Chapter 3 - Birthday

Sarah.

25th June. I celebrate this day as Teddy's birthday. But no one including Uncle Donald knew that it was my birthday too. Today I would turn 21 but for the world I was 23 years old. That's what I had told everyone. Three years back on the same day, I got a new life and identity. Teddy is the best and the only birthday present I ever got. The bundle of joy that I got accidentally changed my life for the good. I smiled at the sleeping boy beside me. He was so beautiful and adorable that anyone would fall in love with him.

"Happy birthday, my Teddy bear. You don't know what you are to me. You are my life and I won't be able to live a second without you. I love you so much."

I placed a kiss on his forehead making him snuggle to me closer. I got up, taking care not to wake him up. It's just five in the morning but I want to decorate his birthday cake before he wakes up. I had already baked the cake. By the time I decorated the car-shaped cake, it was already thirty minutes past six. Uncle Donald was the first to wake up and was happy to see my work, the car cake.

"You are definitely going to get the job at the Raymond mansion. You are a pro at baking."

"Thank you, Uncle Donald, I hope the same. Now, before Teddy comes, let me hide the cake. Where will I keep it?" I asked.

"Keep it in the refrigerator." Uncle Donald suggested.

"But he will definitely go and check the refrigerator to see his cake. He always does that whenever I make something for him."

"Then lock the refrigerator."

"Then what if he asks why I locked it?"

"Tell him that you have a surprise for him and he will get it only during the cake cutting." Uncle Donald said, "But.."

"No buts darling. We don't have to wait for anyone to celebrate his birthday. Let's celebrate it for the whole day. We will cut the cake after breakfast and then we will go out. I am going to decorate the hall and you prepare breakfast. Let's get working." Uncle Donald gave me a pat on the back and went back to his room. I quickly took the cake and placed it in the refrigerator. Then I took out whatever I needed to prepare for breakfast and locked the refrigerator.

By the time I finished preparing breakfast and cleaning the kitchen, Uncle Donald had decorated the living area with balloons, ribbons, and a happy birthday banner. I arranged the plates and dishes on the table before going to my room to wake Teddy up. I had prepared Teddy's favorite pancakes and sweet corn soup for breakfast. Teddy was stirring in his sleep as a sign to wake up.

"Happy birthday, my Teddy bear. Come on my big boy, let's take a quick birthday shower before going to see Grandpa."

"Yay, it's my birthday. Mama is gonna get me lots of ice cream." Teddy started to jump on the bed.

"Yesss, and we are gonna go and see New York City."

I scooped up Teddy and took him to the washroom. After a nice bath, I helped Teddy to dress up. I have selected a white shirt and blue pants and jacket with a matching bow tie. I helped him to wear his shoes before combing his hair back. Unlike me, Teddy has messy brown hair which gives him a cute look. It took time to comb it back and to keep it in place. It became messy after some time and I had to keep on combing it again and again and that irritated Teddy. Today I used a little hair gel so as to keep his hair nice for some time. I always take care to keep his hair short so that I won't have to worry about combing it again and again.

When I opened the door, Teddy was greeted by his grandpa with a party popper which actually made him jump back and hide behind me. He was shocked, which soon became a happy surprise after seeing all the colorful papers flowing around him.

"Wow, Grandpa, this is wonderful."

Teddy began to jump up and down trying to catch the falling paper bits. After all the dancing, we had breakfast and then I took the cake out making Teddy yell in excitement.

"A car cake, yay, I love you, mama."

We sang the birthday song and cut the cake together. It reminded me of the cakes I used to cut at the Salazar mansion. After the celebration, we went out to see the city.

"Where are we going Grandpa?" Teddy asked excitedly.

"We will go and see some places and then have lunch and in the evening I will take you to Orchard Beach. You are going to love it there. Sarah, don't forget to wear the mask." Uncle Donald reminded me.

"Why does Mama need to wear a mask? She never wears a mask." Teddy asked innocently.

