From the corner of my sparkling green eyes I saw the sky turn from a clear blue to a deep gray. Darkness hung menacingly over the Hawaiian decorations like a plague. The rush of the powerful wind blew through my shiny brown hair and goosebumps rose up and down my small, flimsy arms. Why today? I thought to my myself. Of all days, why did the relentless winds and weather have to cover my backyard then? All I wanted was for that day to go as perfectly as planned, which would start with my friends driving over to my compact gray house, carrying presents with pretty pink bows on top. Next, I’d show my backyard to all of them, my realistic tiki’s, the gigantic fruit punch bowl, the overwhelming Hawaiian decorations that filled my yard to its brim, and the dense tub of water balloon’s I spent all day trying to make. The sky began to pour down rain within a minute, and the vibrations of thunder sounded through my ears. The party I wanted so desperately began to drown before me.
"Emily!" My Mom yelled from across the yard, "bring the cake inside before it gets wet!" I looked at the white bakery container, and ran over to grab it. I molded my youthful hands under the cake and rushed it inside. I looked down and saw the new sundress I was wearing was completely drenched.
"Mom, everything's getting soaked! If the rain doesn't clear up soon, the decorations are going to be ruined," I explained to her.
"Honey, the rain isn't going away anytime soon. I'm gonna to have everyone bring all the decorations inside." She yelled to my aunts and uncles, and told them to pick up all around the yard. They took down the large banner that once read, HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY EMILY, but after the rain started, the ink smeared down the paper and made it barely legible.
"Can't we just reschedule the party, Mom?" I asked her frustratedly, staring miserably and hoping she'd say yes.
"Emily, the party is supposed to start in ten minutes, we can't call and tell all of them just to go home," stated Mom as she ran frantically around the yard. She teared the paper lanterns from the trees, and picked up the games we'd put out. "Go inside and change into something dry, we'll finish cleaning up."
I sighed dramatically and threw my head back. Everything was ruined, I thought to myself. The perfect birthday party...all gone. I slipped through the doorway of the house and began to wring out the ends of my dress. After making it to my room, I changed into a mint green dress, one that wasn't meant to be worn during my birthday. My lips started trembling and I felt my nose and forehead scrunch up as if I'd tasted a lemon. Tears rolled down my cheeks and around the outline of my nose and I pressed my face into the pillow on my bed and laid down. The doorbell rang, and it's small tune pierced my ears. "They're here," I mumbled to myself.
I got up, slowly cracked open the door and I , and peered into my living room that was down the hallway. Four different girls walked through the doorway, closed their wet umbrellas, and removed their raincoats. They held pretty presents in their hands and carried them into the kitchen. I closed the door and stared anxiously into my mirror. I wiped my tear stained face and calmed down. I can’t just stay here all night, I thought. I need to go. I fixed my hair and slowly walked into the kitchen. I smiled as if I wasn’t unhappy at all, and talked to my friends when they arrived.
“Emily, come in here, we have a special surprise for you!” My high-pitched aunt called in the back room of the house. I walked in, and saw a beautiful sight. The candles of my birthday cake lit the room up. My family and friends surrounded me as I sat down at the table in front of me, the cake inches away.
“Wow! This is truly is amazing,” I announced to everyone. I began to notice the lanterns, streamers, and tiki’s set up all around the room. I saw faces smiling at me, faces who cared about my happiness. In that moment, I realized that I was happy. In fact, I was ecstatic, jubilant, and felt overwhelming bliss all at once.
“I know this isn’t the party you wanted, but I hope it’s okay,” my Mom came over and whispered into my ear.
“Mom, it’s more than just okay--it’s perfect,” I replied back to her. I took a deep breath and blew out the candles.