"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Orla, Happy Birthday to you!" Mum and Michelle sang to me as I came out of my bedroom on the morning of my 18th birthday. I was dressed in my school uniform. It was a Monday so despite it being my birthday, I still had to go to school. They had croissants and fruit on the table, where Rosie, Isla and Ella sat, while Michelle bounced Raffy on her hip.
"Thank you, Mum, and you, Chelle." I said as I walked towards them.
"Happy Birthday Orla." Isla shouted with a close echo from Rosie.
"Thank you, girlies." I said as I went over and kissed each of them on the head, before putting some fruit and a croissant on each of their plates. I went over and hugged Mum and then Michelle before Mum handed me a coffee.
"Right, do you want to do your presents now or later?" Mum asked.
"I'll do them later, but I'll do cards now." I said, sitting down at the island with my coffee as Mum collected my cards together in a pile and put them in front of me. There were lots from Irish relatives sent in the post, including Grandma and Grandad as well as card from Michelle, Robert, Rosie and Raffy, one from Ryan, one from Maria and Liam, one from Rob, in prison, which Mum was a little thrown by. As I opened my cards and drank my coffee, Johnny, Aidan, and Kate arrived. They each handed me a card which I opened too. Johnny's was the last one and then I had to go to school.
Dear my darling granddaughter,
What an 18 years you have had, I have had the pleasure of only one of those as your grandfather and it's been the greatest honour of my life. Here's to happiness, love and success in the future.
And my gift to you, better start putting that work into practice, here's my 22% of your mother's empire.
Love Johnny xxx
I looked up to him, he was holding a document in his hands. I couldn't quite believe what he was saying. He was giving me his share in the factory. He had talked over Christmas about selling it to Mum when he moved to Spain, but he had just given it to me. I leaped off the chair and went to hug him.
"Thank you." I said in his ear.
"It is my honour darling." He said before I pulled away. "All you have to do is sign this and it's all yours."
"Uh, 22% is yours." Mum said, putting her arms around my shoulders and kissing my cheek.
"Thank you." I said to her too. I signed the paper as everyone cheered.
"I'll get that to the solicitors today, by the end of today, you will be the owner of 22% of Underworld." Johnny said, folding the piece of paper and putting it in his pocket.
"Right birthday girl, I think you best get going." Mum said. I nodded and went into my bedroom where I put my blazer and shoes on and grabbed my school bag. Mum handed me my water bottle and a snack which I put into my school bag as I walked to the front door. "You can have the card from me later, ok?" she said as she hugged me.
"Did you forget to buy one?" I asked.
"No, you silly beggar. Go on, get out of here, see you back here after netball." She said and I nodded.
"I love you Mumma." I said.
"I love you too, my 18-year-old." She replied.
When I got back to the flat that afternoon, no one was there. I had been at netball for two hours this afternoon, so got in the shower and changed into a pair of jeans and a nice top. While I was blow drying, Isla came into my room, closely followed by Ella and then Mum. She had clearly just picked them up from the childminders. I helped her put them in the bath and get them into bed as a babysitter got there to look after them for the evening while we were out at the bistro.
"Are you ready Orlie? I want to take you somewhere on the way to dinner." Mum said as she poked her head into my room. I nodded and put on my shoes and coat and grabbed my bag. We said goodbye to the babysitter and the two of us walked towards the bistro, stopping at Underworld on the way.
"What are we doing here?" I asked Mum as I followed her into her office.
"I wanted to show you your new empire." She said laughing, "No I'm kidding, come and sit down." She said and pointed to the chair beside her. I sat down as she rummaged around in her desk drawer. She handed me a battered envelope. This must be her card, I don't know why we had to come here for me to get it though, I thought as I opened it. It wasn't a card. It was a handwritten letter. I looked up at Mum in confusion. "Read it." She said quietly.
Dear my Orla Michelle,
Happy 18th Birthday! If you're reading this when you're supposed to then it means today is the 8th of January 2018 and 18 years ago today, you made a wonderful appearance in mine and Mummy's life. But if you're reading this when you're supposed to, then it also means that I am not with you to celebrate your 18th birthday and for that I am so so sorry.
Mummy and I decided when you were very little that we would each write you a letter to open on your 18th birthday in the case we weren't there to celebrate with you and today I am writing mine to you. At the moment I write this to you, you're four years old. You started Reception at school this year and you are doing so very well apart from the occasional nod we get from your teacher about your cheeky remarks. I think we both know where you get those, but I hope you still have your cheeky streak. You love barbies, although Mummy and I both despise brushing their knotty hair, you've just learnt to ride your bike and you love going to the park or down the canal except when the swans come too close to you. You're funny, like Mummy, but like me, you are clever and you work very hard.
I truly cannot imagine you as an 18-year-old, but I know that no matter what you have done with your life up until now, that I would be eternally proud of the woman that you have become. And your life is really only just starting, you have so much more to do, so much more to see, so much more to achieve Orlie dream. I wonder if we still call you Orlie dream, or whether with time, you've evolved into a different nickname. You always were a dream, you see.
When you were born, your deep brown eyes and your tiny little body, it rocked our world. Neither Mummy or I were prepared for how much you were going to change our lives, in the most positive way possible. We didn't realise how much of a purpose our lives would hold; how much things would change but most importantly how much we would both love you. That love is still there, I may not be there today to celebrate your special day with you. But know that my love for you is there, it's always been there, and it will always be there for you. I don't know if it's been 10 years or 10 months without me, but I hope you've always known in that time that I love you, to the end of the world, all the way to the moon, more than I will love anything else in my life, besides Mummy, and Mummy, she loves you that much too. I hope you look after her. She is special, she will always be the most special lady to me because she gave me you Orla.
