Chapter 1 – Mr. Jaffy/Jeffry/Giraffey

10 YEARS AGO

"Happy birthday, Patti!" mum, dad and I cheered simultaneously as my little sister, who turned three today, blew out the candles of her pick frosted cake.

"Have you made your wish?" mum asked.

Patti nodded eagerly.

"Well, what did you wish for?"

"I can't tell you!" she squealed. "If I do, my wish won't come twue!"

Mum giggled and ruffled Patti's hair. "All right, if you say so, dearie."

"Patti, it's time to open your presents," dad said, motioning towards the three, neatly wrapped gifts, complete with a glittering silver bow. "Which one would you like to open first?"

"Mine! Mine!" I immediately exclaimed. "Open mine first, Patti!"

Patti tittered and waddled over to the pile of presents. "Okee dokee, sis! Ooh, where is it?"

"The one on the bottom, Patti!" I was growing excited and impatient by the minute. "Hurry up and open it! I'm wetting my pants!"

"Liz!" mum cried.

"I'm just kidding, mum," I said with a laugh. Dad and Patti joined in as well, although I'm sure Patti has no idea what she's laughing about. "I'm just really excited to see Patti unwrap my present! Hurry up already!"

Patti plopped down on the floor and picked my present from the pile. It was simple, with bunny rabbits, and rather flat. Hopefully Patti liked it.

Scratch that. I hope Patti loved it.

"SQUEE!" Patti screeched and held up my gift—a coloring book and a set of crayons—in the air. For a second there, she looked really happy. Then she looked confused and turned to me. "What is it?"

"It's a coloring book," I explained and flipped through it, revealing a multitude of black and white outlines of forest animals, flowers, castles and fairy tale characters. "See?"

"OHWEE! I love it! Thank you, sis!" Patti squeezed me in a tight, little, three-year-old hug. I hugged her right back, enveloping her tiny body with my longer arms.

"I'm glad you liked it," I said, my heart bursting with joy.

"What about daddy's gift, Patti?" dad said in a pretend, sad tone, and pushed up his spectacles. "Aren't you going to open it, too?"

"Yes!" she shouted, returned to the rest of the gifts and pulled out a longer, flimsier package wrapped in gold wrapping paper. "Ooh, shiny!"

Patti tore off the paper to reveal a flowery cotton dress, a perfect fit for a toddler like her. "So pwetty, daddy! Thank you!" She gave him a hug as well; her outstretched arms barely reached the ends of his wide stomach.

Dad let out a hearty, belly laugh and threw Patti into the air, making her squeal and squirm midair. "My pleasure, princess!"

"Hey!" I complained. "I want to fly, too!"

Dad smiled and set Patti down. "All right. Come on now, Liz!"

Grinning from ear to ear, I scrambled on to dad's lap. "Make me fly, daddy! Make me fly!" I said excitedly, waving both hands in the air.

"Sit still then," he said and I instantly obeyed. Dad slipped his hands under my arms and whoosh! The sensation of being airborne made my whole body tingle and I laughed out loud as I came back down.

"Again! Again!" I shrilled. "Again, daddy!"

"But it's my birthday!" Patti shrieked. "I shwuld fly mowe than Lizzy!"

"But—"

"Hey, no need to quarrel over such simple things," mum intervened. "How about this? After Patti unwraps her last gift, we'll cut the cake and then have a piggyback race!"

Mum's decision immediately lifted my spirit. Patti's eyes brightened as well. "PIGGYBACK RIDE! PIGGYBACK RIDE! YAY!"

"Patti! Hurry up and open the last present! Hurry!" I urged and shook her tiny limbs. She nodded vigorously and furiously ripped mum's surprisingly tall gift, sealed in yellow and orange spotted paper.

It was a box. Nothing so special about it on the outside, but no doubt, a surprise was waiting inside. Patti lifted the box and shook it, but there came no sound. Her little fingers trembled with excitement as she opened the top.

A smiling giraffe head popped out and bobbed up and down.

"A GWAFE!" Patti shrieked. "I LOVE GWAFES! I'LL NAME . . . HIM MISTA GWAFEY!"

"I, uh, what?" I said. "Mr. . . . Jaffy?"

"NO, GWAFEY!" Patti insisted. "GWAFEY, LIZ! GWAFEY!"

"I think she meant to say 'Jeffrey', sweetie," dad told me patiently.

"NOOOOO! GWAFEEEEYYY!"

"I think she meant 'Giraffey', dear," mum spoke to my dad.

"YES! YES! I LOVE HIM SO MUCH AWEADY! THANK YOU MUMMY!" She leapt up and wrapped her arms around mum's neck, clinging onto her like a monkey on a banana tree.

Now that I think about it, Patti does resemble a monkey in a way. The mental image made me chortle. Dad looked at me like I just grew out another head on the side of my neck.

Mum embraced Patti for a few minutes before gently peeling her off.

"So," she said, "who's up for cake?"

"I AM! I AM! I AM!" Patti and I screamed the house down. It's a good thing our neighbors are really nice; otherwise, they would already be banging on our front door by now.

Mum evenly cut up two slices of pink cake and placed them on gold party plates. Patti and I scrambled up for the biggest piece.

"Hey, I want that one!" Patti said, pointing at my plate. She thought it was the bigger slice, but in truth there was hardly a difference. But I decided to play along.

"Finders keepers, Patti," I taunted. "Losers weepers."

For a six-year-old mocking a three-year-old, I think I might've taken a step too far with that joke. Patti's lower lip quivered and she burst into tears.

"Oh, look what you've done, Liz!" mum reprimanded and picked Patti up to comfort her.

"I'm sorry, I was just joking around," I said. "Sorry, Patti."

"Meanie," Patti said between sobs. "M-Meanie! Meanie!"

Mum looked at me disapprovingly.

"Gee, I already apologized," I said with an irritated huff. "Here, Patti, you want my cake or what?"

"Meanie!" she said, but before I could respond, Patti snatched it out of my hands.

"Well, okay then."

"Now hurry up, girls," dad said. "If you don't, we won't have enough time for a piggyback race."

My eyes lit up and Patti let out a small gasp.

I completely forgot about the piggyback race!

I gobbled up my cake and practically threw the plate aside when I was done. "I'm ready!"

"Me foo!" Patti said through a mouthful of chocolate and strawberry cake. "Waif foh me! Can I wide with daddy?"

"Sure," dad said and hoisted Patti onto his wide back with ease.

"And bwing Mista Gwafey, too!"

"All right, all right."

"Ready, Liz?" mum asked, squatting down so that I could clamber on her back.

"Ready!" I said enthusiastically and hopped on. Mum was caught off guard and toppled forward to the floor.

"Careful, Liz!"

"Sorry."

"So, are we all ready?" Dad asked.

"YES!" Patti and I screamed spontaneously.

"All right. On my count. On your marks, get set, go!"

And we raced up and down the hallways of our two-story house, not caring about anything else, shrieking and squealing and giggling like mad like there was no tomorrow. I felt as if my heart could burst any minute from all the happiness.

Birthdays are always the best days of the year.