"Wake up, sleepy head!" Mason whispers in my ear. I barely shift in bed, as Mason's hands rest on my shoulders.
It's way too early for me to deal with any form of human interaction. "Happy birthday, baby. I can't believe it. You're 22 years old. Get up. I made you breakfast. It's once in a blue moon that you can sit down and have a good breakfast with your family," he says, and with that, he gets up from the bed.
I roll over, rubbing my eyes, and ask, "What time is it?"
"9:30. I think you stayed up too late with Cody and Cole. That's why you're kind of tired. But you should get up. Sarah and I have a huge day planned for you."
I sit up in bed, while rubbing my eyes. "What kind of things?"
Mason frowns, and crosses his arms. "Now, that would ruin the surprise, baby. I don't know about you, but I hate ruined surprises. You'll see when you get up. Trust me, today's going to be awesome."
I smile, and with that, I throw the cover off and get out of bed. Because when Mason says that today's going to be awesome, then he never lets me down.
***
The kitchen feels warm and homey, which is a pleasant contrast to the gloomy San Jose weather right now. Sometimes, being a winter baby sucks, because it's so cold that if you step outside for three seconds, your face might freeze off.
But, today, it's warm, and I smell a hot breakfast waiting in the kitchen. I walk in, and Sarah is setting hot dhoklas on plates. She looks over at me, and then a huge smile appears on her face. "Happy birthday, baby!" she squeals, as she walks over to me.
Her arms spread in the expectations for a hug, to which I give her. Her arms tightly hug me, and she says, "I can't believe you're 22 already! Oh my goodness, I'm old. In just a few months, you'll be out on your own, working, possibly finding the love of your life and starting a family."
I roll my eyes a little bit, and say, "Oh, Sarah. I've got a long way to go."
She releases me, and says, "But it's still going to come so fast! If we've come from you being a hyper 5 year old to a mature, beautiful, 22 year old, then the future doesn't seem too far!" she says, and I smile.
She turns around, and says, "Mason made some food for you. Gujarati food too, straight from your mom's recipe book. Paired with some chutneys as well. Trust me, I think you're going to like it. Oh, and there's some chai as well. Mason knows how much you love traditional food."
"And I love it too. It's delicious." Mason comes waltzing down the steps, happily, already dressed and looking like he's going to go to a job interview. I smile, and then Mason races into the kitchen, muttering something in Arabic.
He turns to Sarah, and with that, he speaks to her in their mother tongues; Lebanese Arabic. He asks her a question in Arabic, and then she nods and replies back. I try to decipher what they're saying, but it's hard, especially when they talk fast and use a lot of slang.
Sarah nods, and with that, Mason brings over my plate and a cup of hot chai. I take it, along with some of the chutney he made, and bring it over to the table because I'm hungry. I sit down, and start to devour it, because there's nothing more satisfying than eating a hot breakfast that just smells so delicious as well.
Sarah sits down, with her cup of coffee, and says, "Did you shower yesterday night?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Okay, be ready in a few minutes. I'm taking you out."
"Where?"
"Again, I'm not ruining surprises, hun." She continues to sip her coffee, while I think about what we're going to do today. It could be shopping, going to get some food, or having a fun day in general. I don't know, but Sarah is always got a surprise up her sleeve, whether it be good or bad.
YOU ARE READING
The Secrets of Confessions ✔️
Mystère / Thriller16 years ago, tragedy and betrayal befell upon the Patel family, taking a toll on many of those around them. It particularly affected Ashmita, who will never forget that day for as long as she'll live. Now, years later, Ashmita puts her current know...