Here, then." Gabby tugged at Michael's shirt, "We'll light your sticks."
Michael held his firework's stick that Gabby had chosen. It didn't take long for sparks to appear from the tip of the stick. The boy's eyes widened in surprise then took the stick away from his body.
"Oh," Gabby laughed, "Don't be afraid, it won't hurt you."
After saying that, Gabby walked away, moving the stick across the ceiling. Nobody knew what that girl intended to draw because the picture was not clear.
"Gabby ..." Michael walked over, still terrified of the sparks coming out of his stick.
It wasn't long before they heard the sound of firecrackers near them. Gabby stopped in her tracks and looked up and Michael followed her gaze. As the firecrackers flew into the sky, they looked like beautiful flowers. But when the sparks of the fireworks bloomed in the sky, they looked like stars.
"Beautiful…" Gabby's eyes sparkled, filled with light from the fireworks above them.
Michael looked away then saw Gabby, the boy smiled and nodded his head, "Yes, beautiful."
Their time together tonight had been etched into Michael's memory. Even ten or twenty years later the man would remember tonight's event. Maybe someday, he would tell this romantic story to his children.
Two teenagers standing in the yard, looking at the firecrackers together. Unbeknownst to them, Gabby's mother took out her cellphone and took a photo of them from behind.
"Ah, the beauty of youthful love." Agnes muttered with a faint smile.
-
Time was running fast. Michael would celebrate his birthday tomorrow. As a close friend (wife-to-be) and classmate, Gabby was automatically the first person he invited.
"I feel special." Gabby closed her eyes and shook her head softly.
Gabby looked at the invitation card in her hand. She already knew that the cost of making invitation cards was not cheap. How not, when the card was tilted, Michael's face and the writing of his home address would appear.
"Tacky." Michael replied briefly.
-
Next afternoon on Michael's birthday, Agnes looked frantic. Gabby was reading comics on the living room sofa when she was hit. The woman's face was made up in such a way, making her look elegant.
"Gabby!" Agnes walked over, "Get ready quickly! The party will start at six, right?"
"And it's still..." Gabby looked at the clock, "Half past five?"
"Still?! Get ready quickly!" Agnes chuckled irritably.
With a heavy heart, Gabby dragged her feet up the stairs into her room. Because she had showered at three o'clock, the girl decided to just wash her face. While Gabby was in the bathroom, she could hear her mother coming into her room.
Gabby's eyes widened in shock when she saw that her mother had finished dressing. The woman was wearing a long white dress, and her hair left loose. How could her mother already dress up this early?
Her mother took a white skirt on the bed and placed it in front of Gabby, "Wear this, I just bought it at the mall this afternoon."
"It's up to you." Her mother continued.
Gabby picked up her skirt, looked up and down and then complained, "Skirt? Mom are you serious?"
"Don't protest too much." Her mother looked at herself in the mirror in Gabby's cupboard, "Put it on and let's go."
Gabby exhaled and went back into the bathroom. Even though she didn't like skirts, the girl realized that her mother couldn't be persuaded. With a heavy heart she took off her pants and put on a skirt.
After Gabby finished, she and her mother went downstairs to meet her father in the living room. As Gabby thought, her father looked unhappy. He looked as if he didn't want to attend Michael's birthday party.
"Come on, quickly!" Her mother's order made her husband stand up from the sofa.
Because Michael and Gabby's houses were next to each other, Daniel decided to just walk. On that dark night, Michael's house looked so bright. The entrance door was wide open and lots of luxury cars were parked.
In Michael's garden there were several tables filled with small cakes, a fountain and a band playing soothing music. Many people were present at Michael's birthday. The men wore suits that looked expensive, while the women wore dresses that looked elegant and luxurious.
There were several waitresses carrying drinks on trays. There were even waiters pushing carts filled with snacks. Michael's birthday party really looked luxurious.
Before the party started, there were lots of laughing voices in the garden. Almost all of them held glasses and stood chatting with one another. There were some small children running around, looking like they came from wealthy families.
"Huh," Agnes sighed, "For a birthday this looks very luxurious."
