Where the Lilacs Bloom

Birthday Wishes and Roses

"Happy Birthday!" the six foot tall woman shouted to her cousin, giving her a half-hug and smiling that 24 karat smile she was so well-known for. She handed her cousin a blue card and the cousin shoved it in another birthday bag. I watched as she said hi to everyone.

Her face had at least three layers of foundation, concealer, and highlighter if not more. I wondered if any part of her aside from her body was real. Her solid gold necklaces dangled on her neck as she went to hug everyone else. I, being completely oblivious to her proximity, was startled when she put her hand on my shoulder and said hello to me. I said hello back and took another sip of my ice water. She looked like every other girl from back home.

It was Elma's 28th birthday and she wanted all her friends and family to come together for the occasion, especially as she was going to move next year to Connecticut to live with her soon-to-be husband. Speaking of which, he was nowhere to be found and you could tell it worried her but she wouldn't show it. She kept looking at her phone, typing and then deleting.

Elma wasn't a person that showed her emotions frequently to the unsuspecting stranger but she was definitely emotional once you got to know her. She was also what the kids would call "Boujee" and held high expectations of herself. This sometimes also included her friends. This explained tonight's struggle to get here and the outfits of everyone in attendance.

Elma, the most important person tonight, was wearing a bodycon pink dress with sheer pink fabric covering the body and the sleeves. She wore a rhinestone encrusted headband, somewhat similar to a crown, and white rhinestone heels. Of course she wouldn't be complete without her Chanel purse, an obvious engagement gift. Obviously only because she talked about how when she first met him she would talk about getting it and then he bought it for her. To talk about her makeup would outwind both me and you, but let's just say it wasn't anything natural. Not like anything was bad with that, it was just tiring.

It was especially tiring for me. Exhausted from the makeup world, I reduced my makeup to a full coverage foundation, highlighter, powder, concealer, mascara, and lipgloss. On Kings Highway I would be a complete travesty. But this wasn't Brooklyn and the only people from back home were Elma's sister (and perhaps her fiance if he bothered to show up). Regardless of being a borough away in Manhattan, I still dressed as if I was going to be seen by one of my high strung neighbors. As if someone would put their nose up at me if I didn't adorn myself in Dolce and Gabbana. I wore a white bodysuit with the back slightly open paired with nice pants and clear heels. I couldn't forget the heels and of course my bag, a knock off Canal street, was from Yves St. Laurant.

Elma started ordering for the table and her friend from elementary school or whatever part of her childhood started to tell a story about her job.

"So, I was working at my dad's shop you know like I always do," she started off, closing her phone and turning it face down on the table. "And some ghetto ass ....came and started ordering the world's longest sandwich order. Bro, I swear I was about to tell her no to everything and then throw it in her face."

"You should have," Elma laughed and made eye contact with me. I smiled back but by that time she was looking at her phone again.

"Then he goes and looks at what someone else is ordering. Guess what, he tells me he doesn't want that sandwich anymore and that he wants whatever that other sandwich is," she rolled her eyes. "I swear to God I was about to climb over the counter and make her make it." Everyone laughed, or made an attempt to laugh, and moved on to talking on some other subject.

I noticed the guy next to me, my brother's best friend, was just being silent so I decided to start a conversation with him.

"Saldin, how's school? Have you finished your first or second semester of college so far?" I asked him, taking another sip of water. He looked at me and answered, "Oh, I'm about to finish my second one. It's so rough. Spring sucks."

"I remember when me and your sister were in community college together, it was terrible. When I transferred to NYU it was so much better. Maybe it'll work out like that for you," I told him, patting his back.

"Okay, but not everyone can be as smart as you, Anela. You're done with law school, you've finished two years at a firm. Like damn, no wonder you get the places you do."

Elma overheard our conversation and added, "yeah, she's a nerd," as a joke. Everyone laughed, and this time it was genuine. I didn't know if I should feel embarrassed or not. Was being a nerd a bad thing?

"It's okay, Nelly, you'll be fine. ako Bog da, you'll be a great lawyer and get to travel the world. You're going to Bosnia this summer right?" Elma cut my overthinking off before I went down my usual spiral. She patted my shoulder and then looked to the left of me. I turned back and realized it was the person she was impatiently waiting for this entire time.

Her beau, a guy from Novi Pazar who was actually born here but spent enough time over there to be considered a F.O.B. (aka Fresh off the Boat), appeared with the most beautiful set of peachy pink roses in a vase and a small bag from Prada. He was dressed in all black, with the collar popped open showing just the right amount of chest hair with his tight muscles popping out in the slim sleeves.

"Amel, you finally came!" She smiled at him, as if the last hour was not stressful at all. She came and put the gifts down on a side table to hug him fully. He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist. He wasn't one to show much affection, actually. He was quite cold while in public. But I suppose that's how all men from the Balkans are. I would know.

He whispered something to her and she smiled. He looked at the rest of us, making eye contact and acknowledging their presence before taking a seat next to the birthday girl. We finally started to order and I could feel relief.

The rest of the night passed in a flash. We took over a hundred pictures, we all celebrated just the way Elma expected us to, and then when it was over we all split the bill. I made sure to leave an adequate tip. Not that it would be that big of a deal, but it made me feel bad if I left a bad tip. Elma bid us all a goodnight and we left our separate ways.

I was the last one to reach the door when I saw my own knight in shining armor waiting diligently for me under the streetlights. His hands were in his iconic leather jacket that he wore almost everyday and his white sneakers shined in the dark night. I looked at him with delight and shook my head before I asked, "what are you doing here?"

"I had a feeling that you'd be bored after this social outing," he replied before shrugging his shoulders and glancing away to light a Marlboro cigarette. If you ever found a Balkan man who didn't smoke, you were wrong. Almost ninety-nine percent smoked and those that said they didn't were probably lying to look good. But there was always something about those bad boys.

He smiled beautifully at me, although missing a tooth now, and cocked his head to the side before asking, "what's the matter baby? Aren't you happy to see me?" I rolled my eyes and he put an arm around me leading us down the sidewalk to the train station.

"I think I'd be happier if you picked up my calls today. I must have called you about four times asking if you could pick me up," I bitterly answered, knocking his arm off my shoulder. For a second, excited by a familiar face, I'd forgotten why I was mad. He put his arm back in place and held me closer, stopping us before we entered the station.

"Come on, you know I'm busy at the restaurant all day. I couldn't answer and by the time I saw the texts and calls I just came down. Look at your phone!" He exclaimed as the smoke came steaming out of him like he was a dragon. "Go on, Nelly."

I reluctantly took out my phone and looked at the notifications. I did have a plethora of texts from him, and of course my parents. I immediately began to panic once I saw that my sister texted me.

"Oh my God," I whispered. I couldn't see my phone anymore and my hands started to shake. One second followed another and my phone kissed the ground face first.

"What? What is it?" He asked me. I couldn't form any words because I was lost and unsure of what to do. He grabbed my phone and read my messages.

"My dad..." I finally croaked.

"He's at the hospital, he's had a heart attack," He finished for me.