Birthday
It was past nine at night when Charlene Ross landed at Goldland Airport.
It was her birthday. As soon as she turned on her phone, it lit up with a barrage of birthday wishes. All were from colleagues and friends. But not a single word from Thorne Henderson.
Charlene's smile faded slightly.
When she got to the villa, it was well past ten.
The housekeeper, Latonia, was stunned upon seeing her. "Mrs. Ross, what... what brings you here?"
"Where are Thorne and Minnie?"
"Mr. Henderson hasn't come home yet, and Miss Minnie is up in her room, playing"
Handing her luggage to Latonia, Charlene went upstairs. She found her daughter, cozy in pajamas, totally wrapped up in whatever she was doing at her little table, too absorbed to even see her mom come in. "Minnie?"
Jasmine Henderson looked up with a bright smile, "Mommy!" Then, she quickly turned back to what she was doing.
Charlene wrapped her in a hug, only to be pushed away gently. "Mommy, I'm busy now."
It had been two months since Charlene last saw Jasmine, and no amount of hugs seemed enough. She was eager to catch up with her.
Seeing her so focused, Charlene didn't want to dampen her spirits. "Are you making a seashell necklace, Minnie?"
"Yes!" Jasmine perked up. "It's for Ms. Hawkins' birthday next week. Dad and I picked these shells and polished them ourselves. Aren't they pretty?" Charlene felt a lump in her throat, but Jasmine excitedly continued before she could speak, "Dad also ordered some other gifts for Ms. Hawkins. Tomorrow-"
Charlene felt a sudden pang in her chest and couldn't hold back. "Minnie... do you know what today is?"
"Huh? What?" Jasmine glanced up briefly before making her necklace again, "Mom, please, I mixed up the order of the beads now." Charlene, let go, standing in silence for a long moment. Seeing Jasmine not even bothering to look up, she left the room without a word. Latonia saw her distressed look. "Mrs. Henderson, I called Mr. Henderson earlier. He said he's tied up tonight and asked you to rest." "I understand."
After remembering Jasmine's words, Charlene dialed Thorne's number.
It took a while before he answered, his voice distant. "I'm still busy. Let's talk tomorrow."
"Thorne, who's that so late?" It was Vesta Hawkins' voice in the background.
Charlene's grip on the phone tightened.
"It's nothing."
Before Charlene could get a word in, Thorne had hung up.
It had been months since they last saw each other. Charlene had made the trip to Goldland, but he couldn't manage to come home or even stay on the phone long enough for a proper chat. Their marriage had always been cold, distant, and impatient like that, and she had grown accustomed to it.
Usually, she would have called back, patiently asking where he was and if he could come home. But perhaps too weary, she couldn't muster the energy to do so.
The following morning, she gave Thorne another call after some thought. With the time difference between Goldland and back home, it was still her birthday in Goldland.
She came hoping to see Jasmine and Thorne, wishing they could spend this special day together as a family and have a meal. That was her birthday wish for the year. Thorne didn't pick up.
Much later, he sent a message. [What's up?]
Charlene: [Are you free for lunch? Can you bring Minnie? Just the three of us.]
Thorne: [Alright, let me know where.]
After that, Thorne went silent.