Daniel snorted in annoyance, he didn't care about Michael's family fortune. According to him, a rich family that owned everything but separated could not be compared to a normal family that always stuck together and ate under the same roof.
Gabby looked around, trying to find Michael. But from earlier, that girl had only seen the faces of foreigners. After some time, Gabby realized that none of her schoolmates had been invited by Michael.
"What a cheapskate, can't he invite other friends?" Gabby whispered to herself.
"Our in-law candidates are there. Let's greet them, don't just stand here." Agnes invited him while nudging her husband's arm.
Daniel reluctantly followed in his wife's footsteps. He saw his wife walking while tidying her hair. Daniel just nodded his head when Agnes asked if her lipstick still looked good.
At the table near the entrance, Brenda was seen talking with some of her friends. The woman was wearing a black dress that exposed her shoulders. Brenda's right hand carried a glass filled with red wine.
"Brenda, I heard there was an American bank that made investments in your orchestra, huh?" Asked one of Brenda's friends.
"How do you know?" Brenda smiled sweetly, "Is the news in the newspaper?"
"Oh my, I'm really jealous!" Said another friend, "You must stick with the bank!"
"Yes! They say the bank has hundreds of billions of annual profits!" Her other friend replied.
Brenda drank her red wine with an embarrassed smile.
"Excuse me ..." A low voice came from behind her.
When Brenda turned around, she could see a woman looking elegant in her white dress. Next to the woman stood a man who had an unpleasant face and a cute young girl.
'What a shocking mix.' Brenda thought.
After a few seconds, Brenda opened her mouth and asked, "Who are you?"
Their faces looked familiar except that Brenda forgot where she had seen them before.
"Ah, this is Michael's classmate, Gabby. I am her mother and this is my husband. We..." Agnes explained nervously.
Not finished yet, Brenda interrupted Agnes' words with joy, "Come in! There must be an empty chair inside. When the party starts you can grab a bite to eat."
Brenda then looked away and went back to talking to her friends. The woman acted as if she didn't want to talk to them. Brenda's friends saw Agnes for a while then went back to talking to each other and laughing.
This was the first time Agnes knew what it felt like to be ignored in public. And even worse, she was neglected in front of her family! Agnes' face flushed with embarrassment and then turned around.
'How could this happen?' Agnes thought to herself.
Agnes had come to Michael's birthday party so she could talk to Michael's mother. Talking about their child's wedding plans or anything. But when she got here, Michael's mother didn't even speak more than twenty words to her.
Seeing his wife's sad expression made Daniel emotional. The man turned around, stepped out his feet, his eyes bulged, and shouted, "Hey! My wife hasn't finished yet..."
"Don't be embarrassing!" Agnes grabbed her husband's arm and walked away.
This was Michael's mother's house, lest Daniel embarrassed himself! If Daniel did something that embarrassed her, how could Michael become her son-in-law?
Gabby frowned at Michael's mother. She looked happy when talking to her friends. But because she cut off her mother's conversation, Gabby felt like she wanted to spoil Michael's mother's happiness.
Gabby shook her head and then walked after her mother. They went inside and looked for a seat. Her father's face looked furious. Gabby hoped that no one bumped on him during the party.
Daniel frowned, how could this kind of family be Gabby's family in the future? Michael's mother didn't seem to care about them. The man's hands were clenched into fists without his knowledge.
"Hey, never mind." Agnes let go of Daniel's fist, "Don't embarrass me."
"Maybe Michael's mum is having fun talking to her friends." Agnes continued.
Daniel turned his head and was greeted by a terrifying smile from his wife. It was as if his wife was giving him a warning not to do anything. The man lowered his head and took a deep breath. Had his wife lost her mind? How could she keep defending Michael's family at a time like this?
Once inside, Gabby did not pay attention to her parents. Her eyes were busy circling the inside of Michael's house, trying to find the boy. But as before, she only saw strangers. Almost all of their faces looked unfriendly.
"Gabby!" Suddenly there was an excited voice from behind her.
Gabby turned and saw Michael coming down the stairs of his house.