Lizzie woke up early on the morning of her birthday. It was impossible to
sleep in on such an exciting day, not to mention that she had her driver's
test bright and early this morning. Her mother knocked on the door before
entering the room and saying, "Rise and shine birthday girl, you need to be
ready to go in 45 minutes. And these were just delivered for you." Her
mother set down a beautiful vase of pink roses on her nightstand.
"Wow," Lizzie said and plucked the card from amongst the roses.
"Who's it from?" Jo asked, although she was pretty sure she knew.
Lizzie opened the card and read out loud, "Lizzie, 16 pink roses for the most beautiful girl in the world on her 16th birthday. Enjoy your day! Love Gordo"
"Oh, that's sweet," Jo said.
Lizzie buried her nose in the flowers, deeply inhaled and dreamily answered, "Yeah."
Jo let Lizzie drive to the motor vehicle testing site so she could practice one last time before her test. Lizzie was nervous for her test, but was sure she could pass. Lizzie's name was called right away for her test. Jo waited on the sidewalk outside the testing building. As soon as Lizzie pulled away from the building she pulled out her cell phone to call Gordo and check on their plans.
Lizzie was horrified to see that her tester was the tallest man she had ever seen. With her size she had to move the bench seat as close as it would go to the steering wheel; which meant the tall man, would be sitting with his knees buried in the dash. He politely said good morning to Lizzie then seemed annoyed as he struggled to wedge himself into the front seat. Lizzie wouldn't have been surprised if he'd ended up sitting in the back seat.
The first part of Lizzie's test was uneventful; she stopped at the stop signs and lights as expected. She easily navigated the one-way streets and even parallel parked perfectly. She was in the home stretch; she could see her mother standing next to the building waiting for her. Suddenly a cat, from out of nowhere bolted in front of her car. Lizzie screeched to a halt trying to avoid the cat and her front right tire jumped the curb. That was how her test came to an end; her car tilted at an odd angle, with one tire up on the grass. Lizzie sighed and rested her head on the steering wheel, she was sure this would wreck her chances of passing.
Jo saw the whole incident happen and hurried down to the car. The tester rolled down his window and Jo asked, "Are you both okay?"
Lizzie nodded and looked to the tester, who said, "I'm fine. I am quite impressed with your daughter's quick reflexes. While I have to knock off a few points because she could have caused someone to rear-end her by stopping to quickly; she still passes with a 95."
Lizzie's eyes lit up and she asked, "really?" "Truly," the man said kindly, "Have a happy birthday," he added.
As they drove back home, Jo brought up Lizzie's dinner plans with Gordo. Gordo had filled Jo in on the fact that Lizzie was upset that her parents had so easily blown off their birthday dinner tradition. However, Gordo did not tell Jo that he had blown the surprise.
"So, Lizzie," Jo started awkwardly, "Where is Gordo taking you for dinner?"
"He told me, but I can't remember the name of it," Lizzie said.
"Honey, are you offended that Dad and I agreed to let Gordo take you out to dinner on your birthday instead of us doing our normal birthday dinner?" Jo asked.
"I was at first. But it's fine. I understand why," Lizzie said.
"We just thought that maybe you'd be tired of having dinner with your folks every year. Maybe you'd outgrown the dinner and you'd prefer to spend a day as special as your birthday with your boyfriend," Jo said sincerely.
"That's very nice of you. But, it really made me feel special that you always wanted to have dinner with me. And as busy as our lives can be, it was always a nice opportunity to catch up," Lizzie said thoughtfully.
Feeling guilty Jo offered, "If it makes you feel better the three of us can go out to dinner tomorrow night."
"Maybe," Lizzie said noncommittally.
The rest of the morning and the afternoon were fairly uneventful. Everyone who knew about the party, including Lizzie, was trying to pretend it was just a normal day. Gordo and Miranda came over to swim with Lizzie and lounge around the pool. Lizzie's parents were busy doing work around the house, but that was what they always did on a Saturday. Around 5 Gordo headed home to get ready for his dinner with Lizzie.
