Hearken

Chapter 1: The Night Of My 20th Birthday

Wasn't Twenty supposed to be a magical birthday and a milestone into adulthood, accompanied by great privileges and legal implications? Wasn't Twenty the age to vote, buy a house, wed your high school sweetheart, go to jail, get sued, and gamble away your tuition in Vegas? Well, mine wasn't.

At eight o'clock on the evening of my 20th birthday, I was alone at home grumbling and frowning, taking weird selfies, scrolling through the boring messages on my phone, and pitying myself for my misfortune. I thought it was going to be a special day filled with presents, prayers, fun, and well wishes, but all I received was a "Happy Birthday" from Daniel Beckett, my CEO husband, and some of my friends.

Suddenly, the electricity cut off. My sad eyes widened in the darkness and my heart raced for a moment. Dan isn't yet back from the office. He's always busy with work, but I love him endlessly. I know how caring he is, at least, he tried. Right now, I can't wait for him to come back. There was complete darkness in the house. I couldn't do anything, so I wanted to sleep and end this unlucky day.

Out of the blue in the quiet night, I heard a sudden noise coming from downstairs. It startled me. Suspecting that someone must have broken into the house. Immediately, I tried to phone my dad, but I had no answer. He is a widow. My mum suffered a complication after she gave birth to me and didn't survive. As a young business manager, it left my dad to fend for himself in a situation he wasn't even scarcely prepared for. But he survived. And we survived. Today, he sent his bass-voiced, happy birthday song to me on my Facebook messenger. It was his usual. But it was only the song, which was unusual.

My unsettled fingers picked up my Samsung mobile phone, and it tempted me to dial 911. There's no need for alarm, right? I called the police. Just then, I realized I was out of credit!

The sweat settling on my forehead trickled. I wiped it off immediately. I could feel my heart racing as the clock ticked. With my eyes closed, I took steady breaths, trying to calm myself down. As my hand rubbed through my heavy stomach, I gently pulled out of bed. In the meantime I heard more noises of people talking, I gathered some courage and started heading for the basement. I am sure it wasn't the neighbors. This is an estate, for crying out loud. What's happening? I tiptoed into the darkness that surrounded me. As I slowly reached the basement, I guessed there was over one person. I can't believe it. There couldn't be many people in our basement!

Courageously, I opened the door of the basement. A wall of darkness hit me in the face. There wasn't a single noise. As my eyes widened in curiosity, I heard some giggling and confirmed that there were people. Suddenly, the lights turned on and there were my friends, my dad, and most of all, Dan cheering at me.

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you, Evelyn!
Happy birthday to you.

My jaws dropped, and I placed both hands over my mouth in astonishment. I can't believe Somidah, my best friend, and Tate, her fiance was also part of this. It was a surprise party!! Mr. and Mrs. David, our supportive neighbors giggled at my surprised reaction. Watching them, tears clouded in my eyes. I covered my face this time, unable to hold the joy welling up in me.

"Awwwn." I heard from Dad and Somidah.

"Come on babe, it's just a birthday surprise." Daniel walked up to me, clasping me in a warm hug.

I buried my face in his chest. He was still in his usual black suit and white long-sleeve. I'm sure he hasn't had his bath since he arrived from work. Daniel even planned these for me? How on earth did he get here on time?

"Was this your idea?" I asked him, watching the guests walk in. They were about eight of them. Three were professional cooks. They came for a catering service.