"So, he just left like that after making me miss lunch. What a self-centered bastard," I think to myself while trying to suppress my anger. As I got back to my desk and finished up my task for the remainder of the day, I was so hungry that I had to stop at a pizza hut after work to get pepperoni pizza and a big cola. I walk over to the cashier to order my food.
"hello! Good evening, please, can I get 1 big cola and a family-sized pepperoni pizza?"
"Okay, it will be ready in 5 minutes," says the cashier
"thank you."
I head over to the lounge area to take a seat and bring out my phone to text mom not to cook dinner that I will be bringing pizza.
"Rachel?" I hear my name and look up and see Noah, my former course mate when I was still in school.
"wow! It's really you, Rachel; how have you been? You just disappeared from school," he says while we share a hug.
"Yeah, my mom fell ill, so I had to drop out and take care of her." I say to him, smiling. Noah was the most handsome guy in my set, and he was smart too, but for some reason he was never interested in girls, and no, he's not gay.
"Sorry to hear that; is she better now?"
"No, but we are trying our best. By the way, what are you doing here?" I ask as I try to sway the conversation away from my mom's illness.
"Yeah, I came to buy pizza, and I live just above here, so yeah."
"Yeah, that's cool." mentally slap myself for asking such an obvious question
Order for a pizza and one big chili!
"Oh! That is my order, so I will see you later." I ask as I turn to get to the pickup point.
"okay, bye"
I go to the cashier to get the pizza and leave the café to board the bus home.
Rachel stepped onto the porch, the sound of the wind rustling through the trees outside. She fumbled with her keys, a little tired from the long day at work. The door creaked as she pushed it open, and a sense of quiet greeted her—eerily quiet. The light in the hallway was off, and the usual hum of the kitchen fridge seemed strangely absent, as though the house itself was holding its breath. "Mom? Jil?" she called out, stepping into the dim entryway. Her voice echoed faintly in the stillness. The only light came from the moon outside, casting a pale glow across the floor. She tossed her purse onto the console table and kicked off her shoes, her eyes scanning the dark house. Something was strangely absent, as if a portion of the typical warmth had vanished. Perhaps Jil was in his room, engrossed in a game of video games, or perhaps her mother was out.
Her footsteps were muffled on the hardwood as she made her way to the kitchen. She saw that the candles on the mantle were not lit as she walked past the living room. Her mother always lit them while she cleaned, so that was strange. There was a problem.
"Hello?" Rachel called again, her voice a little more unsure this time. "Anyone here?"
The lights flickered to life as the front door suddenly slammed behind her. She squinted as the lights showed a flurry of movement—figures stepping out of the shadows—and the brief brilliance blinded her.
"Surprise!"
Rachel's breath caught as she froze. Her mother held a cake with flickering candles in the center of the room, beaming from ear to ear. Beside her, with his arms spread wide and a silly smile on his face, was her younger brother, Jil.
Rachel's heart skipped a beat as the audience erupted in applause. She gasped, "What... what is this?" before a fit of laughter replaced her horror. Her mother stepped forward to embrace her and gave her a warm shake of her head. "My dear, you never remember. But we didn't forget your special day.
A celebration horn was already in Jil's grasp, and he blew it loudly. He exclaimed, obviously relishing the mayhem he had contributed to.
Rachel shook her head and gave a little laugh as she at last gave in to relaxation. She said, still not quite believing it, "You guys are crazy." She looked at her favorite cake, chocolate. Above her head, a bunch of confetti balloons bobbed, and streamers dangled from the ceiling. She was unaware of the impending celebration, yet it was all there.
"Well," replied Rachel, her tone softening as she turned to face her family, "you definitely know how to make an impression."
Her mom drew her into another embrace. "Rachel, you deserve it. We wanted to let you know how much we appreciate all of your hard work.
Jil gave a cheeky smile. "Yes, and cake, too."
Feeling the warmth of the house now, Rachel laughed. It felt like the right place for her at that precise moment, and it was home. Taking a big breath, she murmured, "Okay, okay," "Let's eat cake, and I promise I won't forget next year."
"I hope so," Jil says smugly.
"Yay!" its chocolate cake, my favorite.
"Aww, thanks, mom. I was craving cake yesterday," I tell my mom while looking at the mouth-watering cake.
Her mom looks at her with loving eyes and smiles, "I'm glad you're happy, dear; it's your day; enjoy.".
DING! DING!
She hears her phone ringing and goes to see it's a chat from her best friend Cindy
Cindy:
🎉🎉🎉 Happy birthday, Rachel!!!! 🥳🎂 I'm so sorry I couldn't make it to your surprise party; I feel terrible! 😭
Rachel:
Haha, thanks, Cherry! It was such a surprise! Honestly, I had no idea what was going on when I walked in. 😅
Cindy:
Wait, really?? 😂 How did they pull that off without you catching on?? I thought you were like a super sleuth when it comes to surprises!
Rachel:
I wish I had noticed something! I was so tired when I got home from work, and everything was quiet. It was like a scene from a horror movie—pitch dark and creepy. I thought maybe Mom was out and Jil was playing his games, but then—POW! The lights came on, and there they were with candles and cake. 😱🎉
Cindy:
But wow, that sounds incredible! I regret that I missed it. In addition, I'm delighted you had a good time! Tell me everything! What sort of cake were you given?
Rachel:
My favorite was chocolate cake. To be honest, that was rather sweet—pun intended. 😉 For for five minutes, I just stared at them in shock, wondering, "Why is everyone looking at me?"
Cindy:
😂 It must have been adorable. You must have looked adorable looking bewildered and shocked!
