The sun casted it's eyes through the dark blue curtains of the single, bedroom window. It was warm, and if it had any sort of texture, soft. Against your skin, it was almost like a gentle kiss, and it made you feel at ease. With every single breath you inhaled, you could taste the cool breeze just on the tip of your tongue. It was already the tenth day of summer, and better yet, it was your sixteenth birthday.
Just thinking about it made your skin crawl with excitement as you curled up in the bedsheets, a smile creeping across your face. Finally. The day is here. You've always enjoyed having a summer birthday, since school wasn't involved or getting in the way. It just...sucked not getting to do too much for it. No parties, not too many presents, everything small and between you and your Dad. Even then, you loved it. This day was exceptionally special, but you knew better than to expect anything more than your favorite cake he was fairly decent at making and maybe a nicknack or two from his workshop. It was the same old, same old, however, you didn't seem to mind all that much. You opened your eyes a little, looking toward the sun rays as they sank their way into the room. Your pupils gazed from one corner of the room to the next, recognizing every little part of the bedroom you've been seeing everyday of your life since you were four. The nightstand had your phone attached to its charger, an empty, red, plastic cup, and a picture of you and your mother and father the day you were born. The picture was sorta dusty, at least that's what it looked like in the light of the sun. You scrunched your nose before lifting your head up and blowing toward the old photo. You huffed at the particles that flew off the frame and glass. I guess I need to do some dusting. It has been a month since I've dusted last. Your house was already fairly small and a bit unmanaged in some places, but your room was not one of them. A little dust never hurt, but boy does it mess with my sinuses later on, you thought. With a tired sigh, you slowly started to push yourself straight up in bed. You heard your back crackle, your bones repositioning after you've been laying for so long. You smiled, the feeling was refreshing. You lifted a hand, holding your head as your eyes blurred with a following head rush. Biting your lip, you waited for the rush to dissipate, then opened them again to look at the room around you.
The desk on the other side of the room, where it sat in the corner, was relatively organized: paper stacked in a corner and a few books were neatly leaned up against the wall. In all the spare time of being home, you couldn't help but find yourself lost in a book every now and again. The stack of novels from fiction to nonfiction were already finished, and their stories were deep in your mind. Though, you haven't had a new book in quite some time, and those you read were finished a while ago. A new story wouldn't be that bad with the long summer ahead. Hell, anything new would be better than staying in your house and sleeping half the day away. You tossed your legs over the edge of the bed, your toes wiggling in search of your house shoes that sat patiently nearby. You feet wriggled themselves into them, feeling the cozy leftover fluff between your toes. You stood up and gave another stretch, feeling your body tense for a moment or two before relaxing again. You turned to your nightstand and picked up your cell phone. 12:37 PM. Yikes. "I've been asleep all morning," you mumbled, but your face didn't seem all that surprised. Since school let out you've been sleeping in every day as if it were the weekend. It sure felt like the weekend.
You sighed and shrugged, setting the phone down and heading toward the closet. You made a pit stop at the short, little dresser at the end of your bed, grabbing a hairbrush that rested on its surface. You didn't consider having bed hair too much, but there were days where it was unbearably tangled and messy. You gently ran the bristled brush against your locks, hoping to pull the rats from their nests. You smiled, taking a deep breath. Today was going to be fun and interesting, of course, in its own way. You sure weren't expecting your first ever car ride in a new vehicle of your own. You sighed as you closed your eyes, thinking about the day you would get your own car. It would have to be the day you got a job and long gone from school, probably. You were finally sixteen, yet somewhat unfortunate in comparison to other's who reached that milestone age. You set the hairbrush down on the bed before opening the closet doors to get you something casual to wear for the day. You hated believing you were unfortunate in comparison to others, and would rather consider yourself very fortunate to have what you had: a loving father who cared for you the best he could, food on the table whenever you were hungry, and of course a house to keep you warm and safe. There's not much better than that when you don't have much to start from, anyway.
You picked out your favorite hoodie, pants, and even just a simple shirt for the time being. You pulled your clothes front he closet and closed it behind you, making your way back to the bed to layout the clothes you chose. You sighed softly, rubbing your eyes again to wake yourself up. Sleeping in always had its benefits and doubts, after all. You sighed and threw your pajamas off, leaving them unfolded on the bed. You grabbed your jeans first and shimmied your way into them, then the shirt went on next. You situated the tee with no trouble, of course, then grabbed your hoodie and pressed it over your head, making sure it fit nice and snug. You never really went outside, even if it was summer. It just wasn't worth the time if you didn't really have anyone to spend that time with in the sun. The house was kept cool 24/7 at your father's request. He worked so much during his free time in the workshop that he came back in the house sweating buckets. You remember offering him a wet rag a few times because of how sweaty and hot he had been. You wore your hoodie inside to help keep you at a nice, warm temperature even with the air on full blast.
