Incomplete

Chapter One- Piñatas

I walk into the stairs right in front of me. Not literally but as you walk into the house it makes your eyes sore. Brown carpet on the brown wooden stairs on the white and brown ugly tiles. I walk past the winding stairs curiously trying to look at what's on the second floor having never been there. Alas due to my age of being a plain ten year old I wasn't tall enough to see. My mother and I walked onwards to the kitchen and again I admired the ugly design flaws. A light green kitchen bench on top of timber panelling on the same floor. Brown and white floor. White and brown patchy walls. It's hideous. My mom sits with the other aunties (I call all my mums friends aunties). I assume that they are gossiping or comparing their kids to other children so I decide to leave. I wonder where are the uncles? Probably talking about international politics. I'm a smart kid and I know that the house only holds the boring stuff so I follow the balloons and head for the backyard.

Its Jacob's eight birthday today. I don't know if my parents brought a present. Anyway if they didn't they always just buy a card with a dollar and stuff money inside. I step onto the veranda in my white and blue dress, my annoyingly short hair put back with a blue headband. I immediately start looking for a friend. In the corner in the empty garden stand two older boys talking about high school stuff maybe. I see one of the boy's younger brother, Ravi, a few months older than me but a grade higher. He is playing with the birthday boy himself and someone else who I don't know. On the opposite side of the yard is a girl, again a few months older than me but tall for her age and a bush for hair. I've only talked with her once but that was it. All I know is that her name is Tash. I didn't want to go to her because she was talking with an older girl. I scan the backyard again. It was the opposite to the inside of the house. Green grass and timber fences weren't the only things but balloons and streamers hung down from the veranda shade and on the concrete patio was a long table full of snacks. The snacks were aligned neatly however with a great gap in the middle. It must be for the cake. I walked onto the grass realising that I missed one massive detail- a rainbow donkey shaped piñata. The excitement rose inside of me the only thing going through my mind at the moment was when I would hit that piñata. I needed to waste time. I found a girl who was the same age as me, maybe younger, who I quickly became friends with. We passed time playing paddle tennis. The moment had slowly come.

'Everyone stand in a line it's time to break the piñata.' Everyone, every kid quickly spun around. Everyone with the same idea in mind. I needed to be as close to the front of the line as possible. It was like a race to the finish line, only this time to the piñata line. It was a chaotic scene like in the hunger games. It was like fighting for rations but instead round about twenty-four kids fighting for a swing at the piñata. As slow motion became fast I managed to find myself close to the front maybe third in line. I have a chance. I could be the one to break it. As far as birthday etiquette goes the birthday boy is obliged to go first. I know that for sure. As far as piñata etiquette goes I'm sure that it's one swing and turn finished. The birthday boy takes a few swings which I take as an exception -Jacob's birthday so he can take a few swings. My heart rate was fine until he passed it to Ravi. Oh no. Whack! That was actually pretty hard. Whack! Hey one go only. Whack! Who do you think you are! My heart was racing and with final whack, the piñata broke down the middle. I was shocked. It began to rain candy and everyone dived into the candy pool to get as much candy in their party bags as they could. It was like feeding time at the zoo. I was sad. Not because I got two pieces of candy but I didn't even get a go to at least hit the piñata.
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Nancy finished showing the video of her little brother's birthday and I sat laughing at myself on the sofa. I look back at the video and think about how short my hair was. My black hair now reached down to my hips different to what was in the video from five years ago. My hair you could say was sort of like a bob cut. When I was ten and went to the hairdresser I asked them to cut my hair to my shoulder which at the beginning looked fine. It was until the hairdresser asked my mum how it looked and she suggested it be cut a finger shorter. I didn't mind that either. A rule of life, always tell the hairdresser to cut it longer than you actually want. After my cut was done I was horrified. She had cut my hair at halfway of my ear, it may suit some people but not me. I looked like the guy from three stooges. In anger I put my headband on and walked outside to the car as my mum paid the hairdresser.

I stood up from the sofa and walked over to the kitchen bench. Five years on and it's the same ugly timber on light green colour. Nancy and her sister in law Gina had plans to change it which was the best news I heard all day. Jacob stood on the opposite side and I decided to ask him about the video.

'Do you remember which birthday this was from?'

'I don't know?' he shrugs. Jacob was basically that person who was like an annoying younger brother. I gave him a glare and he gave that stupid goofy grin. I didn't expect him to remember anyway.

'What did people say about me? The other who watched this video?' I wasn't desperate to know but I was only really asking about my hair.

'Oh yeah, Ravi and stuff laughed at your hair,' he laughed pointing at my hair. I laugh too. I've slightly forgiven Ravi for the piñata incident. It was a year after that incident and it was time for sport house captain selections. When the teacher asked who wanted to try out for the girl captain I stood up straight away. I stood in front of the year fives and sixes waiting for an opponent. I was excited no one was going to stand against me. Though it died down as two other girls had last minute decisions and wanted to try out for the spot. I felt a bit down but I watched the audience intently. That was when I heard Ravi speak up for me.

'Hey everyone vote for her she's good.' That was really nice and I felt happy. Although I didn't become the captain at least I definitely know someone wanted me too.

I stop thinking and my smile becomes awkward. Note to self- thank Ravi one day. My stomach grumbles as Nancy invites me to grab a snack from the table. Nancy is a role model. She effectively balances her studies at university with her family and everything. She is the most responsible person I know. She is anyone's ideal daughter (or daughter on law. Just joking). I walk into the dining room where their two to three metre table sits. Snacks? More like a buffet. I stroll over to cakes which Nancy says Gina made. Her cakes are the best. I should ask if she could bake me my birthday cake. Maybe every year? Month even?

We have another party invitation to go to. My dad says to my closest friend Monica's house (Moni for short). When we were as young as three maybe, we used to be enemies. Well I thought of her as my enemy. Once I put her in a corner and almost bashed her with a kiddie chair but her mum saved her. She was lucky. Quickly I put a piece of cake in a plastic bowl and put another bowl on top to cover it. I planned to eat it in the car. The drive to Monica's is quick. Most people friends with my family live close by. My whole family except one of my cousins live overseas and due to my father's job we go every four years. Home feels empty especially when your siblings are too young to talk too and well parents love you like parents. So it's only my family and I - maybe that's why we have so many family friends.