I run up to it, nearly tripping in my slippers, but thankfully remaining upright. Suddenly I’m not cold and I don’t feel tired. I feel like a girl who has a car!
It’s an old black Toyota RAV4, and I know that offhand because it’s one of the few cars I mentioned liking to Dad years ago.
And now it’s here.
And it’s shiny, and perfect, and it’smine.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,” I shriek, and scream, and squeal, and maybe cry a little. I pull them both in for a hug, and they hold me tight,making me warm, making me so, so happy. “This is amazing!”
“Well, we figured that an amazing girl, with amazing grades, who has always been an amazing daughter, deserved an amazing eighteenth-birthday gift,” Mom reasons, her eyes glassy.
“Thank you.”
“Why don’t you get dressed and try it out,” Dad says, handing me the infamous keys.
Precious, precious keys.
“Yeah, you could go get coffee with Kristen or something.”
We head back inside and I sprint to my room. I immediately grab my phone and text Kristen about the car. I practically bounce into the bathroom as her reply comes through with even more emojis than thehappy birthdaytext she sent meplusthe fireworks screen effect.
As I’m brushing my teeth, I tap over to my thread with Hannah. My parents are right to think I’d race out to spend the day with Kristen because that’s what I always do. And I’m going to let them think that’s the plan even though I’m going to spend time with Hannah instead.
HANNAH:HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
CLARITY:Thank youuuuuu
HANNAH:I can’t believe I’m dating an adult
CLARITY:OMG
HANNAH:an older lady
CLARITY:5 seconds away from silencing my phone
HANNAH:
HANNAH:Ready to tackle the Gorge??
I spent the late hours of my birthday eve researching the Gorge Metro Park, our chosen destination for today. It’s a level-three hiking trail with a dam and rock formations. I took screenshots of the park maps in case the reception is bad, which I’m kind of hoping it is. Bad reception usually means you’re deep enough in the woods that you can pretend the real world doesn’t exist.
Back in my room, I text back a picture of my feet, dressed in my laced-up hiking boots.
HANNAH:Pick you up in twenty?
CLARITY:NOPE
HANNAH:????
CLARITY:I can pick YOU up
HANNAH:OMG! You got A CARRRRR
CLARITY:YEEEET I did I did I did I did
CLARITY:See you in twenty!
HANNAH:Can’t wait