Happy Birthday, Sarah

Ring, ring!

I took one hand off the wheel, reaching into my back pocket and pulling out my basic, black phone. I flipped it open and placed it against my ear, all without ever taking my eyes off of the road. I even slowed down to the speed limit. Not that I was speeding, I was just going five miles per hour faster. Yeah, I know you're not supposed to talk on the phone and drive... but whatever.

"Hello?" I asked, calling into the speaker of the phone.

"John!" A familiar voice replied.

I smiled, thinking of old memories from college. "How are you doing, man? How's the family?" I asked him, remembering his wife and daughter. I never settled down, never really found my place. I'll find a new job every year or so. I just haven't found a place that felt... right.

"I'm fine. So are the girls, they're doing great. In fact, it's Sarah's birthday today." He announced excitedly through the phone.

I smiled more and thought for a second. There were a few shops nearby. I looked around and took in my surroundings. A Wal-Mart and CVS were in sight. I quickly decided to ask Sam about it.

"You want me to go pick up a present for her? Is she having a party?"

He seemed very enthusiastic. "That would be great! We're throwing a small surprise party for our girl. Just the family, though. I don't think she'd want a lot of people coming over."

"Well, at least you don't have to worry about pleasing little annoying kids." I chuckled. I shifted the phone to fit snugly between my ear and shoulder and gripped the wheel with both hands. "Hey, what do you think she'd like?" I asked. I turned the wheel and steered the car into the Wal-Mart parking lot.

There was a slight pause. "She likes flowers. Her favorite are white calla lilies... and maybe a doll. Not an expensive one, though. I don't want you to spend a lot on her; I could pay you b-"

I cut him off. "Don't worry about it. I want to get her something. I haven't seen her since she was just a little baby. She was adorable," I said, parking the car and grabbing the phone with one hand, opening the car door with the other and stepping out.

I took in a breath of fresh air and turned to the entrance. Wind nipped at my face and neck. I pulled my small excuse of a jacket tighter around me.

"Well, I'm off for flowers and a doll. See you, man. You still live at the same house right?" I asked, unsure. I didn't even know if he wanted me to come over or not.

"Yeah, you should come by and hang out. If you need some place to stay, feel welcome to stay here."

"Thanks, but I doubt I'll need a place to stay. I'll be fine."

He sighed. "Alright, I'll see you later, John. Thank you."

"It's really no problem." I shook my head. I didn't want to keep the conversation going, so I added a simple "See you," then closed my phone and strode through the automatic doors.

I walked absently, searching for a small doll and flowers. I found the floral section first, so I decided to just grab the flowers. There were many fake plants, roses, tulips, sunflowers, and daisies. There were so many flowers, all with different, artificial colors. The strong scent of the plants wafted through this section of Wal-Mart.

I finally spotted some calla lilies. They didn't look real, but... how was a little girl going to be able to tell the difference? She'll probably love them anyways.

I quickly grabbed a little plastic bag wrapped around the flowers with a pink ribbon holding it tightly together. Holding the flowers by the stems, I set out to find a doll.