Miranda accompanied Lizzie up to her room to help her get ready for her birthday dinner. Lizzie was starting to feel guilty about making Gordo tell her about the party; it would have been so much fun, had it been a surprise and she'd ruined it.
"You're awfully quiet," Miranda said, noticing Lizzie's somber mood when she's come back from her shower, "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," Lizzie said and sighed as she applied her make-up.
"You're supposed to be happy! It's your 16th birthday, you got your license, and it's just a really great day!" Miranda offered.
"Why is it such a great day?" Lizzie asked, "It's just like any other day,"
"Trust me, it's going to be a really great day!" Miranda said with emphasis.
Knowing that Miranda was not great at keeping secrets, Lizzie pushed her a little. Maybe if Miranda spilled the secret too, she wouldn't feel so bad about making Gordo tell her the secret. "Why?"
"No reason really," Miranda said, trying not to give anything away.
"It's already been a long day," Lizzie said, "I think after my dinner I'll just come home and go to bed early." For good effect she threw in a yawn.
"You can't do that," Miranda squeaked, "You'll miss the party!"
Smiling triumphantly Lizzie asked, "What party?"
Frowning Miranda said, "I didn't say party I said, um..."
"Yes," Lizzie said deviously.
"Damn, I can't think of any real words that rhyme with party." Miranda sighed and continued, "You must have a gift for dragging secrets out of people. Tonight we are throwing you a surprise birthday party. Surprise!"
"Really! Wow, that is so sweet!" Lizzie said, pretending that she didn't already know.
Miranda lay down on Lizzie's bed and sighed, "I am a terrible friend. I can't even keep a surprise birthday party a secret. What's wrong with me."
"If it makes you feel better, if I were in your shoes I probably would have told too," Lizzie said.
"No you wouldn't have," Miranda said, "You're just trying to make me feel better."
"You're right, but, I do know someone who can't keep a secret," Lizzie said, "I have to confess that I knew about the party before you spilled the beans."
"Who told you?" Miranda practically shouted, "I can't believe someone would do that!"
"Why not, you did," Lizzie pointed out.
"So, who was it?" Miranda asked more quietly.
"Gordo, but you can't be mad at him. I made him tell me," Lizzie said.
"How did you make him tell you?" Miranda asked.
"Trust me, I can be very persuasive!" Lizzie said slyly.
Miranda thought for a moment and said, "Gross."
"So, you won't get mad at Gordo?" Lizzie asked.
"I guess not," Miranda answered.
"So, help me figure out what to wear," Lizzie said.
Miranda and Lizzie settled on a black satin dress with pink velvet trim and rhinestone accents; she had worn it to her cousin's wedding in the spring. It had spaghetti straps and a semi-low-cut back. Miranda helped Lizzie curl her hair and pin it loosely up on her head with matching rhinestone bobby pins. She wore simple diamond earrings that belonged to her mother. She had wanted to wear her watch, but Miranda said it brought the whole ensemble down in classiness. Lizzie spritzed on some of her favorite perfume; which she knew drove Gordo wild; and put on her black, strappy, high heeled sandals. Just as she finished, the doorbell rang.
Miranda and Lizzie stayed upstairs until Jo called them down. It was like they were preparing to go to the prom, when really it was just dinner. Gordo had chosen to wear his black dress pants, a long sleeve white dress shirt and a striped blue tie. He had tried to tame his curly mop of hair, but it didn't look much different than it normally did. He had Lizzie's gift tucked into this pocket. He had butterflies in his stomach and he wasn't sure why he was so nervous. He was starting to fidget when he finally heard Miranda and Lizzie coming down the upstairs hallway.
His breath caught in his throat when he saw Lizzie start to descend the stairs. He'd seen her look beautiful before, but this was something else. She was radiant, and this time he knew, that it was all for him. There was something very powerful about knowing that she had carefully prepared to look her best, for him! He still couldn't believe it sometimes. Jo of course took pictures of the couple before they left.
