Five Minutes

Cat's in the Cradle

The ceiling was adorned with many colourful twinkly lights and flowers, brightening the atmosphere. Veronica lay positioned over her lavishly decorated cake as everyone sung her happy birthday in unison.

There came an uncharacteristic sense of being overwhelmed with the colossal group in a confined space. She felt suffocated at times, though reserved those frustrations. Maybe, or hopefully, with time that general tension would dissipate. She couldn't allow it to take total control over her life. Even if Daniel didn't know, it were as if she was giving him the satisfaction of having immense power over her.

Once the song reached its end, she smiled, took a strong breath and blew out the candles. It followed with loud sounds of clapping and cheering.

"Cut the cake now!" Declan said. He was standing closer towards the back of the crowd that had gathered around her, and ultimately had to yell the words.

"No way!" she exclaimed. "Presents first! Cake later!"

"Open mine first," Sallie demanded in a reading tone.

Veronica searched through the collection of presents on that had accumulated throughout night on the table with every guest that arrived. When she found herself having some trouble locating Sallie's, Sallie herself lowered herself down and pulled out the present she'd bought, handing it to Veronica.

"Here! Open it now!" Sallie said.

Veronica chuckled at her friend's eagerness. "Okay, okay." She turned the package over on its side, removing the wrapping very meticulously as everyone watched in anticipation.

"Oh my god, Nicky, it's fucking wrapping paper!" Sallie said, her voice raised, showcasing her impatience.

"But it's such nice wrapping paper." Veronica was slowly making progress, as it wrapping cake off without being ripped. She glanced up at Sallie and grinned. "Is this pissing you off?" she asked jokingly.

"I'm gonna grab it from you and smack with it," Sallie fired back. Veronica knew she was reading even though the comment was spoken with deadpan seriousness.

Veronica looked back down at the gift and tore through the wrapping paper. It took a mere few seconds.

Sallie had given her a self-made coupon book. Narrowing her eyes in concentration, she flipped through the pages to read what was on each page.

"Couldn't afford to cash out this year?" Mel asked. 

"No, I love it," Veronica assured her. And she meant it. Sallie had used ostentatious colours and plenty of curlicues and floral designs. Each of the coupons were laminated. It was the type of gift Veronica expected and appreciated from someone like Sallie. "I think I want to use this one. Make me dance and sing like an idiot to any song at your birthday, 'caste I know how much you hate dancing."

"Oh God, you're going to make me sing to a Britney song, aren't you?" Sallie asked.

"Hey, you made the coupon, not me. You pushed yourself right into that one."

She placed the coupon book on the other side of the table and took hold of another gift. "So... who's this from?" She read the names. "Alana and Declan. You guys need to stop using being together as an excuse not to buy two presents."

"But Sallie making DIY gift is okay?" Alana asked.

"Hey!" Sallie cried out. "That's good quality stuff. Laminating isn't cheap!"

As they harmlessly bantering, Veronica ripped the wrapping off. It was a hardcover book. "How to Get Pregnant?" She stared up questioningly, then glanced at Ralston, who was smiling in amusement.

"You know we're trying right now. Our baby need a buddy to play with, you know," Alana said.

"And get rid of this body?" Veronica asked, grinning. "I don't think so. I've got plenty of time."

"We haven't talked about it yet," Ralston put in. "We're not ready."

"Seriously? But we need people to go on play dates with!" Alana whined. "Won't that be cute?"

"Sure. I guess," Veronica replied, unable to even fake a morsel of enthusiasm. She placed the book on top of the table and went onto the next gift, gradually getting through the pack of presents given to her.

Once they've past that stage of her party, she carefully cut through the cake, preparing slices on top of each plate. Ralston passed them around to all the guests. Veronica made certain to keep the portions small so it was evenly spread out amongst everyone.

The size of the cake was appropriate for the number of people who'd attended. After she was done, she took a seat in an empty chair beside Mel.

"Enjoying your party?" Mel asked.

"Of course," Veronica responded, pushing her fork into her piece. "I almost didn't want to do it but I think I sort of needed it."

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah. Definitely better than I had a few days ago." Mel took a bite of the cake, swallowing before she continued. "I mean to tell you this earlier but I was called back for a role in that new Frank Cornell film."

Veronica nearly dropped her fork at the name. "Seriously?" she asked. "Why?"

"I thought you'd be happy for me. This is a huge role. And it's Frank Cornell."

"He's a pedophile."

"You don't know that," Mel said.

Veronica gawked at Mel in disbelief. Frank Cornell's reputation was apparently hearsay within the industry. He married an eighteen year old child actress named Winnifred Tanner, whom many suspected he'd been dating well before she was legal age. There'd been countless photos of them together when she was sixteen and seventeen. At the time, Cornell was married with three daughters. His oldest daughter was actually two years older than Winnifred.

These were rumours that circulated well about seventeen years old. Veronica was still a kid turn and not even an actress yet. She found out lore about it in middle school and had been revolted by him since.

This was why it baffled her that Mel would pounce at the chance to work with him. She was a fairly well established actress. She didn't need a boost associating herself with a pervert.

"I get work beside all these other great people," Mel argued. "I thought it was be good chance for networking."

"And you can't network with someone who isn't a pedophile?" Veronica asked, disgust seething through her voice.

"What's the big deal? All that stuff with Winnifred happen a long time ago. Besides, I try to separate the art from the artist."

Veronica her lips. "Excuse me for a second," she said, giving Mel a forced smile. She stood up, placed her cake on her seat and walked through the group until she was outside on the terrace, strolling through the pathway into the guesthouse. She fished out the key and unlocked the door.

The interior was mainly surrounded by floor to ceiling windows, allowing the luminosity of the moon to shine through and marginally brighten the house despite that she kept all the lights off. She took a seat on that couch, wondering how long it would take for someone to notice.