Rachel:
Most likely, ugh. But don't worry, I completely understand why you were unable to attend. I'm simply glad we can finally catch up because you're usually so busy! 😘
Cindy:
It's true that I should quit booking myself twice, haha. However, I swear that I will be the one organizing the surprise party for YOU the following year! 🎈✨ Just wait and watch!
Rachel:
That's a challenge I'm ready to take on, You're on. 😏
Rachel!
"Come and eat your own slice of the cake before Jil finishes the whole cake" her mom tells her
"Jil Silver! you better keep your hands away from my cake", I shout back to my brother as I tell cindy bye and go back to the dining room.
"Mom, I bought pizza too", she tells her mom while handing her the box of pizza.
Her mom looks at her in disbelief, "so, you were going to eat only Pizza and coke on your birthday"?
"I know mom, I forgot"
After arguing with Jil for thirty minutes over who gets to eat the final slice of pizza and chocolate cake, I head back to my room for a night's sleep because today was both exciting and tiresome. "I'm shocked too," I ask myself, "that I forgot my birthday is unbelievable."
I check the clock on my phone and see that it is past my bedtime; I must go to bed if I have to speak with my boss tomorrow.
NEXT DAY
With a gentle ding, the elevator doors opened, and Rachel entered, her gaze fixed on her phone screen as she checked her email one final time before beginning her day. She wasn't quite prepared for the craziness of the office after such a demanding week.
She heard footsteps behind her as the doors started to close. She looked up as her boss, Norman, entered the elevator as it slid to a stop on the next floor. She nodded quickly, without glancing at him, and went back to her phone. He was wearing his typical dapper suit, with the tie a bit too tight around his neck and a hint of pricey cologne wafting in his wake.
He said, "Good morning, Rachel," in a tone that was surprisingly gentle for a man who typically spoke with such command.
Rachel's eyes flicked up in a tiny smile. "Hello, Mr. Norman."
As the elevator descended slowly, there was an unpleasant stillness for a minute. Normally icy and calculating, Norman's eyes lingered on her.
"Happy birthday," he exclaimed abruptly, taking her by surprise.
Rachel's heart skipped a beat when she blinked. "Thanks, huh?" Her mind whirling, she shifted uneasily. How did he know?
"And I, uh." Norman was obviously having trouble with something as he halted and ran a hand over his well-groomed hair. "I'd like to apologize. For what I've done to you, you know. Lately. I've been... challenging.
Rachel gazed at him with disbelief. As her mind raced to take in the situation, she hardly noticed the background buzz of the elevator. Norman was the type of boss who hardly ever acknowledged people unless it was for work-related purposes, avoided small conversation, and never offered an apology. The fact that he was expressing regret for his actions in addition to recognizing her birthday? It seemed as though someone else had entered the elevator with her.
Her mouth opened to reply, but nothing came out. Was this real? She wasn't sure how to respond. Did he mean to be sarcastic? None of this, least of all from him, had been anticipated by her.
Norman seemed unconcerned. Although his face stayed stern, there was a change in his eyes—a glimmer of weakness, perhaps, or simply an effort to appear human. The elevator sounded once again as they arrived at Rachel's floor before she could comprehend it.
He didn't wait for her to answer or even for her to process what had just transpired. He left the elevator without saying another word, and as the doors closed behind him, his shiny shoes clicked on the floor.
Rachel's chest was constricted as she stood there, her thoughts still racing from the brief conversation. Could it be that she had dreamed it all?
Her boss, Norman, who had never been very friendly and had hardly acknowledged her outside of work, had just wished her a happy birthday and apologized for his rudeness.
She looked at her reflection in the mirrored elevator doors and released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Her expression was a mixture of surprise, bewilderment, and another emotion she couldn't quite identify.
"Wow! I must be dreaming; this is most definitely the weirdest day I have had," she says while she steps out of the elevator and into her office to start her day.
she wrote down things that she was supposed to do so that it would be easy to tick off, scheduled meetings and appointments that her boss was to attend, and while she is doing that, the phone starts ringing.
"Miss Silver, please get me a cup of coffee," her boss says,
"yes, sir, huh?"
Before she could recover from her shock, he had already ended the call.
She looks at the telephone with a look of bewilderment. Did he just say, Please"?
"I think I must be hearing things today; let me get him his cup of coffee," she says as she grabs her notepad and walks over to the breakroom where the coffee machine is. She keeps thinking of that phone call; there is no way he told her, "Please."
she gets the coffee and knocks on the door; there's a faint come-in, but she pushes the door to the office and walks in.
"Your coffee, sir," she says while placing the tray on the table
"Thank you, Miss Silver. Do I have meetings today?"
"Uh, sir, by 10 am, Morgan Enterprises, and you have an interview for Forbes Magazine by 2 pm, sir.".
"Is this . all for today?" he asks while sipping his coffee
"Yes, sir, that is all for today."
"ok. Thank you"
"Make a reservation by 12 for 2 people in la cuisine."
"Ok sir"
"That will be all; you may go." He tells me, "Miss Silver, you look really beautiful today," as I turn to go.
"Sir, may I ask you a question?" I ask him, bewildered.
"Yes," he responds, although it seems like he is afraid to do so.
"Is it because of my birthday that you are treating me nicely? Because if it is, I don't mind, and I'm OK.
"No, Rachel, sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable; I just think I should not be pouring my aggression on you.
She whispers to herself, "You should have done that a long time ago.".
"What was that?" he asks,
"Nothing, sir."
"So are we good now?" he asks with a look of expectation
"Yes, sir," she smiles amusingly