The Forgotten Man

My birthday falls on the 25th of December. His birthday falls on the same day. For as long as I could remember, my birthdays were always spent with him. The two of us would hover over the cake and get ready to blow the candles. Then he would dip his finger into the cream and smear it all over my face, pick me up and laugh. “Happy Birthday Nikki!” he’d say as we spun around the room like a mini twister. I’d be screaming in glee and singing “Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!”

Mummy would lean on the table and laugh along with us, and he always somehow managed to spin towards her and sweep her into our birthday dance routine. After awhile, we would all get dizzy and he would pull Mummy close and give her a kiss. “I’m dizzy with joy,” he’d say.

“That’s just about right,” Mummy would laugh, “I’m a woman called Joy, married to a man who is dizzy from his birthday dance with his daughter.”

“Um hmm…” He’d smile, then turn to me and say “Nikki, what would you like for your birthday?”

“A puppy!” I once exclaimed.

“Well then, I must be Santa Claus! Because I have here…” He turned around and placed me in front of a big box. “Your present.” He nudged me towards the box. “Go on, open it Nikki.”

I lifted up the lid of the box and peered inside. In it lay a beautiful border collie puppy, its fur was shiny and soft. “Puppy!” I shouted in glee.

“Your Momma and I spent really long looking for the right one. And we found her. She is zesty and has gusto, just like you Nikki, just like you.”

“Thank you Mummy! Thank you Daddy! I love you! I love you!” I wrapped my arms around their necks.

That was the last Christmas we had spent our birthdays together.

The next week, he was dragged off to fight in a war far away.

For weeks, I would sit by the windowsill and stare out into the snow, waiting for him to return. Mummy would always sit next to me and stroke my hair. “He’d be back sweetie. He’d be back soon.” I would fall into her bosom and fall asleep.

Soon, when school started, I would come home everyday, hoping that when I open that front door, he would be there, reading his newspaper or trying to fix the loose floorboards. For 4 years, I carried that hope. For 4 years, I would sit by the window every Christmas and sing the birthday song till I fell asleep.

Mummy would patiently sit with me, with Blue (our border collie) on her lap.

One day, we heard the doorbell. We rarely got visitors, so the first person on my mind that was standing at that door, was Daddy. I rushed to open the door and paused when I realized I didn’t recognize that face. “Who is it, Nikki?” Mummy came out to see who it was.

“Mrs Taylor?” the man inquired.

“Yes?”

He took out a yellow piece of paper and handed it to her. The moment Mummy saw it, her face paled. “I-Is he dead?” she choked.

“We have not been able to find him for 6 months Ma’am. As of now, I believe we can assume so. I’m sorry for your loss Ma’am.”

He walked back down the driveway.

At that moment, Mummy turned toward me and held my tight. “He’s never coming back sweetie… He’s never…” she cried into my shoulder. I stroked her hair. “No Mummy, he’ll be back. He promised. Unless I see his dead body, he’s gonna come back. I know it.”

I continued to wait, everyday, holding on to that hope that he’d be home, every Christmas, hoping that he’d be walking up that driveway to sing that birthday song with me.

Finally, after 3 more hard years, I gave up. I stopped expecting him to be there. I stopped looking out the window every Christmas. I stopped hoping. He was dying.

I was alone at home. The snow outside had turned into a storm, and Mummy was stuck at Aunt Bresha’s home, unable to make her way home in the horrid weather. I was on the living room floor, with earphones in my head listening to the tunes of The Carpenters. “It’s yesterday once more…~” the song sang out to me. Blue was sleeping right beside me. I barely heard the doorbell until Blue started barking. “Hush Blue! Hush!” I pulled off my phones and heard someone at the door knocking furiously.

I ran to the door and opened a crack to see who was on the other side. A man stood there, his heavy coat hanging on him like a robe. His hair and beard was unkempt, and his eyes were old and tired. “I-I’ve got a present here. For the young lady of the house,” his voice was low and somewhat familiar. I grabbed my jacket from the hanger beside the door and put it on. I stepped outside. “Yes?” I studied him. “What is it?”

He suddenly fell to his knees. “Happy Birthday Nikki…” He was crying.

“Daddy?” I asked, unsure. He started singing the birthday song. “Daddy? Daddy!” I ran into his arms. 

He stroked my hair. “Oh, I missed you so, so much! “

“Daddy,” I started, “Happy Birthday”

His face was wet with tears.

25th December, is the day I celebrate my birthday, it is also the day he celebrates his birthday, and we were the greatest birthday gift of all.





932 Words