Once the couple was out the door, Jo and Miranda switched into party mode. They began quickly setting up things for the party. Miranda let Brad in, he'd been waiting in the back yard until Gordo and Lizzie had gone. They had two hours until their guests started to arrive for the party.
Gordo helped Lizzie into the car; he carefully held open the door for her and then shut it once she was inside. He circled around the car and climbed in. He looked at Lizzie in awe and said, "You look so beautiful!"
Lizzie blushed a little and said, "You don't look too bad yourself!"
The couple leaned in and shared a few careful kisses. Neither wanted to wreck how nice they looked this early in the evening.
Dinner was nice. Gordo had chosen a restaurant called Marco's. It was a semi-formal Italian restaurant. Gordo ordered lasagna and Lizzie ordered cheese ravioli. The two ate their dinner and made small talk. They were feeling very much like grown-ups, but for some reason, each was a little nervous. When their dinner plates were cleared away two men approached the table. One was carrying a slice of luscious chocolate cake with a single blazing candle; the other had a violin and was quietly playing happy birthday. Lizzie smiled at Gordo in surprise and the other patrons of the restaurant broke out into applause when the violinist finished the song.
Gordo and Lizzie shared the cake and Gordo took her gift from his pocket it and set in the table in front of her. "Happy birthday Lizzie!"
Lizzie smiled at Gordo and he urged, "Open it!"
Carefully she untied the ribbon and peeled off the silver paper. She opened the box carefully and gasped at the beautiful bracelet before her. With shaky hands she lifted it out the box. Gordo came around the table and took the bracelet from her and fastened it on her wrist. Lizzie had tears in her eyes as Gordo explained what each charm represented. He had explained the shoe, the L, the oval with the engraved message and only had the heart left. He paused, thinking of how he wanted to say this.
Lizzie looked up at Gordo and asked, "And the heart, what does it stand for?"
Gordo took a deep shuddering breath and said, "Love. It stands for love." He paused for a moment then said, "I love you Lizzie."
Author's note: I am sorry this chapter took me so long to produce. I just wasn't exactly sure where I wanted it to go. I hope everyone likes it. I am hoping to have time to jump right into the chapter about the party. Thanks! Tinkerbell
"Wow," Lizzie said and plucked the card from amongst the roses.
"Who's it from?" Jo asked, although she was pretty sure she knew.
Lizzie opened the card and read out loud, "Lizzie, 16 pink roses for the most beautiful girl in the world on her 16th birthday. Enjoy your day! Love Gordo"
"Oh, that's sweet," Jo said.
Lizzie buried her nose in the flowers, deeply inhaled and dreamily answered, "Yeah."
Jo let Lizzie drive to the motor vehicle testing site so she could practice one last time before her test. Lizzie was nervous for her test, but was sure she could pass. Lizzie's name was called right away for her test. Jo waited on the sidewalk outside the testing building. As soon as Lizzie pulled away from the building she pulled out her cell phone to call Gordo and check on their plans.
Lizzie was horrified to see that her tester was the tallest man she had ever seen. With her size she had to move the bench seat as close as it would go to the steering wheel; which meant the tall man, would be sitting with his knees buried in the dash. He politely said good morning to Lizzie then seemed annoyed as he struggled to wedge himself into the front seat. Lizzie wouldn't have been surprised if he'd ended up sitting in the back seat.
The first part of Lizzie's test was uneventful; she stopped at the stop signs and lights as expected. She easily navigated the one-way streets and even parallel parked perfectly. She was in the home stretch; she could see her mother standing next to the building waiting for her. Suddenly a cat, from out of nowhere bolted in front of her car. Lizzie screeched to a halt trying to avoid the cat and her front right tire jumped the curb. That was how her test came to an end; her car tilted at an odd angle, with one tire up on the grass. Lizzie sighed and rested her head on the steering wheel, she was sure this would wreck her chances of passing.
Jo saw the whole incident happen and hurried down to the car. The tester rolled down his window and Jo asked, "Are you both okay?"
