I sit at my kitchen table drinking a cup of tea. As I look out the window and watch the warm summer day unfold I can see couples walking hand in hand and children chasing one another around the street in a game of tag. They all look so happy. I wonder if I will ever be that happy again? I stretch in my seat and realize I feel unusually stiff. How long have I been sitting here? I look down at my wrist to check the time and notice my hands look strange. I lean in to get a closer look but I can't see. My house is so dark inside. Outside the window was so bright and full of light , how is my house so dark? I rise and go to a mirror to see my reflection .I do not recognize the person staring back at me. Grey wirey hair and deep-set wrinkles. Is as if I've aged fifty years . Tap, tap ,tap. I'm old and alone. Tap ,tap, tap. What is that sound?
My eyes dart open. I was dreaming again. I sit up in my bed to see if the tapping sound I'm hearing was part of the dream. I listen closer and hear the taps have turned into something else, Thud,thud, thud . Bang, bang, bang.What the hell? I think to myself.I go down stairs to see that there are two figures standing at my front door pounding as loudly as possible. What time is it? It seems as though the sun if barely beginning to rise. Bang, bang,bang. "I'm coming! God." I yell before putting on a robe. I can barely keep my eyes open as I approach the door but this is soon remedied when I'm greeted by a booming "Happy Birthday!" coming from two of my closest friends , Johanna & Gale.
"I can't believe you guys." I'm totally surprised. I wish I could say I forgot it was my birthday but this year I was painfully aware that I would be turning 20… alone. I have dreaded the day for some time now. I'm sure Johanna and Gale thought of this too and decided to come and keep me company. I'm touched.
I make us coffee, which I have come to enjoy with my late nights of studying and we catch up. Gale tells me he popped the question and Lilly said yes. It's weird to see him so giddy over a girl, but I'm so happy for him.
"She's coming here tomorrow. I wanted to show Lilly around town. She wants to see where I grew up." Johanna is making gagging noises behind his back that makes me chuckle. "Screw you two!" he says.
"No, Gale I'm happy for you seriously." I say suppressing laughter. It feels good to laugh.
"Get off you ass and get dressed." Johanna says. It's five in the morning what could they possibly want to do.
"Thought we'd go hunt. We haven't hunted together in a while. It'll be like old times." Gale says. A part of me wants to crawl back into my bed but hunting with Gale does sound like fun .
"Okay let me throw on some clothes." I say sleepily.
The three of us spend the majority of the day hunting in the woods .It is like old times and Johanna fits right in. I give her an axe I had for chopping wood to hunt with. The aim she has with it is scary. The highlight of the day is when we come across a young buck. I am moments away from releasing my arrow when Gale sneezes so loudly that the Buck and any other life form in a ten-mile radius ran for the hills. We break down laughing hysterically at the timing of it all. After that we eat lunch, pack up, and head home. It has been my idea of the perfect birthday. I'm glad they came.
"I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to take a nap."I say yawning as we enter my front door.
"Oh no you don't we 're going out, it's you're birthday we have to seize the day."This is the last thing I want to do but I know better than to argue with Johanna. I look over at Gale for support and he only shrugs his shoulders.
"Sorry Catnip we each planned something for you and Johanna's plan includes you getting shit faced."
"Yup so get your ass in gear that liquor at The Hob isn't going to drink itself." Johanna says clapping at me impatiently.
"The Hob? Can't I just get shit faced here?" I plead. Johanna ignores me and yells
"Shower!"
"UGGH! Fine but I'm not wearing high heels."
"Deal!" Johanna says with a smirk.
I take my time showering and grooming myself. I'm in no rush to go back to The Hob, but since my friends went to all this trouble to make my birthday special the least I can do is show up. Once I'm done drying off I can see that Johanna laid an outfit on my bed for me . A sun dress and strappy sandals.
"What is this ?" I yell down stairs.
"Happy Birthday brainless .Put it on and let's go." Johanna yells back.
I guess I can't show up to a bar in my dad's hunting jacket and muddy boots. The dress is way shorter than I usually wear but at least it's comfortable .The grey fabric matches my eyes and it sits comfortably on my body. I feel like I'm showing way too much skin but I try to remind myself that we are going to a bar and I'm dressed modestly compared to the other girls I saw there last time we went. I dread putting on the shoes. They are way too strappy and girlie looking to be comfortable. I slide them on my feet and to my surprise they don't hurt .I'm actually happy with an outfit Johanna picked out for me .It's a birthday miracle.
As I come down stairs I can tell Johanna is impressed with her handy work. I convince her that we should eat something before we head out for a night of drinking and she complies. Gale goes to town and picks up food from Sae's for us and we each help ourselves to some stew and Biscuits. I know that the stew usually comes with a roll Sae orders from Peeta's bakery .I wonder if Gale purposely didn't get the rolls because he thought it would upset me. They've each completely avoided bringing up Peeta or anything to do with him all day. Once we're done eating it's about 6 o'clock and Johanna is standing by the door ready to go.
"Isn't it too early to go to a bar? It's not even dark out." I say trying to delay the inevitable.
"It will be dark inside the bar, let's go." I roll my eyes and reluctantly follow Johanna out the door. As we step off the front porch I'm surprised to see there's a car waiting for us. I raise my eyebrows showing I'm impressed.
"We weren't going to make you walk there on you birthday. I'm determined to make this a day you will never forget." Johanna says with a mischievous look on her face.
I walk into the Hob with Johanna & Gale and we go directly to the bar. The music is blasting and causes the walls to vibrate. I sit on a bar stool and take in my surroundings. Already I feel out-of-place. Gale sees my disapproval and comes and sits next to me.
"I think it's against some sort of rule to look so miserable our birthday." He jokes.
"I'm not miserable; I'm having the time of my life." I reply in a dead pan tone. The bartender isn't serving us quick enough so Johanna leaves to go get us drinks.
"So when do I get to meet this mystery girl?"I ask Gale.
"After she comes in tomorrow I'll bring her over. You're going to love her Catnip and if you don't you better pretend you do." he laughs.
"I'm sure she's great .I promise I'll smile at her and everything."
Johanna arrives with our drinks and I continue holding up the bar counting down the minutes until we can leave. I scan the dance floor people watching and attempting to look interested for Johanna's sake. I can't believe how crowded it is for being so early. I thought coming at this time would at least help me avoid a crowd. I wonder how long we have to stay before I can sneak out. Johanna can see my lack of interest in our outing. She chugs her beer and slams it on the bar.
"That's it .You're having fun whether you like it or not." Johanna says grabbing my arm and takes me to the dance floor. I drag my feet and protest as much as I can but she's persistent. Finally I give in and start to dance with her .I try to lose myself in the music and let loose a little. She spins and even dips me at one point. Before I know it I'm laughing and having fun. At one point Johanna spins me a little too hard and I slam into a person behind me.
"Oops I'm sorr…" suddenly my voice gives out and I can't speak.
"Oh Shit. " Johanna says to herself. She takes a in a deep sigh and says "How ya doin' Peeta?"
Peeta's back!What will happen next, hmmmmm?
I originally intended on having this story to be about Peeta and Katniss' journey to marriage and children however I've decided to write a second story that will begin where this story leaves off. Make sure to follow me if you want to read it when it's ready. This means there are only about 3 more chapters to go for Journey To Happiness :(.Hopefully you'll be pleased with the final outcome ( however I realize I can't please you all ).Thank you for reading and I really love all the reviews , follows & favorites . They have inspired me to keep up on my posts and warm my heart. Thank you! xoxo