The Birthday

This is for my Stepmum, Jennie.

Her pale hands pulled at each corner of the brightly wrapped gift with careful dexterity. The concentration was written across her face as she unwrapped the present, deliberately trying to savor every second of it’s opening. She pulled the clay ornamental cat out of it’s yellow box, and stroked it gently. A smile spread across her face as she ran her fingers softly along the contours of the sculpted animal. Her eyes filling with tears as she looked at it; so delicate in her hands, it’s black and white colours in perfect contrast to one another.
This was the moment that I’d been waiting for. I knew that she’d love it. Did she love it? I hoped so.
As I sat there and watched her, I felt happy, as if this had all been worth waiting for. It had.