A Birthday Long Ago

[Deskfan45]

December 22nd, 14 years ago

On the morning of her seventh birthday, Skylar woke up cold and hungry, the smell of the neighbors' cigarettes on her nose. Yet she had an excited smile on her face, knowing what today was. Hopping out of bed, she wore a black hoodie that was too big for her, a pair of sweatpants, and a pair of socks. She hurried out of her room and through a short hallway into the main room of the duplex, which consisted of the living room and the kitchen. On the wall of the living room, her mother had drawn a Christmas tree in green marker. On the kitchen table, she found a warm pizza box, and next to it was an old Gameboy that had it's batteries showing. She also found a note from her mom. Picking it up, she read it.

Happy birthday, baby. This is your present. Santa will bring you another game for it on Christmas. The pizza is all for you. I love you and I'll see you tonight when I get home from work.

Smiling, Skylar ate a slice of pepperoni pizza, before going over to the worn down couch with her new Gameboy. Switching it on, the words Super Mario Land displayed were displayed on the screen. She started the game, and though it took a while before she had any idea what exactly she was doing, she had fun. After she got bored of being killed by goombas and falling into pits, she turned the Gameboy off and put it next to her on the couch, going over to the TV and putting a Spongebob DVD in the player. Sitting under the warmth of a blanket, she watched the DVD until it was over, and when it was, she put in Lilo and Stitch, and when that was over, she put in a Rocko's Modern Life DVD. That was how she spent her birthday: Home alone, watching cartoons and eating pizza while every now and again turning her Gameboy back on to play a little more Mario. When she was done doing that, she would grab her notebook and crayons to draw pictures of monsters. Really, this was how she spent every day when she wasn't at school, though normally instead of pizza she ate sandwiches and what little food could be found in their fridge. Sometimes, she was sad about this life. She was lonely with her mother always working, leaving her to fend for herself. Sometimes it felt like she'd go days without seeing her mom, because she would fall asleep before she got home and wake up after she'd left for work the next day. Sometimes she was scared, hearing the sounds from the neighbors, the yelling in the other houses, the strange people she sometimes saw walking down the street outside. But this was the world she lived in, and she'd never known anything better.

That night, at around ten o' clock, Maya pulled up in her driveway. Under her purple jacket, she wore a cheap red dress, her 'work uniform'. Letting out a deep sigh, she stepped out of her car, shivering as she walked up her sidewalk. Entering her home, she saw cartoons playing on the TV, and her young daughter passed out on the couch. The woman sighed, seeing that she had been out too late to spend time with her daughter on her birthday. Gently, she scooped Skylar up, kissing her cheek. Waking up, Skylar groaned, wrapping her arms around Maya's neck and hugging her. "Happy birthday, baby... Maya whispered, kissing the tired girl on the cheek. She walked down the hall and into Skylar's bedroom, laying the child down and tucking her in. As she turned to leave, Skylar whined. "Mommy... Come back... I miss you..." She said, reaching out. Looking at her sadly for a moment, Maya let her jacket fall to the floor before getting in bed with Skylar, holding her daughter close. "I love you Mommy..." Skylar said tiredly as she drifted off to sleep. "I love you too, Sky..." Maya whispered back, resting her chin against the top of Skylar's head, a tear rolling down her cheek.