Mummy will also give you the details for your savings account, which I have been paying money into since you were born and so has Mummy. It's not to spend on clothes or shoes, like Mummy would, spend it wisely Orlie dream.
So, my Orla, dream big my girl, work hard, love well, be wise but don't wander too far, you'll always be Daddy's little star.
All my love, from,
Daddy
08/10/2004
I looked up at Mum, with tears streaming down my face. Mum knelt down in front of me and used her thumbs to wipe my eyes before hugging me. We stayed like that. I think Mum sobbing into my shoulder almost as much as I was sobbing into hers.
"I never knew he wrote that." I whispered to her as we pulled away and Mum was left kneeling on the floor in front of me.
"You were never supposed to. I completely forgot about it until Grandma reminded me about it a few weeks ago. She's kept it safe all these years. I hope these are happy tears." She said.
"Yeah, I guess, happy that I get this, and I have this message from him, I just wish it was him, and he was really here." I said.
"I know darling, me too." She said, pulling me back into her. We were interrupted by Mum's phone ringing. She pulled away and said to whoever it was that we were on our way. I wiped my face and put the letter back into the envelope and put it into my handbag. We shut the factory up and then walked over to the bistro.
"Happy Birthday" Everyone shouted as I walked in behind Mum. This was only meant to be a small family dinner with Mum, Michelle, Johnny and I, but everyone was there, Michelle, Maria, Johnny and Jenny, Aidan and Kate and even Grandma and Grandad were there, which was a big surprise. I said hello to everyone, and Michelle served me at the bar as I bought my first legal drink. We all sat down to dinner, and I remember looking up at all of these people and thinking it was amazing that they were all here for me. They may not have all been the same people that I started my life with, but they were here now and that was what mattered.
After our main course, Johnny insisted that Mum do a speech. She was reluctant, although she agreed.
"Hang on Carla, would you mind if I said a quick something?" Grandma asked Mum before looking to me and winking. Mum nodded and Grandma stood up, dinging her glass with her fork as she did. "My Orla, or a stór, as she is more commonly known by me. I cannot believe the tiny little baby, my first granddaughter, I held in my arms 18 years ago has become a kind, loving and beautiful young lady. Now Grandad and I have something very special for you as when you were little and you and Mummy and Daddy came over to see us in Ireland, we went walking in the village and we saw something beautiful in a shop window and I said to Daddy and Grandad, 'I am going to buy that for baby Orla, and give it to her on her 18th birthday.' So a stór, Happy 18th Birthday. We love you so much, we are so proud of the lady you've become, and so would Daddy." She said as she handed me a small gift bag. I took out the wrapped box from inside and unwrapped it. Inside was a small gold necklace with an O and a little green stone hanging from it. "It's a golden emerald for our golden beauty." Grandma said in reference to the meaning of my name. "To our Golden beauty, to Orabella." She said, raising her glass. Everyone copied and raised their glasses as Mum put the necklace on me.
"Beautiful," she whispered before kissing my cheek. Grandma nudged Mum as if to say it was her turn so Mum stood up. "My girl, my Orlie, never in my life did I think I'd be able to keep a child alive for 18 years, let alone raise them to be as amazing as you are. You know that being a Mum didn't come naturally to begin with, but there's no one else in the world who would have made it easier than you. I know that life hasn't always dealt you the best cards, and yet despite that, you are wise and funny and brave and clever, and I couldn't be prouder to put my hand up and say that I raised you, with the help of all the people here. I never knew a love like this until I met you, my heart has grown in a way I never knew it could, and that is down to you. Thank you for 18 years Orlie, here's to a lifetime more. To Orla." Mum said, raising her glass too. She sat down beside me and kissed my cheek again. "I love you." She whispered in my ear.
"I love you too." I said just as our deserts were brought out.
Michelle, Mum and I walked back to Victoria Court after dinner that evening together. Grandma and Grandad were staying in a hotel in town until the weekend and everyone else had gone home earlier.
"So, I know what Grandma and Grandad got you, and Johnny and Aidan and Kate and what I got you, but Orlie what did your Mum get you?" Michelle asked as we both looked at Mum.
"That's a good question Chelle, I think she's forgotten." I said.
"I have not. There were a few little things at home and some cash. I've got the main present here actually. Do you want it now?" she asked as we stopped walking just outside the factory. I nodded. Mum unlinked her arm from mine and rummaged around in her bag. She handed me a card, which I opened.
My girl, Orlie Belle
Happy 18th birthday! Thank you for the best 18 years of my life. I love you more than you'll ever know.
All my love from Mumma xxx
"Where's the present?" Michelle asked, almost taking the words out of my mouth, although I perhaps wouldn't have been quite so abrupt. Mum rummaged back in her bag.
"Here you go." She said, putting a silver spinning ring with two diamonds on in my hand.
"Is that?" I asked.
"This, this is my engagement ring from Daddy." She said as she slid it onto my ring finger on my right hand. "We always wanted you to have it one day. I had it cleaned and one of the diamonds replaced but it's the same one." I hugged her as she spoke.
"Thank you, I love it." I said. We pulled away before the three of us continued to walk home to the flat.