A Wish Upon A Star

Two

Emerald
   My heart jumped with pleasure. Though I was trying my level best to save money and avoiding unnecessary costs, I jumped on a passing bus so that I could quickly reach the cafe. Normally I just walked to Daniel's workplace, but that night I was so much in a hurry. I even thought a hundred times about asking the driver to speed up.
"There's a seat at the back," the bus conductor told me as I gave him my fare.
I shook my head and said, "no, I'm getting down not far from here."
But the truth was, I felt as if I would waste more time if I go take a seat.
Each second that passed seemed liked a year. When the bus stopped at the zebra crossing to let some people cross, I stamped my foot and cursed inside me. I was being impatient, impatience which was a result of panic and fear caused by the thought of Daniel playing with my mind.
   When I reached the place that Daniel was working, I jumped out like a bird that had been caught on a trap but now managed to escape. Daniel's workplace was a cafe that served icecreams, cakes and soft drinks of different types and flavors. I and Daniel had studied together since primary school till high school. His high school results weren't that good, but since he was madly in love with cooking, he had signed up for cooking classes at the best cook in the country, Jamieson Sean, and worked part time at that cafe that Diane adored.
I ran inside the shop, and a biggest surprise awaited me. Dianne was sitting on the high chair, in front of her was the most expensive chocolate recipe I could never afford. Panic stroke me.
"Diane," I screamed, making all the customers and workers turn to look at me. I smiled uneasily. The moment they turned back to their businesses, the smile disappeared. I ran fast to Dianne.
"What on earth did you do?" I asked her sharply. "Why did you run away like that? And why-"
I looked at what she had ordered. I was lost for words. I had no idea where I was going to get the money of paying for all that stuff.
A waitress came towards us. She was holding a tray and smiling at us.
"So she was speaking the truth," she said, "that her big sister will come."
"Yes," I said.
I didn't know what else to say. I didn't know whether I should be happy at finding Diane or mad at her for running away like this.
"What would you like?" she asked.
"No, I'm cool," I said, then quickly added. " I didn't even leave the house with enough money for this. I just-like- ran off."
I made it look as if I had run out of the house unprepared, since it was an emergency and I never thought twice about taking money.
"Oh," she said. "Daniel paid. He said you should get something too. He will pay."
I sighed in relief. I knew my Diane was more reasonable than ordering something which she knew her people couldn't afford.
Just then, I heard a voice behind me say, "she loves vanilla icecream, with a  bit of strawberries. And do we still have that pineapple fruit cupcakes that I baked yesterday? She must taste them."
The waitress nodded then disappeared through the backdoors. I turned around to meet Daniel's eyes on mine. I had always known that this guy had a crush on me, but he never told me. I didn't know why. Maybe he was scared. Or maybe he was protecting another person's feelings, or maybe he was scared of the negative response that I would give him. The last thought was more like it.
"Have a seat," he told me.
I sat next to Diane, who was completely enjoying her meal. Inside me, I was happy that she was safe, and I was way happy that she was safe with Daniel, someone who was fond of her and who Diane liked too. She was happy.
"Amy found her," Daniel said. I turned to look at him. His eyes were on Diane. "She called me saying that she had seen her running and stopped her. I borrowed my boss car and went straight to take her."
"Oh," I said. "I'll thank her, I don't know when."
Amy was in the same group as Mia and Sierra. Again, she wasn't my favourite person.
My order quickly came, along with the cupcakes which when I tasted, knew straight away why Daniel was a born chef.

***

We were slowly walking home.
"...then daddy pushed me," Diane was saying, still telling me about the fight at home.
"He didn't," I said. "I will talk to him. I will have him reported."
I was angry too. Dad was a lawyer and he worked for a firm which fought for the rights of children and women. Surely he had more sense than mistreating a helpless child, especially his own daughter.
"Will he go to jail?" Diane asked. She sounded scared.
"Yes," I replied.
"No, sister Emmy," Diane cried. "If he go to jail, he can't come and see us. He wont take us to the park. He won't buy us biscuits. We won't watch a movie with him."
To be honest, father had never done that since Diane was born, but the optimistic little girl loved to believe that it would happen one day. I wanted that to happen too. I missed that old life. I missed the life that I was scared that Diane would miss out, her childhood with father.
"I love daddy," she said, her voice small and meek. I looked down at her. Her eyes had watered already. I crouched and looked inside her eyes.
"He loves us daddy," I said, wishing that it was true. "But he's just scared of living with us. And-"
"Why is he scared?" Diane wanted to know.
I tried to think up of the best reason. "Because, because, we are very good children, and he's-" I hesitated. "He's scared that we are too good to love him."
"We have to tell him that we love him," Diane said excitedly. "Let's make him a 'I love you card', sister Emmy ."
I smiled at her.
"We will put our photos," Diane continued. "It will be red. Red is the colour of love. And we will send with flowers."
I hugged her tightly, tears flowing down my cheeks. If you only knew, Diane, if you only knew. I thought inside me. I let her go and wiped my tears dry. I stood up and holding her hand, I walked the innocent girl home. Inside, it was quiet. I pushed the door open and pushed in Diane first. As I turned around to close the door, I saw, for the first time in my life, a shooting star, bright and beautiful, flying across the sky. It was like seeing an angel from a far, travelling across a field of navy blues. I ran outside to watch it, like this most interesting movie, a movie only found in fantasies and fairy tales and dreams.
Dreams, I thought. Dreams! Wishes!
"Oh shoot, what shall I wish for?" I quickly said. It was disappearing, and I had a million of things to wish for but had no idea what to choose. I didn't know why when you have only a little time to choose one thing out of a million things, nothing comes.
"No," I said panicking. I knew wishes came true only in fairy tales, but it was worth it. It was worth it knowing that I saw a shooting star and wished upon that star.
"Love," I said at the last minute. "I wish for love and happiness. Yes, love and happiness."
I looked back at the star. It disappeared that very millionth of a second.
I ran back inside the house, excitement filled me.
"Mother, Diane," I called out loud. I had completely forgotten that dad had been here and mum could be having her mood.
"Can't you keep the voice down," mum shouted back at me. I knew that voice. It well meant 'don't annoy me for the next week or so otherwise I kill you'.
"Sister Emmy," Diane came rushing to me. " You called me sister Emmy."
"I saw a shooting star," I told her.
Diane screamed. And mum shouted at us. I covered Diane's mouth. She was excited as I was.
"It was beautiful," I told Diane.
Mum came to look at us now. Her face was puffed from what I knew well was crying. I felt bad for her, and automatically, my excitement fell.
"She saw a shooting star," Diane told mum. "What did you wish for?"
"Love," I replied. My voice was heavy. All my excitement was gone. I looked at mum. "I wished for love and happiness."
And mum smiled through her tears. "That's extraordinary of you, Emerald"
"Mum, I-" I started to say but stopped. I didn't know the perfect thing to say.
"Its okay," mother said. She opened up her arms, offering us a hug. We ran to her, and reached her at the same time. She wrapped her arms around me, and tears exploded. I couldn't control them. The dam of tears had opened and I couldn't close it. I could hear mum crying too.
"I'm sorry," mum whimpered.
"Hush mum," I reassured her. "Its okay. We are together. Me-"
"And me," we heard Diane say.
That made me and mum laugh. She let us go.
"Of course and you too, Diane," mum said.
"And daddy," she added, a big childish smile on her face. That made mum's expression change.
"He's only scared." Diane added. "But we are going to tell him we love him."
I looked at mum. She smiled.
"Yes, and daddy," she said to please her.
It surprised me. And I could have sworn there that the wish I made was coming true.