"Mama is afraid that she will catch a cold. That's why Grandpa wants Mama to wear a mask. If Teddy doesn't want Mama to wear a mask, I won't." I said.

"No, I don't want Mama to fall ill. Mama, please wear a mask." Teddy said, caressing my cheek with his tiny hands.

Uncle Donald first took us to a children's museum which Teddy was amazed to see. Then we had lunch before going to Orchard Beach.

"Uncle Donald, why are you taking us to Orchard Beach? It's really far from your place. We can go to some other nearby beach." I asked, "No dear, I want everything to be special for the birthday boy. Orchard Beach has a great play area for the kids and Teddy is gonna love it. It's just an hour's drive and I will not take the busy roads." Uncle Donald said concentrating on the road in front.

The whole day passed by quickly and by the time we returned, Teddy was already asleep on my lap. We already had dinner and I have already changed Teddy's clothes after playing at the beach.

It was nearly midnight when we finally reached the apartment.

"Goodnight, Uncle Donald." I said and went to my room carrying Teddy in my arms.

"Goodnight dear."

***

The next morning, I woke up hearing a knock at the door. I looked at the clock and it was half past nine. I got up from the bed so fast that I got my leg hit on the edge of the bed.

"Ouch.. I have never slept this late." I mind-slapped myself before opening the door.

"Good morning, uncle, I am sorry, I just overslept."

"Good morning, dear, you take a rest. I knocked just to tell you that I am leaving. I have to be somewhere urgent. Just be comfortable and call me if anything urgent comes up. Don't worry if I came late or didn't come back. I'll inform you if I'm not coming." Uncle Donald said.

"Is everything alright uncle? Do you want me to come with you?" I asked.

"Don't worry dear, I'm just going for some business. Just take care and decide on what to make for the Raymonds. I think I'll be able to take your signature dishes for their approval. If you need anything for making the dishes, just call me." Uncle Donald said.

"Sure Uncle Donald, take care and drive safely."

After Uncle Donald left, I freshened up and began to clean the house. The house was a mess after the birthday celebration yesterday. I cleaned everywhere except for Uncle Donald's room. I didn't feel it right to enter his room without his permission. Teddy was still asleep and so I decided to do the laundry. I hadn't washed the clothes after we came to New York. I collected all the clothes to be washed and put them in the machine but didn't find any detergent. I searched everywhere and found an empty bottle of washing liquid and understood that I needed to buy washing supplies. I first thought of calling Uncle Donald but then decided against it. I saw a convenience store near the apartment building. I decided to go there once Teddy woke up.

Teddy woke up late and he was in a bad condition. As I thought, he had caught a cold. He always did whenever he ate ice cream. It's mainly because he has a weak immune system. I had consulted many doctors and everyone told me that because Teddy was not breastfed adequately, his immunity was lower than other children of his age.

I carried him to the washroom and made him brush his teeth and then gave him some warm milk. Then I gave him the medicines and put him back to bed.

"Mama, cuddle with me."

I got next to him on the bed and cuddled him, making him fall asleep again. I knew that he wouldn't wake up for some time, so I decided to go and buy the things I needed from the convenience store. I took my bag and the keys to the apartment. I literally ran down the stairs as I was worried about leaving Teddy alone at the apartment. I had already reached the ground floor when I remembered that I had forgotten to take my mask. I wanted to go back and take it but then decided against it. There won't be anyone I purchased everything I needed within five minutes and was leaving the store when it felt as if someone was watching me. I looked around but found nothing suspicious. A luxurious car with tinted glasses had just stopped across the road but I couldn't see anything inside the car. I pushed aside the thoughts and walked back to the apartment. By the time I closed the door of the apartment, I was panting hard. I looked at the clock and it was just five minutes past twelve.

