Piece of Cake

Little White Lie

Charvi almost tripped as she dash-crept down the stairs the next morning.

It was the day.

It. Was. The. Day.

She tried to stay calm and quiet as possible as she stepped on each creaky stair, she made her way to the small kitchen. Mother was asleep; Charvi had purposefully turned off the alarm she had set in her clock so that she wouldn't wake up too soon.

At least, she won't wake before Charvi has finished making breakfast.

Yes, Charvi was only 12, but who said 12-year-olds can't even make the easiest of all breakfast for their mother's birthday? Even then, Charvi wasn't any 12-year-old, Mother said that she was special, that she had a true talent in cooking, and whatever Mother said should be taken into highest consideration. She also said if Charvi really wanted to be a cook in her future, she must practice.

Which of course she did. She was doing it right now.

As Charvi started gathering the supplies and ingredients, her mind was scanning through the mental list of what she's planning to do today when she felt something furry brush her ankle. 

And gave a slight jump when she turned to find Vlinder's somewhat skeptical muzzle facing her. 

"Okay okay boy, let's make a deal here. You don't bark, I don't take away your breakfast." 

Can dogs frown? Charvi's pretty sure hers just frowned deeper. 

Please please please don't choose this one time to be an alarm clock and ruin my surprise- 

Vlinder turned around and left. 

Charvi can swear that even cats meow more than this cursed dog. 

She shrugged and went back to work; the muffins were baking...

Would Mother like this breakfast?

She had started making the batter for the pancakes. 

Hope Mother doesn't mind the dirty curtains.

Frying eggs was the easiest thing to make in this breakfast for sure...

Will the flowers be fresh enough? Or should she pick new ones?

The muffins were done.

Maybe she should make some edits to the poem... yes, she should.

Finally, finally, the breakfast was finished. Charvi placed the tray on the table and stood looking proudly at it for a moment.

Now the real plan starts.

Charvi carefully carried the tray back upstairs to Mother's room, where she was still sleeping soundly. The room was as small as her own with only a table, bed, chair, and a small drawer. Being as gentle as she can, Charvi put the tray down onto the table and covered the whole thing with a large white cloth. Then, when she was about to go and wake Mother up, her eyes caught on something in the blue calendar hung on the wall.

That's when she realized that today was April the 26th.

Today. The day of the birthday.

But the problem was, Mother's birthday wasn't on the 26th at all.

It was on the 25th.

Charvi's jaw dropped as the realization hit her that she had missed her own Mother's birthday by a day.

And that was when Mother started to wake. 

"Charvi?" Mother said, still half asleep, "what are you doing in my room?"

WhatdoIdo, whatdoIdo, WHAT DO I DO? Charvi thought frantically.

Mother had caught the expression on her face, she no longer looked sleepy. "Charvi? What happened? Why do you look so pale?" Mother rushed to her side.

All the plans, ideas, and hard-working hours came crashing down onto Charvi, they were all for nothing, she won't be able to celebrate her mother's birthday after all, instead, she'd get scolded for forgetting, she won't be able to do all those things she planned to do for the past week.

Or could she?

"Charvi?" Mother repeated, looking slightly concerned.

Charvi snapped back to the present. "Yes?"

"What were you thinking about just now? You look like your mind just went for a walk in space, darling."

"Really? Oh! I was just about to say Happy Birthday, Momma!" Charvi smiled vibrantly at her mother.

"What? Birthday?"

"Yes, Momma. Your birthday!" Charvi smiled wider. "Don't you remember that today's your birthday?"

"Today's my birthday?" Mother asked, looking rather surprised. "But I thought-"

But Charvi cut in, "Come on, Momma! Today's your birthday! I promise! Did you really forget again? But it's okay! I know you're extremely hard-working, so it's not that big of a deal that you forgot your own birthday, you still have me to remind you! Right?"

Mother still looked a little startled, but she was nodding and smiling, then her eyes flickered across the room as if she smelt something, "Charvi..." she started.

"Oh yes!" Charvi said a little too enthusiastically, jumping up and pulling Mother with her. "I made a birthday breakfast for you! Wanna see?" She didn't wait for a reply and removed the cloth covering the tray, revealing the food she cooked earlier under it.

"Charvi!" Mother gasped, "I knew you could cook, but who told you to use the kitchen alone? You could get hurt!"

Charvi flushed in guilt. "I just wanted to make something..." she mumbled, then pouted. "At least try it first?" 

A mother would always find it hard to resist that kind of hopeful puppy face. 

Charvi watched as her mother sighed and stood up, ruffling her hair before taking a bite of a muffin. 

"Is it good?" Charvi pestered, Mother nodded and said fondly, "it's wonderful. My baby girl really had grown up a lot, hasn't she?"

Charvi's eyes twinkled with happiness, her face wore a prideful smile as she watched her mother finishing the handmade breakfast. A warm feeling was growing in her chest and she knew that all she had to do now was follow her original plan, then nothing would go wrong. She just had to make sure Mother doesn't see the actual date, then she would be able to fool her, she can pretend that today was Mother's birthday. Today, not yesterday. As long as Charvi was careful... Mother won't ever need to know. 

For once, she didn't notice Vlinder, who had followed her like a shadow upstairs, and his dead-eyed stare. Neither did she catch the tiny yet significant glance Mother flicked in her direction.