The Birthday Present

1. Roxanne

With a frustrated sigh, Roxanne adjusted her bra strap for the nth time that night. For some reason, it kept slipping off her left shoulder despite being taut against her skin. She looked at the clock on her phone for what seemed to her the millionth time in that hour and took deep breaths to calm herself.

Relax, Rox. You agreed to this, no backing out now.

She tried to hum the happy birthday song because this was what this was—her private birthday party set up by some of her friends.

A few weeks ago, at their weekly brunch together, Roxanne and her college friends had been sampling the new items in her cafe's menu when her best friend Jam suddenly clapped her hands together, loud enough to still their forks midway to the revamped carrot cake.

"It's your 40th birthday in two weeks!" Jam pointed a seemingly accusing finger at her, drawing gasps from the other ladies at the table. She smiled as her friends joined in a chorus of happy birthdays.

Roxanne took a sip of her jasmine tea before replying with a small smile. "Thank you for remembering."

Jam took a spoonful of tiramisu, moaning and closing her eyes as she did so. Then her eyes flew open and she turned to Roxanne. "When's the party?"

Every year since Roxanne opened the cafe five years ago she'd invited all her different groups of friends to her cafe to celebrate her birthday. She would close the place from mid-afternoon so they can party like the titos and titas they were until about 10pm when the crowd would thin out considerably until just her ten-strong group of college friends would be the only ones left. They'd help her clean up and she'd send them home with leftovers and treats from her kitchen. Then she would shut the place down and climb the stairs to her one-bedroom apartment on the second floor where her bed, books, and plants had been waiting patiently for her return.

This year though, she hadn't felt like doing that. Since her birthday fell on a Monday, the slowest day at the cafe, she'd planned on sneaking out of the city for a quick road trip to Tagaytay. She'd been really looking forward to it.

"I won't be holding a party this year..."

"Oh!" Jam was so surprised at Roxanne's announcement she would have dropped to the floor if she hadn't already been sitting down.

"Any plans?" The question came from Callie, Jam's lifetime partner.

"Um. I was planning to drive to Tagaytay...."

"Solo?" was Jam's question, who seemed to have recovered from her shock. She hadn't told anyone her plans yet not even her best friend because she had just decided the night before

"Yeah." She gestured to the rest of the group whose ears had picked up at the mention of party and had been silently watching the exchange to continue tasting the spread before them. They didn't need telling twice but not before chiming in to say a road trip was a good idea.

"Well..." Jam paused and glanced at Callie, apparently for encouragement because she continued when Callie nodded at her, a smile on her face. "I'd just come up with what I think is the perfect birthday gift for you."

Roxanne raised one eyebrow at her and waited for her to go on.

She picked up her phone from the table, tapped several times, then turned the screen to show Roxanne. "One night with him, should I wrap your present or..."

Roxanne shook her head at the memory. The man in the photo was extremely attractive and, to her chagrin when she first saw him, looked way younger than her. Jam quickly assured her he was about their age, is her cousin, and is very much single.

Roxanne had laughed and said yes, not really knowing if Jam was serious. After all, who does that? Gift a friend a one-night stand? Roxanne shook her head. How wrong she was.

A week later, Jam had called her the same time she received an email. Jam had set the date with the guy and she and her friends had booked her a fancy room in a fancy hotel. They all agreed her single ass needed some banging, and although she more than agreed with them, the unconventional way they tried to resolve the matter still amazed her.

Jam said her cousin (also how weird but well not for Jam and her cousin???) would arrive by 7pm, and soon after, the pre-ordered room service. It was a quarter to the hour and Roxanne wondered for the umpteenth time since the week before what Martin would be like. And more importantly, why he would agree to such a bizarre arrangement. Her bra strap slipped again and she thought about removing it completely under her loose shirt. She decided against it as she heard slow footsteps outside the door.