Notes

When I was a child, my mother told me I was born on a beautiful summer day and that is why I always smell like a fresh breeze and flowerbeds.

I loved the relieving scent of the soil when the sun would flash its rays on the flowerbeds in our front yard. Especially when it would rain, the scent of the damp soil was the best.

Today was a sunny day, the last day of school, I made plans to hang out with a couple of my friends but then decided that I wanted to spend time with my family instead. Walking home from school, I shoved my backpack in the entrance closet never wanting to see it for the rest of summer break and closed it.

Then there was the refreshing aroma of cake batter in the thick air of the house, mixing with my mother’s baking as she prepared my cake for my birthday dinner, slathered with vanilla icing on the red velvet cake made me think everything was going to be perfect.

But I wasn’t just going to abandon my friends, at least not my best friend, Amira, who was walking into the kitchen following the smell of the cake. Amira was different than other girls, she was—let’s just say she was more on the witchcraft side. But no matter what, to me, she was a sister from another mister.

Following behind, I walked into the kitchen seeing my beautiful mother talking to Amira, “Does she have a bo—” turning when she saw me coming in, “Happy birthday!” her soft, gentle eyes were happy. Taking off her cooking gloves she pulled me in for a hug and pulled away with her hands on my shoulders. “You’re growing up so fast, feels like just yesterday we were potty training you.”

“Mom!”

“Wow Mrs. Taylor, tell more!” Amora dipped her spoon in the icing laughing at me.

“Now now, I won’t embarrass my daughter anymore,” she draped her arm around my shoulder and pulled me under her arm kissing my head. “Now run along both of you and pick out your outfits for tonight.”

“Yes yes,” we ran upstairs entering my room.

I opened my closet and picked out a few dresses,
“First option, my fine china mandarin dress
The second option, my black velvet dress with black stockings and paired with black combat boots.
The third option, my white t-shirt layered with a plaid dress and stockings with clear jelly shoes.”

Amira sauntered back to sit on my bed. Her black bangs lifting out of her way with one blow, she looked up from the seventeen magazine and darting her eyes from one outfit to the other, “I like the 2nd one,” she replied putting her attention back to my magazine.