Chapter Two

Adair had spent the whole morning taping bright blue and white streamers on the walls while his wife was stacking birthday presents up on the table.  Emilia was done her part, but he was having trouble with time. He had been instructed to do the decorating at night while his daughter was asleep, but he had been too tired after his day at work. Instead, Fay, being the antithesis to hyperactive sugar-filled nine-year-olds�"actually, ten�"always slept in until noon. It hadn’t occurred to him that she would be inclined to get up early on her birthday. The excited scream and the tapping of tiny, slippered feet came down the stairs an hour earlier than expected while he was still taping up a blue streamer to the doorway with Emilia holding the other end.

She let go of the streamer once she heard Fay running in dressed in her blue pyjamas and jumping with excitement at the presents and decorations all around her. Her favourite colour was blue, so of course for her special day, the house had to be turned into a sky-coloured wonderland. It did take the whole morning, but nothing was too good for Fay. With open arms, Emilia knelt down and hugged her daughter.

“Happy birthday!” she said, loosening her arms so that the little girl could keep leaping up and down.

Fay grinned, “Thank you, Mom.”

Adair finished fastening down the end of the streamer, putting the roll of tape down on the ground and going over to rub Fay’s head. “Ten years old today. I think we need to go start talking to the retirement home. Your hair’s going to turn grey soon and you’re going to get all wrinkly�"”

Fay shook her head with a loud laugh and interrupted her father by wrapping her arms around him.

The doorbell rung and Emilia stood up to open the door. Adair cleared the doorway of the rolls of cardboard that the rest of the streamers were wrapped around and threw them over onto a chair. When the door opened, Edward and Dillon were standing there, holding a bright red gift bag and a small cake in a dish wrapped in tin foil, both wearing wide smiles. The weather in Hillborough had granted them a sunny, warm day in the crux of winter, so it was only a breeze that floated in from behind them. Edward had put on a red dress shirt and tie for the special occasion, but it was hidden under the jacket that his father made him wear. He was just getting over a cold and the light wind could be dangerous.

“Hey there,” Dillon said, immediately looking down at the little girl waving hello. “Happy birthday, Fay. It’s the big one-oh today.”

“Thank you,” she replied, a little more quietly. She waved to Edward and started to run off towards the table that her presents were on. Three big, wrapped boxes lay on the table for her to stare at until it was time to open them. In the back of Dillon’s mind was distaste. It seemed like too much for a little girl, not that he’d actually say that. Instead, he nudged Edward on the back with the side of his elbow to tell him to go inside. Edward threw his jacket on the couch nearby and started to run to Fay, but Dillon called his name. Quickly and impulsively, Edward ran back to the couch, folded his jacket up, and put it neatly on the armrest. Fay stood by the table, waiting for him as he ran after her with a little less vigor than he did before, but not less happily.

Adair shook his head with a short chortle, stepping past Dillon to close the door behind him. Trying his best to stride out of his way in the small doorway, Dillon slid his shoes off with his heels and tried to maneuver himself around the man while trying not to drop what he was holding. Emilia held her hands out and grabbed the cake for him. The three started heading to the kitchen around the corner as Fay and Edward had started throwing around a foam football.

“Where’s Angelou?” he asked. “She didn’t want to come?”

“No. She and I had a spat yesterday. She’s staying somewhere else right now.”

Adair nodded, the smile on his face fading. “I’m sorry about that. You don’t have to be here if you want. Emilia and I can look after the kids.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m okay.” They had made it to the kitchen and Dillon put the bag with his gift in it on the table. Sticking out from the blue bag was a small, narrow box wrapped in blue wrapping paper with a bow glued onto the top.

“I’ll pay you back however much that cost,” Adair said, nodding in its direction so Dillon knew he was talking about the gift.

He shook his head, gesturing to tell Adair that he could pick it up. “It’s fine. Originally, Edward wanted to get Fay a hundred-dollar necklace we saw, but I wouldn’t let him, so he made his own.”

Emilia laughed, “That’s so sweet of him.”

Right on cue, Edward ran into the kitchen and grabbed the box with his present in it. It occurred to the adults that the kids had heard them and Edward might have been reminded by their conversation. Without a word, he weighed the box in his hands and shook it next to his ear to check if the present was still inside. A nearly silent jingling sound made his eyes light up as he ran back out and into the living room where Fay was waiting with her hands behind her back.

“Here you go,” he said, holding the box out to her with a half-grin. He had come to the realization that there was a chance she wouldn’t like it while running towards her, and his hands had started shaking.

Fay didn’t take notice. She took the box and immediately dropped down onto the ground, sitting with her legs crossed to rip off the bow and sparkling wrapping paper. Edward sat down after her, staring down at her hands. He was trying to avoid looking at her until she gave him a definite reaction.

He had taken some shiny beads that he found at home and strung them along a glittery blue piece of yarn that he bought at a thrift store. Fay loved butterflies�"they were the closest thing to real-life fairies�"so he used a plastic, spray-painted butterfly charm that had been gathering dust in a junk cabinet as the pendant. His father helped him make clasps out of paperclips to attach to the ends. Fay had finished tearing off the wrapping paper and was sliding the necklace out of the box.

“Ed!” she squealed, opening her arms for him. He looked up but didn’t see her face before she leaned in and hugged him, trying to shift her knees to the side to get closer. He decided that she was happy and hugged her back after what was admittedly too long. She brought her hands back to put the necklace around her neck and fumbled around with the paperclip clasp. She had to bring it back in front of her and analyze it before sliding one into the other and fastening it around her neck. “It’s so pretty!” she said, “Thank you.”

“I made it for you,” he smiled, sitting up with pride.

She jumped to her feet and spun around, staring down at the pendant as it swung back and forth. Evidently hearing Fay’s voice, her parents and Edward’s father had come into the room holding the rest of her presents. She darted around to them so quickly that the pendant on her necklace swung back behind her. She adjusted it and bared it for the adults with her hands outstretched. “Look what Ed made for me!”

“That’s beautiful,” her mother said, kneeling down to get a closer look. Edward slid to the side to catch a glimpse of his father from behind them. Although it was cut short by his father’s retreat from the room due to a coughing fit, the boy was met with a proud, wide smile.