𝐷𝑂𝑁𝑇 𝐹𝑂𝐿𝐿𝑂𝑊 𝑀𝐸

𝓳𝓮𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓮

The stun rest in my mind as I lit a cigarette, tucking it between my lips as I thought about my girl's lovely suprise.
A trip to my hometown, where I had not been in longer than I wanted to admit. They said it together so happily, excited to go.

I would never take them being happy for granted, but I'd be lying if I said maybe I'd wished they hadn't. It was too late anyways, we were leaving in a day to still be prompt for my birthday.

I hissed a breath of the cigarette into my lungs, and huffed it out into the street, leaned against my car whilst watching the moon in the sky.

I'd left to escape it but it seemed to follow me everywhere. Now leading me back to where I ran from.

The girls wouldn't understand if I tried to explain.

They looked so beautiful, everyone dressed in my favourite colour, joyous smiles on each ones faces while they shouted happy birthday. I was almost planning to go to sleep as soon as I got home, but then I had a miraculous raise in energy.

They led me to our dining table, draped with a new linen, with all sorts of delicious food on it, and we ate and laughed, celebrating together. It felt nice, watching my family so joyful. It almost made me forget why we were there, until they brought out my cake, cursive letters noted onto it.

"For a darling husband, a wonderful father, and incredible man."

It was too sweet, the gesture that is, the cake was delicious. He couldn't ask for more, even though it wiped out all his energy for the next week.
The final surprise though, they presented with a happy mysterious edge. I couldn't tell what I'd be told.

My Maggie snickered with amused malice, just how she did when she was little and got away with something as she walked up, another small box in her hand.

I took it suspiciously, a smile on my face despite it.

"So what did you little creeps get me hm?."

I gently open the box, it weening like a aged door. A small marble decorated with grey to look like a moon hung from the top, spinning on a music box dial. On the bottom, shards of broken glass were glued together with a sheet of dark blue paper sat, similar to the box itself.
It made it shimmer like a little pool of water, a moonlit midnight scene. It was nostalgic.

My Linnet leans towards me, kissing my temple, whispering a statement just loud enough for me to hear.

"It's a little mural of sorts for you..as a show for where we'd like to go to celebrate. I spoke to your sister already and she said we could come visit to celebrate.."

She finished on a tone like she was asking me for permission, as if I could deny. A part of me felt tight, my chest in particular as I knew I couldn't deny, especially under the eyes of my kids and her, nor the pleading look of my sister in my head.

The same look she gave me when I left, one I'd shoved as far into the recesses of my mind.

"Sure, we'll go."