Lizzie nodded and looked to the tester, who said, "I'm fine. I am quite impressed with your daughter's quick reflexes. While I have to knock off a few points because she could have caused someone to rear-end her by stopping to quickly; she still passes with a 95."
Lizzie's eyes lit up and she asked, "really?" "Truly," the man said kindly, "Have a happy birthday," he added.
As they drove back home, Jo brought up Lizzie's dinner plans with Gordo. Gordo had filled Jo in on the fact that Lizzie was upset that her parents had so easily blown off their birthday dinner tradition. However, Gordo did not tell Jo that he had blown the surprise.
"So, Lizzie," Jo started awkwardly, "Where is Gordo taking you for dinner?"
"He told me, but I can't remember the name of it," Lizzie said.
"Honey, are you offended that Dad and I agreed to let Gordo take you out to dinner on your birthday instead of us doing our normal birthday dinner?" Jo asked.
"I was at first. But it's fine. I understand why," Lizzie said.
"We just thought that maybe you'd be tired of having dinner with your folks every year. Maybe you'd outgrown the dinner and you'd prefer to spend a day as special as your birthday with your boyfriend," Jo said sincerely.
"That's very nice of you. But, it really made me feel special that you always wanted to have dinner with me. And as busy as our lives can be, it was always a nice opportunity to catch up," Lizzie said thoughtfully.
Feeling guilty Jo offered, "If it makes you feel better the three of us can go out to dinner tomorrow night."
"Maybe," Lizzie said noncommittally.
The rest of the morning and the afternoon were fairly uneventful. Everyone who knew about the party, including Lizzie, was trying to pretend it was just a normal day. Gordo and Miranda came over to swim with Lizzie and lounge around the pool. Lizzie's parents were busy doing work around the house, but that was what they always did on a Saturday. Around 5 Gordo headed home to get ready for his dinner with Lizzie.
Miranda accompanied Lizzie up to her room to help her get ready for her birthday dinner. Lizzie was starting to feel guilty about making Gordo tell her about the party; it would have been so much fun, had it been a surprise and she'd ruined it.
"You're awfully quiet," Miranda said, noticing Lizzie's somber mood when she's come back from her shower, "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," Lizzie said and sighed as she applied her make-up.
"You're supposed to be happy! It's your 16th birthday, you got your license, and it's just a really great day!" Miranda offered.
"Why is it such a great day?" Lizzie asked, "It's just like any other day,"
"Trust me, it's going to be a really great day!" Miranda said with emphasis.
Knowing that Miranda was not great at keeping secrets, Lizzie pushed her a little. Maybe if Miranda spilled the secret too, she wouldn't feel so bad about making Gordo tell her the secret. "Why?"
"No reason really," Miranda said, trying not to give anything away.
"It's already been a long day," Lizzie said, "I think after my dinner I'll just come home and go to bed early." For good effect she threw in a yawn.
"You can't do that," Miranda squeaked, "You'll miss the party!"
Smiling triumphantly Lizzie asked, "What party?"
Frowning Miranda said, "I didn't say party I said, um..."
"Yes," Lizzie said deviously.
"Damn, I can't think of any real words that rhyme with party." Miranda sighed and continued, "You must have a gift for dragging secrets out of people. Tonight we are throwing you a surprise birthday party. Surprise!"
"Really! Wow, that is so sweet!" Lizzie said, pretending that she didn't already know.
Miranda lay down on Lizzie's bed and sighed, "I am a terrible friend. I can't even keep a surprise birthday party a secret. What's wrong with me."
"If it makes you feel better, if I were in your shoes I probably would have told too," Lizzie said.
"No you wouldn't have," Miranda said, "You're just trying to make me feel better."
"You're right, but, I do know someone who can't keep a secret," Lizzie said, "I have to confess that I knew about the party before you spilled the beans."
"Who told you?" Miranda practically shouted, "I can't believe someone would do that!"
"Why not, you did," Lizzie pointed out.
"So, who was it?" Miranda asked more quietly.
