Another Year Older

     It was the day before the dreaded day, but he was trying to not let it occupy his mind. He had errands to run around Neopia Central and had to stop at a few shops to collect some things for Mother. He also knew that Trysks was working at Cog’s Togs today so he might even stop in there to keep his mind distracted and his day full.

     His first stop was the Book Shop, where Mother had asked for 3 books. It would have helped if she was a little more specific because he had no idea what she was actually wanting.

     “Any 3 will do, you pick for me!” she said to him before he set out for the day. Not helpful at all.

     The shop was empty when he arrived, but there were some Neopians around waiting for it to restock. He found a quiet spot to sit down while he waited. He watched the others and felt himself looking at their colourful customisations, with thoughts creeping in that he was finding hard to keep away.

     “Wow that full Dusk Draik customisation looks great, but those are not cheap. I bet their owner paid for all of that. They wouldn’t appreciate it, or know what it’s like to have to work for these things. They look ungrateful. We never had it that easy in my day”.

     He could feel his thoughts turning into a ramble, so he tried to push them right out of his mind. He knew that he sounded just like Mother when she talked about how things were before she had all of us! None of that now. The Book Stop restocked just in time. He didn’t even look at what books he was grabbing, and since Mother couldn’t be specific he was not going to spend time looking for things he thought she might like. He had things to do and places to be.

     “I will take A Fir Story, a Quiggle Poetry and a Poetry For Peophins please. I will not be haggling, just paying full price, thanks” he said in haste. Once the sale was over he hurried outside so he didn’t have to be surrounded by these young Neopets with their Ombre Wigs.

     He then made his way to the Pharmacy to get some Itchy Scratchy cream for Acraim, the Bank to collect daily interest, and a quick stop by the Auction House to see if there were any good deals on the soon to end auctions. There wasn’t much there to hold his interest, he found that he very quickly became bored with the idea and no longer had any motivation to keep a keen eye like he used to.

     It was only lunch time, so he started the trek to Moltara so he could go and visit his brother Trysks who was working at Cogs Togs. It took some time to get to Altador, but luckily the tunnel from Altador to Moltara was empty so he got through within no time at all. The last few times he had come through this way the tunnel was filled with Neopian’s waiting to use the Magma Pool, but he clearly got lucky this time. As he has gotten older he has found that he has much less patience for certain things, and waiting in line definitely would have not eased his already occupied mind.

     There he goes again, reminding himself of his birthday.

     He spotted Trysks just outside the doors to Cogs Togs, looking like he was just about to go back to work after his lunch break.

     “Did you actually get to have a break today, brother?” joked Virtuze.

     Trysks spun around with a startled look on his face.

     “Oh hello, birthday boy!” he chimed gleefully.

     “Ugh please don’t remind me. I am not very eager to be reminded that I am turning yet another year older” replied Virtuze.

     “Oh don’t be so glum. You will forget all about that and just have a good time tomorrow, the whole family is coming to visit! Just try and enjoy yourself”.

     “What do you mean the family is coming? What’s going on?” asked Virtuze in a panic.

     “Oh no .. Mother hasn’t told you? I think I may have just ruined the surprise. You should leave, I have already said too much” said Trysks through a grimace.

     On his way home, all Virtuze could think about was how much he didn’t want to see the family, and how much he didn’t want them all to celebrate a day he did not want to come about to begin with. Looks like there was no stopping it, and he knows that Mother only had good intentions. It is not her fault, and he made a promise to himself that he was going to try and enjoy the day as best he could after the effort that Mother had put in to make it happen.

     He arrived home and the day was late. The orange breath of the sunset lit up the street with a warm embrace. He took a deep breath, walked inside and went straight to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

     The following day

     Virtuze opened his eyes to noise in the kitchen. The sound of fussing around and whispering voices could be heard down the hallway.

     “Gosh she really started early this year. Best get on with it then” he mumbled to himself.

     “Sshh be quiet I can hear him coming. Everybody in your places, now!” hissed Mother. She was trying to be quiet but I knew she was excited by the sound of her shrill hushes to the others.

     Virtuze strolled out into the kitchen, not a family member to be seen. Mother stood behind the counter beaming, a huge grin plastered across her face.

     “Good morning dear, Happy Birthday”, she said softly. Coming over to meet Virtuze for a sweet embrace, she whispered in his ear “now please don’t be upset with me, I have invited just a few people to celebrate this special day with you”.

     She turned around and faced the room, turning her back to Virtuze.

     “Everybody, now!” she bellowed out to all of the hidden guests.

     The room was suddenly full of friends and family who he had not seen for years, springing up from their hiding spots whilst waiting for their signal.

     “Happy Birthday Virtuze!” they all sang out together.

     Virtuze smiled, as bright as he could. The smile was excruciatingly forced and he could feel the strain on his emotions. Mother must have noticed, because she immediately grabbed his paw and took him off to the side.

     “Everybody help yourself to the food and drinks, I am just giving Virtuze his gifts and we will be right with you!” she yelled out to everyone as she took him over to a quiet corner.

     “Now look,” she said sternly, “I know how hard it is growing up and getting older, and harder more so having this reminder in front of you during a celebration. We often look back on the years behind us and wonder what we have achieved, always wishing we had done more. The years in front of us are scary, because our time here just seems to grow lesser with every passing moment”. Her eyes glistened as she spoke.

     “Yes, your body will hurt and your passions will change. You must remember that you have achieved a great deal leading up to this point, you have experienced things which have brought you both success and failures, with lessons that make you the Wocky you are today. You have experienced both happiness and disasters, each holding valuable memories in your heart. Don’t forget those, even the bad ones. Look forward to the life you have in front of you, because it is not over yet. If you keep dwelling on the worry of aging, you will miss the very moments in your life that count. Don’t let them pass you by, and cherish each new experience as it comes”.

     Tears ran down Mother’s cheeks as she finished speaking. He knew that she also felt the same, but has learnt to overcome this and just enjoy life while she was still in it.

     “Thank you for that, I really needed to hear it. I was being so silly” Virtuze said with his head hanging low.

     Mother grabbed his cheeks, told him she loved him very much and fiercely wiped her own tears away.

     “Now, I worked hard on this party and you are going to enjoy it!” she said with a laugh. “Let’s go mingle with this family of ours who I also don’t like talking to, so let’s put on our best fake smiles together, and Happy Birthday”.

     The End.