Chapter 53 Birthday girl

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday Joana,

Happy birthday to you.

Joana smiled in her sleep while hearing the birthday song being sang for her, she thought it would be Andrew, Sandra or grandma Jen who had come to sing her a birthday song, but she opened her eyes and saw Dana, Derick, Edmund and Hillary standing at the foot of her bed, each holding a present. It was early in the morning, two days after she and Derick had returned from the enchanted forest. After months of searching, she had all the ingredients complete, the last of which was flowing through her veins. Some part of her felt reluctant to go to the supreme council to offer the sacrifice right away. She decided to go on a three-day break and do nothing but rest. After all, she deserved a big break after all the trouble she had been through the past few months. It had been so hard to keep track of time and dates in her new life in the castle, she never even realized that her birthday would fall on one of those resting days.

For she’s a jolly good fellow,

And so, says all of us!

A tear escaped from her eyes as she saw the coven in smiles singing her birthday songs. By now, she and Andrew ought to have been celebrating their first anniversary of marriage, but here she was instead. Don’t get her wrong, she loved her new friends, even though she had been mean to them at first, they still accepted the fact that she wasn’t going to stay with them and even helped her in her quest to return home, and now it was almost over. She just wished she had an easier time choosing between them and her former life.

Dana handed the present in her hand to Hillary; she went to sit beside Joana on the bed and held her two hands the minute she saw her begin to break down.

“Oh, Joana dear, what’s the matter? It’s your birthday, you’re supposed to be happy.”

“I know, I just……. find it hard to believe that it’s been a year already,” Joana said, wiping her tears.

“If it’s about what happened on your wedding day, we’re sorry, you know, things happen in life that you just can’t control.”

“No, it’s not that, and what happened on my wedding day was not your fault, in fact you all have been wonderful to me in this past one year I’ve been with you. It didn’t even feel as if so much time has passed. I never thought I’d say this, but I am going to miss you all from the bottom of my heart. I love you, and you will always be my family no matter what.”

“Aww, we love you too darling,” Derick, Edmund and Hillary went closer to she and Dana and they all came together in a group hug. Somewhere in her heart, Joana knew that when she left them, she would miss this forever.

After Joana had cheered up, Dana collected her gift back from Hillary and gave it to Joana. Now that they were all seated on the bed, it was time to open the presents they brought.

“We each got you a present Joana; something to remember us by when you return home.”

“Aww that’s so thoughtful of you, you didn’t have to,” Joana said.

“Just open them,” Derick said impatiently.

“Derick!” Dana cautioned him.

She opened the present Dana gave first and saw that it was the picture of Marylin and John on their wedding day, she had shown her this before, but this time she had framed it with an antique picture frame she probably must have gotten when she was in China, as Joana recognized that there were Chinese wordings written at the base of the frame.

“It’s my wedding gift to you, Marylin gave it to me and now I’m giving it back to you,” Dana told her.

Joana smiled while looking at the picture, if Andrew saw this he would wonder where they had gotten it taken, he wouldn’t know that they had been together in a past life.

“Thank you, I love it,” Joana said.

“Let’s open mine next,” Derick handed over the parcel he had to Joana. He seemed a bit annoyed that Joana hadn’t opened his present first.

She unwrapped it and saw a box which contained a beautiful locket. She opened the locket and saw what was written with the tiny words.

I will always be yours forever.

He wanted to get her to start blushing, he almost succeeded but for her persistence. Why did Derick always have to ruin things with his charms?

“Thank you, Derick, it’s um…... pretty nice,” she said, trying to hide her real expression.

She opened Edmund and Hillary’s present next, they both got her a little blanket with the words “WE’LL MISS YOU!!!” written boldly on top. She couldn’t explain how she was feeling right now. It was a mix of different emotions. They only thing she could say was that she would miss all of them too, and she would.

They sat on her bed and continued with their jokes and giggles, hours passing by. Being together with the four of them on her bed and on her birthday reminded Joana of her happy times when her father was still alive. Never had she thought that she would find that same form of happiness anywhere after he died. Never had she thought that the empty space in her heart would be filled with even greater memories. But here she was now, life truly was full of surprises.