I quickly went and looked at Teddy who was still asleep. Then I went back and put the clothes in for washing and then prepared an apple pie. Teddy always likes to have something sweet when he falls ill. When he woke up I gave him his apple pie and his medicine. By evening, Teddy was feeling much better and so started to play with the new toys his grandpa bought.

I received a call from Uncle Donald telling me that he would be back only by the next day. I had a lot of time, so started preparations to make my special recipes. I didn't want to make anything common. I used to get orders for Belgian chocolate truffle cake and caramel tart with dry fruits on all special occasions. So I decided to make both along with an Arabian sweet dish known as Baklava which I have learned to make by seeing one of the recipe books that Aunt Martha gave me. I have no idea about the original taste of the dish but Teddy loves them. Aunt Martha always told me to include baklava in the dishes I made for the bakery but I never did that as I didn't know if the people would like them or not. That night I went to bed early so that I could wake up early and prepare everything before Uncle Donald came.

***

The next day, I finished all my work before Uncle Donald came. I was having breakfast with Teddy when Uncle Donald came.

"Good morning, Uncle Donald, come have breakfast with us." I invited him.

"Good morning, dear. I'll just go and wash my hands." Uncle Donald said and went to his room.

Both Teddy and I had already finished our breakfast, by the time Uncle Donald came after taking a shower. He sat at the table and had his breakfast in silence.

"Uncle Donald, will you be able to take my dishes to the Raymond mansion today?" I asked.

"Did you already make them?" he asked.

"Yes, I just have to fill the tart with a dry fruit mix." I replied.

"What are the desserts you made?"

"Belgian Chocolate truffle cake, caramel tart, and Baklava," I answered.

"What's Back..lava? I have never heard of any dessert by that name." Uncle Donald asked.

"It's actually an Arabian sweet. Teddy and Aunt Martha say that it's one of my best dishes. Would you like to try?" I asked.

"I would love to but only after the Raymonds give their approval. Go and finish your preparation and pack them. I'll take them before lunch. There are container sets on the upper right corner cabinet."

I went to the kitchen to give the final touches to the dishes. After decorating the dishes I put them in different containers and gave them to Uncle Donald who immediately left. Teddy was getting restless as he didn't like to sit inside the closed apartment. Back in the village, our cottage had a garden and he loved to play there. I was getting worried seeing Teddy's behavior. I will have to return back if he didn't like this city as I promised him. I had to make Teddy like this city as soon as possible and for that, I would have to go out. But Uncle Donald will not allow her to go out alone with Teddy. I decided to talk to him when he came back.

Uncle Donald called in the evening and informed us that he wouldn't be able to join us for dinner. He then asked me not to make anything for dinner as he was going to take us out. It was nearly dinnertime when Uncle Donald returned. He was carrying some shopping bags and Teddy became excited. He gave Teddy two of the bags and said.

"Go and keep it in your room. Don't open it until I say. Come back quickly as we are going out to have dinner." Teddy ran to his room happily.

"Sarah, congratulations you got the job. They loved everything and even offered higher pay. I have told them about you but a different story than I know. You will get staff quarters and also admission for Teddy to their school. You can join on 1st July. That means you have 6 more days to spend with me." Uncle Donald said with a smile.

"That also means that I only have 6 days to convince Teddy to stay here. That means I will have to make him like New York in 6 days. Or else I will have to return back as I promised." I said thoughtfully.

"Don't worry darling, your uncle has the solution for everything."

"Solution to hide this face too?" I asked pointing at my own face.

"Yes and for that we will have to wait until Teddy falls asleep." He said with a smile.

"Uncle Donald, I can wear a mask as I do now." I tried to say.

"That's actually not possible. Every employee of the Raymonds has to do a medical checkup before joining. We won't be able to find an excuse to wear a mask the whole time. Even if we tell them that you are allergic to something, it will be proved wrong in the medical examination." He said.

"Then what are we going to do?"

"I have found the perfect solution to the problem. But now is not the time. Teddy will be out anytime." He said. Teddy came out at the same moment and they left to have dinner.