The birthday gift

1.
Sunlight filtered through one of the glass windows of the huge, spectacular, sprawling building surrounding the greenery and played with the chubby cheeks of little Rose. Blinking, Rose woke up from her deep slumber to welcome the new, bright day with both hands. The sunny morning filled her mind with an aura of hope and she thought of the gala moments that was awaiting her on her upcoming birthday. Soon Rose would turn fifteen and she felt exuberant.
Footsteps resounded through the staircase and squashed the reverie of Rose. The doorbell clanged. Rose scurried to answer the bell. A plump woman in her mid-fifties was standing at the doorway.
Rose exclaimed, “ It’s great to see you Aunt Matilda after a long time. How have you been? I missed you so much.”
Aunt Matilda replied, “ I am fine honey. I have had a long journey from Birmingham. I am feeling a bit tired now. “ Rose hugged Aunt Matilda.
Aunt Matilda had bought a new HP laptop for Rose and the girl was elated. Her parents had gone to shop for her birthday. It was Sunday and the two were having a rollicking time together.
Around five ‘o’ clock in the evening her parents returned with two huge bags. Mr. Dawson gave Rose a cute, satin pink frock , embroidered with lace as her birthday present. Rose was delighted beyond words. She was going to have an excellent birthday bash , the most marvelous one in her life the next day.
2.
The house looked spectacular with colored balloons and festoons embellishing the walls. A huge, plum cake with fifteen candles along with several cupcakes was neatly placed on the table. Many of her classmates and her relatives came. The evening was a splendid one and Rose cherished the moments as the hours ticked by.
Night descended with the full moon spreading its calm, radiant beams as if smiling and nodding at Rose on her fifteenth birthday. All the guests had departed and Rose was impatient to open her birthday gifts. Eventually, she cut the ribbons and quickly opened her beautiful presents with curiosity fishing in her eyes.
Aunt Matilda was going to spend a month at Rose’s home and this filled a sense of immense pleasure in her mind. Aunt Matilda taught Rose to work with the new laptop she had gifted her. Rose was an avid learner. Rose opened her facebook account for the first time. She scrolled up the search bar and typed the name of Andrew Higgins. Her heart flickered a bit and there he was.
Andrew was her old friend. After completing high school he had gone to college and was out of touch. Her heart squealed with joy when she found him online. With quivering fingers, she typed “ Hi “ in the chat box. After a few seconds a reply “ Hi” came back. Rose typed, “ Can you recognize me?”
“ I am sorry but who are you?”
“ I am Rose Dawson from St. Stephen’s school. How are you?”
A few minutes passed by. Then the answer blinked on the screen.
“ Oh! It’s you Rose. How are you? Long time, no see. “
Rose was more than happy now. She was thrilled that she had found her old, best friend. She had missed him very much and had ardently wished that she would meet him again. Her wishes had come true at last. She did not know how to thank Aunt Matilda. It was the best birthday gift she had ever received in her life. Life was going to be blissful now. She had found a great treasure to cherish.


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