"Gordo, but you can't be mad at him. I made him tell me," Lizzie said.
"How did you make him tell you?" Miranda asked.
"Trust me, I can be very persuasive!" Lizzie said slyly.
Miranda thought for a moment and said, "Gross."
"So, you won't get mad at Gordo?" Lizzie asked.
"I guess not," Miranda answered.
"So, help me figure out what to wear," Lizzie said.
Miranda and Lizzie settled on a black satin dress with pink velvet trim and rhinestone accents; she had worn it to her cousin's wedding in the spring. It had spaghetti straps and a semi-low-cut back. Miranda helped Lizzie curl her hair and pin it loosely up on her head with matching rhinestone bobby pins. She wore simple diamond earrings that belonged to her mother. She had wanted to wear her watch, but Miranda said it brought the whole ensemble down in classiness. Lizzie spritzed on some of her favorite perfume; which she knew drove Gordo wild; and put on her black, strappy, high heeled sandals. Just as she finished, the doorbell rang.
Miranda and Lizzie stayed upstairs until Jo called them down. It was like they were preparing to go to the prom, when really it was just dinner. Gordo had chosen to wear his black dress pants, a long sleeve white dress shirt and a striped blue tie. He had tried to tame his curly mop of hair, but it didn't look much different than it normally did. He had Lizzie's gift tucked into this pocket. He had butterflies in his stomach and he wasn't sure why he was so nervous. He was starting to fidget when he finally heard Miranda and Lizzie coming down the upstairs hallway.
His breath caught in his throat when he saw Lizzie start to descend the stairs. He'd seen her look beautiful before, but this was something else. She was radiant, and this time he knew, that it was all for him. There was something very powerful about knowing that she had carefully prepared to look her best, for him! He still couldn't believe it sometimes. Jo of course took pictures of the couple before they left.
Once the couple was out the door, Jo and Miranda switched into party mode. They began quickly setting up things for the party. Miranda let Brad in, he'd been waiting in the back yard until Gordo and Lizzie had gone. They had two hours until their guests started to arrive for the party.
Gordo helped Lizzie into the car; he carefully held open the door for her and then shut it once she was inside. He circled around the car and climbed in. He looked at Lizzie in awe and said, "You look so beautiful!"
Lizzie blushed a little and said, "You don't look too bad yourself!"
The couple leaned in and shared a few careful kisses. Neither wanted to wreck how nice they looked this early in the evening.
Dinner was nice. Gordo had chosen a restaurant called Marco's. It was a semi-formal Italian restaurant. Gordo ordered lasagna and Lizzie ordered cheese ravioli. The two ate their dinner and made small talk. They were feeling very much like grown-ups, but for some reason, each was a little nervous. When their dinner plates were cleared away two men approached the table. One was carrying a slice of luscious chocolate cake with a single blazing candle; the other had a violin and was quietly playing happy birthday. Lizzie smiled at Gordo in surprise and the other patrons of the restaurant broke out into applause when the violinist finished the song.
Gordo and Lizzie shared the cake and Gordo took her gift from his pocket it and set in the table in front of her. "Happy birthday Lizzie!"
Lizzie smiled at Gordo and he urged, "Open it!"
Carefully she untied the ribbon and peeled off the silver paper. She opened the box carefully and gasped at the beautiful bracelet before her. With shaky hands she lifted it out the box. Gordo came around the table and took the bracelet from her and fastened it on her wrist. Lizzie had tears in her eyes as Gordo explained what each charm represented. He had explained the shoe, the L, the oval with the engraved message and only had the heart left. He paused, thinking of how he wanted to say this.
Lizzie looked up at Gordo and asked, "And the heart, what does it stand for?"
Gordo took a deep shuddering breath and said, "Love. It stands for love." He paused for a moment then said, "I love you Lizzie."
Author's note: I am sorry this chapter took me so long to produce. I just wasn't exactly sure where I wanted it to go. I hope everyone likes it. I am hoping to have time to jump right into the chapter about the party. Thanks! Tinkerbell