Finding Family

Evalynn: Birthday

"Happy Birthday Evalynn!" Lottie said poking my arm as I lay in bed. Her getting up had disturbed me but I was still just lying in bed because I didn't really want to get up.
I rolled over to face her. She was in her rugby kit already because she had a match this morning naturally, which was why she was up so early. My birthday falling in March meant it always clashed with someone's rugby match or training. "Thanks." I replied sleepily. I wasn't a morning person, and everybody knew it. Instead of getting out of bed I snuggled Josie, my starry bear, closer to my face.
Charlotte brushed her fingers through my messy hair. "It would be a shame if you didn't get to open my lovely present. Or the one from your mamma." She teased.
I sat up. "What is it you gave me?" I asked her suddenly excited.
"Not telling yas." She replied with a smile.
I sighed and finally got up. "Then I'll have to go find out won't I."
She smiled, and left my room, and I pulled on a cute grey pair of leggings with black hearts printed on them and a top decorated with butterflies before running down the stairs. Fashion wasn't one of my strong points, and most people already knew it. Those who didn't know that simply didn't know me at all.

Mummy Amy (as I had taken to calling her given she was the only mother figure I had ever known except mamma from her notes) made pancakes for breakfast, like she always did on our birthdays, and as Charlotte had gone out with papa Ian to play her match it was just the three of us. Katie smiled across the table at me. It made me happy that she was still accepting of me even despite what she'd said a few months back about my mamma being a useless horrible woman who was 'addicted', whatever that meant, to nasty things and couldn't even be bothered to look after her own child. Or, as had hastily been added, wasn't actually able to take care of me. She'd also called mamma a word that mummy Amy had hastily told me to never say out loud ever, especially not if you're going to call someone else it. But from what I could tell from the notes she always sent me with her presents I didn't think Katie could be more wrong, my mamma wanted me to be in her life I was sure, just something was stopping that from being the case. As story book as it sounded, I always imagined mamma as being something cool that meant she wasn't at home very often and that was why she didn't look after me. Maybe she was a superstar that had to run off to America to shoot movies or to Sweden to record albums like Steps had once. Or maybe she was an explorer who had to give me up because she couldn't take me trecking through the jungles to find new species of animals. When I had spoken to her about it, Mummy Amy had said that Katie was probably having something called "the monthly girly time" and hadn't really meant what she said at all. I didn't understand entirely, but I had grasped it was something I'd have to get used to as I got older.
Mummy Amy started to tidy up the kitchen and I went to help her but was stopped by Katie. She tried to get me to eat the last pancake like she always did.
"I don't need another pancake." I argued.
"You're the birthday girl, it's yours." Katie retorted.
"But..."
"No buts just eat it!" Katie teased.
I shrugged. "You can have it. I don't want it honest."
She relented and ate the pancake.

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"It's present time littlie!" Charlotte called from the living room. She'd been back from her match for a while and had a shower and changed in the time since, all the while I'd been waiting and desperately hoping my birthday presents wouldn't get forgotten like they had the other year.
Katie did the ceremonious family joke of lifting up the birthday girl, and put me over her shoulder. Having a training rugby player as a sister had many advantages as it turned out. She aspired to play in the top woman's league one day and I genuinely thought she stood a strong chance.
I gazed at the few presents that awaited me. I never had very many but it always made me happy people had thought of me. I knew there was one from Mummy Amy and Papa Ian, and one from both Charlotte and Katie, but I didn't know what any of them was. I also knew I had received my usual annual present from my birth mother, but again, I wasn't sure what that would be either. I think I was most excited for that one just so I could read the note inside and confirm to myself that she was still out there and loved me and missed me.
"Happy birthday sweetie." Mummy Amy said.
"Thanks Mummy." I replied.