You brushed yourself off, smiling at how comfortable you felt, but that may have just been your mind tricking you since it was your birthday. You opened your bedroom door and peered into the hallway, looking back and forth to see if your father was nearby. It wasn't to your surprise that he was no where to be seen. It was the afternoon, meaning he likely was working still or you were going to find him in his workshop. "I wonder what he's doing, probably still working on that silly car engine to sell." You shrugged in response, before hugging your hands to your stomach inside your hoodie pockets. You stepped out and walked down the hall toward the small kitchen and living room that made up the rest of the house. You looked around some more, not caring to call out to your dad wherever he was. You began to contemplate what you would eat at this time a day. Corn dogs? Maybe not that. Mac'n'Cheese? No, No. You entered the kitchen and grabbed the handle to the fridge, opening it up as you looked around the shelves curiously. You held your chin, squinting. "Cereal doesn't sound too bad, honestly. Oh—is that leftover lasagna?" You smiled happily, reaching into the fridge to pull out the small pan covered in plastic wrap. You held it in front of you, licking your lips a little. Your dad always did make a good lasagna, and it made you even more excited to find the leftovers still good in the fridge. You closed the fridge doors and walked to the microwave sitting nearby on the countertop. You popped open the microwave door, slowly putting the lasagna, now sitting on a plastic plate, into the metal box. You set the timer to three minutes and let the heating device do its thing. You sighed, holding your neck as you turned away to view the living room across the house. You smiled, seeing how nice and tidy it was. It had been rough trying to keep it clean recently, since Dad had all his work spread out in the room at the time. He was very busy the last week or so, probably because he wanted to do more for your birthday. But, you couldn't guarantee that. He could of just been doing more because he could leave you at home all safe and sound, knowing the house would be in good hands with you there. Your father was a bit predictable, while at the same time, always had some surprise up his sleeve. Maybe today will be just that. A surprise up his sleeve.
After a few minutes, you could hear the microwave ding happily. Your leftover lasagna was finished and ready to eat, just for you. You could already hear your stomach growing eagerly for the cheesy, meaty goodness stacked together like square pancakes. You opened the microwave and pulled the plate out, biting your lip as your handled the hot paper plate carefully, before setting it on the counter. You pulled a nearby stool over, then sat down. You grabbed a plastic fork form a cup sitting in the middle of the counter so you could dig into your reheated lunch. You pressed the pronged utensil into the stacked and packed lasagna, then cut it down to a small piece acceptable for your maw. You rarely tried to eat too much at a time, but you couldn't quite cover up the entire lie. Any time you ate a large piece of your food, it resulted in a mess your dad normally found himself laughing at. His humor toward your failure wasn't insulting, however, but refreshing. It made being a failure feel normal and fun.
You sighed quietly as you sat in the silence, hearing yourself chew the lasagna at your own pace. There wasn't much to do during the afternoon, anyways, other than watch boring shows on T.V. or read. You already did both of those everyday whenever you felt like. You wanted something new, but you couldn't ask for that sort of thing. But it is my birthday. Perhaps you could convince your dad to go out for ice cream, or maybe just one game of bowling. It was a long shot, but it was a much better birthday idea than sitting at home like always. You took a deep breath, holding your lasagna covered fork just in front of your lips, thinking for a minute. Dad does what he can, and I can only appreciate that. You closed your eyes, the reality of not being able to do as much because of financial constraints reminding you to be grateful with what you had already. Just sit back and enjoy it as always, smile, and be positive. That's dads way of facing life, I guess. I don't think I've ever seen him...frowning or...being upset. Unless it's a project in the workshop... you set your plastic fork down on the plate, your lasagna no longer visible on the paper plate. You felt better at least, and fuller than you were sometime before. You carefully stood up and pushed the stool back to its original spot. You carried your plasticware and plate to the trashcan under the sink. As you opened the sink door, you heard the garage door open quickly. It startled you, despite hearing it open constantly in the past. But during the afternoon? Your dad wasn't expected home for a couple more hours. You sat your trash on the counter and turned to the garage door. "Dad?"
Your father peeked his head in, smiling as he faced you. His hair was just like yours, color and all. He chuckled and stood straight in the doorway. "Sorry, I scare ya pipsqueak?"
You rolled your eyes. "Whatever," you laughed a little and threw the plate and fork in the trash. "Why are you home early?" You closed the sink cabinet door as you turned to face him.
He huffed. "It's your 16th birthday, kid! You think I ain't coming home early for that?" He laughed and brushed his hands together, "I couldn't miss another hour of your sixteenth for the world, baby girl."
You smiled, hearing your dad's kind comments fill your boring day with a bit of cheer. "Thanks, it means a lot. It always does."
He smiled and nodded. "But that's not all—! I got you something you won't even believe!" He chuckled happily and started into the workshop. "Come on!"
You raised an eyebrow. What in the world did he possibly get you? "Okay," you called and started toward the garage door. It can't be a car. No way. But...he sounds so thrilled over it. It's definitely something far more interesting than the normal tinker toys he's been making in the past.
What could it be this time?