SHE HEARD voices just outside her bedroom. Selen was already awake, but she kept her eyes closed. Nana Cora, Nana Violy, and her childhood friend Reinald discussed how to surprise her once the door opened. So, Selen made a plan too. She covered her body with the blanket.
After a few moments, she heard the door creaked. There was a popping sound, and they started singing the happy birthday song. But Selen did not move an inch and kept her eyes shut. Soon, they stopped singing. She felt someone climb on the bed and shook her body.
“Selen? Selen, wake up!” said Nana Violy.
“You brat!” She heard Nana Cora cuss at her.
“Nana Violy, Nana Cora, we all know that Selen is awake,” Reinald said and giggled.
Then, she felt a tickling sensation on her soles. She pressed her lips together to suppress her laugh, but her friend continued tickling her, and soon, she could not take it any longer. She sat up quickly and burst into laughter.
Selen saw Nana Cora at the end of her bed, patiently holding the cake in her hands. She turned her gaze to Nana Violy, who was smiling at her. And lastly, to her friend, who was wagging his eyebrows while waving a hand like a fool.
“Happy birthday,” they said in unison, loud and lively.
She just crinkled her nose in response.
“Selen…” Reinald said somberly. “Here you go again.”
“You already know that I don’t like celebrating my birthday, yet you still bother yourselves.” She jumped out of bed.
Selen didn’t like her birthdays. That was the same day her parents died. Her dad died in an accident, while her mom took her last breath the moment she came out of the womb. She was an orphan since day one. She grew up under the care of her two beloved grandma witches. Despite the love and care they have given, there always comes a time she yearned for her parents.
“It’s your twenty-first birthday, we just thought— ”
She went inside the bathroom and slammed the door.
Selen leaned her back against the bathroom door. They were still inside her room, talking about her.
“Such an ungrateful witch,” Reinald yelled.
“Ssshhh! Let’s not blame her…” said Nana Violy. “If I were in her shoes, I’d feel the same, though.”
“So, what are we gonna do with this burning candle in this poor cake?” asked Nana Cora.
She felt something bump on her leg. When she looked down, she saw her pet, Lulu. The kitten kept bumping on her. So, she picked her up and bumped her head on it.
“Mew…” it meowed softly.
“Are you greeting me a happy birthday too, Lulu?”
She placed the kitten above her head. It started purring.
“Sorry, Lulu, but I don’t celebrate my birthday. No treats for you today.”
THE BREAKFAST was served when Selen went to the kitchen.
“Reinald will be joining us for breakfast since he is here.” Nana Violy put a fried egg on her plate.
The cake was on the table, but someone scrapped the greetings out of it to make it look like an ordinary cake. Okay, that was kinda brilliant.
Nana Cora folded the newspaper and set it aside, and then turned to her. “You are twenty-one now. You should start finding yourself a husband.”
Selen almost choked on her food.
“E-eh? I’m still too young to get married, Nana!” she whined. “I don’t want to get married yet. What I want is to go to college.”
“You won’t be needing a college degree. Your sole responsibility is to produce kids and continue our family’s legacy.”
Reinald raised his hand. “I volunteer to be her husband.”
Nana Cora picked the newspaper and slammed it to his head. “Shut up, boy! You can’t marry Selen.”
“But why?” Reinald pouted his lips.
“A-ah… because you are friends since childhood. You’re almost like a brother to Selen. She doesn’t like the idea of turning friendship into a romantic relationship.” Nana Violy turned to her. “Right, Selen.”
She heaved a sigh. “Yeah. Sorry, Reinald, but I’d like to keep our relationship this way.”
He palmed his chest and acted like he was in pain. “I never thought getting friend-zoned could be this bad.”
He had always been very vocal about what he felt.
Somehow, Selen felt bad for her friend. Reinald and his family had always been good to her and the grandmas. In fact, they were well aware of what they were and what they do. But they respected them and treated them nicely through the years. That was the reason why she and Reinald became best of friends. And even though his entire family moved to the city when Reinald started to study in college, he still makes time to visit her family on the outskirts of town. He was the good man every woman ever dreamed of.
“Anyway, I know the easiest way to find you a husband.” Nana Violy fished her phone out of her cardigan’s pocket. “I stumbled upon this awesome dating site—”
Reinald grabbed the phone from her grandmother.
“Nana Violy, this dating site is a trap,” Reinald remarked.
“What?” Nana Violy’s eyes widened. “How come?”
Reinald clasped his hands under his chin. “Well… most likely the users create an account under a false name. And not only that, some predators are using these sites to look for prey. It’s pretty dangerous.”
“I think we should better move to the city,” said Nana Cora. “There’s a big chance to find a suitable husband for Selen if we live in the city.”
Selen’s forehead creased.
“Nana, you dare to sell concoctions and do witchcraft in the city?”
“Well… some people nowadays even make vlogs about their abracadabras and post it online,” said Reinald. “I think there’s nothing wrong with—”
“Who says we will do that? We’ll run a business, morons.” Nana Cora smiled. “A flower shop and a restaurant business will do great, right?”
“Oh! That sounds great,” Reinald agreed.
Selen puffed her breath. It looked like she could not stop her Nana Cora from getting her a husband.
“Reinald, you should help us find a good place,” said Nana Violy.
He raised his thumbs with a wide grin plastered on his face.