Lay Low 'Missing' Chapters

Sweet Sixteen

I opened my eyes on my birthday and felt nothing.  I wasn't excited or happy about it.  My last two birthdays had been sad times – being punished for nothing, and then being suspended from school.  I don't know if Tony and Mum even realised that it was my birthday, and a landmark one at that.  Sixteen.  It wasn't a big deal to me really - the one I was most looking forward to was eighteen - when I could get out of this hellhole for good.  

People at school were having parties left, right and centre but there would be no celebration for me at home.  The last time my birthday was really celebrated was when my Dad was still around; it must have been my 8th birthday.  We had a bouncy castle in the garden and friends from school round.  Jelly and ice-cream: really traditional fare.  I remember the Arsenal top Dad and Mum had bought me; I had even slept in it and worn it constantly until it was too small.  I still had it in a drawer upstairs.

As I went downstairs for breakfast, Hannah came out of her room.

"Happy Birthday Jake!" she said, wrapping her arms around me.  At least someone cared.

"Thanks Han," I said.

"Close your eyes and open your hand," she demanded.

I went along with her request and felt her put something light and cotton in my hand.

"You can open now!"

I looked down and saw a red and white threaded friendship bracelet in my hand.

"I made this for you for your present – it is in Arsenal colours!" she exclaimed, her eyes lit up with excitement.

I smiled as I thought of my old Arsenal shirt.

"I'm sorry.  I didn't have enough pocket money to get you a proper present."

I hugged her.

"I love it.  Help me put it on."

She tied it to my wrist with glee.

As expected, neither Mum nor Tony said Happy Birthday to me nor recognised the day in anyway.  Although I had presumed as much, part of me had hoped that they would.

Mum came into my room around lunchtime.

"Get ready to go," she said.

"Go where?"  My heart soared; maybe they were taking me for a birthday lunch?  Maybe they hadn't forgotten?

"To Church! It is the first Saturday of the month, remember?" She looked at me with disapproval.

Tony and Mum had drafted us to help with the upkeep of the church and that meant cleaning it once a month.

"Oh, right," I said, following behind her.

---

The church was a big space and always took a few hours to do.  There was another family there as well, and Tony took charge with the dispersal of chores.  When the others had been given their tasks, Tony turned to me with a smirk on his face.

"You get the special job of cleaning the toilets." 

I didn't utter a sound but took myself off to find the cleaning stuff.  There was no point in arguing.  This was what I would be doing with my birthday.

It took me a while to do all the toilets.  In some ways I didn't mind this work that much, something to focus my mind on.  I washed my hands when I had finished.  I figured I would take a chance to call Lyla.  I slipped out my phone, seeing a missed call from her.

"Hey Lyla."

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE!" I pulled the phone away from my ear as she screamed all three words.