Finding You(on hold)

Happy Birthday(Part 2)

Collin

Driving with one hand I squeezed Melody's. She looked and smiled over at me. The look in her eyes told me she didn't want to do this. I can understand why. As we pulled into the drive I saw three pink balloons tied to the looked at me then darted her eyes out the window from embarrassment. I parked the car off to the side and leaned over to her. I cupped her cheek in my hand and kissed it.

"Pink balloons are cute babe. Don't worry about it."

"Yeah, cute when you're four. I'm eighteen now I don't need balloons to celebrate. Really I don't even need a party."

"You deserve a party. And don't worry about you're dad I'll be by your side the time. And if not I'll be distracting him from you."

She smiled at me a bit, allowing me to know that she was glad I said what I did. "You always have the right words when I need them." She said before she kissed me softly. "And I love that."

"I love you Melody."

"I know, and I love you."

I leaned in slowly to kiss her one last time before we headed into her father's house. I know I promised to stay by her side, but I need to talk to her dad. I had to talk to him. I had the ring in my pocket and all the words in my mind. This was making me just as nervous as actually asking her. Just as our lips brushed each other's I heard a knocking on the window and an opening of a door.

"Melody! Happy Birthday!"

"Oh my gosh! Lily, I haven't seen you in forever! You're so much bigger. Oh my gosh we're almost the same height!" Melody exclaimed to her adopted younger sister. But this is the normal "you've grown" talk, Melody wasn't kidding Lily has grown that much. And she's only about 11 now, and Melody isn't on the short side, not the tall side but defines tilt not that short.

Melody

Never once did I imagine this girl becoming so tall. I saw her last Christmas and she's grown like a foot. This was defiantly a good sign though. Usually my dad was ripping me out of the car.

"Where's dad?"

"He uh, Melody, he's upstairs..."

"What is he ok?"

"He's not the best" With that I jumped out of the car and ran into the house leaving Collin and Lily by the car. I knew one or both of them were chasing behind me but I wasn't going to stop. This was my dad. Annoying birthday parties or not I need him. I wasn't going to let him go through this alone. I opened the door and ran up the stairs. My dad was diagnosed with colon cancer the day I was told I was on the clear for leukemia. Over the years we'd been told it was a long road for him. I watched my dad slowly go through all this from the time I was six years old. And this wasn't going to stop me now. Birthday or not.

Opening the door to the den I saw my dad sitting in his lounge chair, barely asleep. I took my space in the chair that had been put there for me when I was six.

"Hey Daddy " I whispered.

" Hey birthday girl" he breathed to me. "What are you doing up here? You should be having cake downstairs."

I started to feel the tears forming around my eyes. "I can get some later. I want to be here with you."

"You're a good girl Melody."

"Thanks Daddy" I felt a tear drop on my jeans. I looked down for a second and brought my head to see my dad asleep. Even in his state I wasn't going to leave him. I heard the door creak open and turned to see Collin entering the room. "Leave it open, he likes it that way." I said to him as he was about to close the door .