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It was the day of my Sweet Sixteenth birthday. We had been out of school since the beginning of June, so I slept lazily, late that morning. It was a beautiful summer day. My mom came in to see me earlier that morning, and she had wished me a happy birthday. I remember asking her to open my window to let some fresh air in. I woke up hours later, feeling a cool breeze gently sweep over my face. Stretching and yawning I managed to drag myself out of bed. Stumbling into the kitchen for a little something to munch on, and grabbing a bowl of fresh, juicy, red strawberries, I headed back to my room. It was my birthday, so I felt I had a right to lounge around.
There I was lying on the bed, when all at once it hit me. I sprang up as if I had been lying on a bed of nails. I did have somewhere to go today. I was going over to Matt's, my boyfriend of four months. His parents were throwing a birthday party in honor of my Sweet Sixteenth. Of course I had absolutely nothing to wear. It was obvious my so called "lounge around" day was going to be spent shopping at the Macon Mall.
Looking at the clock, it was already eleven forty-five a.m. It takes an hour just to get to the mall from Cordele. I made a mad dash to the bathroom to get ready. Now twelve forty-five, and getting ready to leave, I was scrounging around through my sock drawer, looking for the only money I had. I earned it babysitting my two younger brothers for my mom all summer. I only had sixty-two dollars and fifty-nine cents. "Surely I can buy something with that," I thought. Ten minutes later I was out the door headed for Macon.
I made to the mall right at one o'clock. Having made only the necessary stops at my favorite boutiques, and still unable to find something, I was quickly running out of time and patience. I decided on a coral pink sun dress. On my way out, I stopped by Dillards and picked up some strappy brown sandals. Not three minutes later, I was in my little red Cavalier headed home.
Making it home right at five o'clock, dropping my packages on the floor, I headed straight for the bathroom to begin getting ready. I really had to put a move on it because Matt was picking me up at seven-thirty sharp. Seven-twenty rolled around and I was still trying to finish my makeup and zip up the back of my dress. I heard the doorbell ring. Snatching up my bag I raced down the stairs, almost tripping over my own feet. After saying a hasty good night to my parents, we were out the door.
It was a warm summer night, so we rode with the top down in Matt's shiny silver BMW. Twenty minutes later we were pulling into his driveway. You could tell the party was already in full swing, because cars lined the street. I knew we were going to have a blast. I felt grown; I did not even have a curfew. Matt he led me up a set of tiny spiral stairs located on the far side of the house. Having been up those stairs many times, I knew exactly where they lead. The stairs took you to the second story to over look the lush garden of colorful roses, tulips, and sunflowers. Out to the right you could see the party where Matt's dad was at the grill tending to the steaks, out to the left you could see his mom chatting with her bridge friends, and the sound of laughter filled the night air. There was champagne for the adults and plenty of soft drinks for the kids. However, I saw a few kids slip a sip of champagne from this one and that one.
Matt grabbed my hand, dragging me out of my state of excitement, and pulling me close he asked me to close my eyes. "I have a little surprise for you," he said. I was standing very still, eyes closed, feeling the warm summer night air close in around me. I felt it, velvet, very soft and smooth to the touch. "Open your eyes," he said. In the palm of my hand lay a slender white jewelry case. The case even looked expensive, and I was ecstatic to see what was inside. With unsteady fingers I began to open the tiny case, as if it were a fragile piece of glass, and might break at any moment. Slowly it opened, and my breath seemed to have gotten lodged in my lungs. It was the most breath-taking thing I had ever laid eyes on. Lying in the box was a delicate gold chain. Hanging from the chain, was a tiny nugget heart. Both were sparkling as brightly as a shooting star across the midnight sky.
Taking the beauty from its protective case, and with deft fingers he clasped it around my neck. I felt like royalty. It was a truly magnificent piece. At the time I had no words to thank Matt with, so I simply kissed him. A few minutes later we joined the rest of the partygoers. All night, everyone I stopped to speak with practically drooled over my little jewel. Who could blame them?
Although that time has passed and I no longer wear my necklace, the memory is still vivid in my mind. I have long since out grown the necklace, but I still have Matt as a reminder of that special night. Sweet Sixteen only comes once in a lifetime.
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