A Lonely Birthday

 The sounds of thunderous cheering and roaring fireworks filled the air, and Penny couldn’t help but cringe away. A large crowd had now gathered around the little basketball court, but she remained seated on the steps of the front porch.

If she really focused, she could make out her sister’s voice as she screamed and shrieked while playing with her friends, and the crowd’s yelling. Penny couldn’t see a single thing through the mass of bodies, but she could guess which team had scored based on the crowd’s reactions.

Anyone scoring on the opposite team would receive subdued reactions from the crowd, but Penny’s sister only got uproarious chants of ‘Milly, Milly, Milly!’

Her mother would probably tell her to go join her sister in the game, to hang out with friends. The thing was, those were Milly’s friends, not hers. Penny’s friends from boarding school hadn’t been able to fly out all the way to America from their boarding school in Wales. Of course, Milly’s friends had no such issue.

It was just as she was lamenting her friends’ absence that a rather harried looking woman approached her, a small girl’s hand clutched tight in her own. It looked like she had dressed in a rush to reach the party in time.

“Hello dear,” She huffed, impatiently adjusting her dress to smooth out the wrinkles. “Do you know where I can find Milly Morse? Jen’s been begging for an autograph since her match in Boston!”

Penny pursed her lips, glancing briefly at the girl, probably Jen. She was trying to twist out of her mother’s tight grasp, looking around as if searching for someone.

“She’s over there,” She replied, pointing in the direction of the crowd. It should’ve been obvious, but maybe the woman forgot in her stress. She certainly looked like it.

It seemed like the woman realized as well, and gave her a sheepish smile. “I’m Winona Page. Are you a friend of Milly’s?”

There was a moment of silence. “I’m her twin sister,” Penny answered, eyes firmly looking away from Winona. The only reply she got was a nervous titter.

“Oh- I wouldn’t have guessed! Fraternal twins I assume?” She babbled, trying to cover up her mistake. Her words were accompanied by a sweeping gesture, indicating Penny’s dark hair and eyes. Certainly nothing like her sister’s ginger hair and blue eyes. Sometimes, even Penny wondered if they were really twins.

“And I never heard that Milly had a twin sister- It’s just that I’ve never seen you play at one of her games? But you’re still surely very talented- ” Winona cut herself off before she rambled any further, and hurried away before she could make the situation worse, leaving with only a parting apology and a pitying smile.

Penny was alone again. It’s fine, it’s better than having to deal with more sorrowful glances and confused questions.

The ambient sounds of the birthday party were the only things she could hear again. She averted her gaze from the cheering crowd, and tried to spot birds in the surrounding trees. She couldn’t find any, but it was nice to imagine that there were a few perched there, as lonely as she was.

“If it isn’t the birthday girl!” asked a voice from behind Penny, and she whirled around to find her aunt grinning widely. “Why so glum?”

“Aunt Beth!” Penny cried, throwing her arms around her only other dark-haired relative. “I didn’t know you were coming!” She had received a message earlier that day from her aunt stating that she won’t be able to come to the party, which only made her miserable situation worse. But it seemed like that wasn’t the case anymore.

Beth chuckled and ruffled her niece’s hair. “I asked my boss for the day off. How could I miss your special day?” She paused, and her smile dropped as she glanced around. “Well, it’s supposed to be. I thought you don’t like parties?”

Penny didn’t have an answer. She leaned into her aunt’s touch, the only kinship she had felt all day. “I don’t,” She finally supplied.

Beth frowned, but there was no pity in her eyes. Only a quiet understanding, which was what had originally brought the two odd-looking family members closer together. They were both black sheep in the family, with no talent in sports and no fiery red hair. But they understood each other better than anyone.

Without a word, she grabbed her niece’s hand and laced their fingers together, and pulled the girl behind her as she walked to the front gate. When what she intended became obvious, Penny decided to voice a protest, despite wanting to leave as well.

“We can’t just ditch the party,” She said dutifully, but crumbled at her aunt’s stern look. She couldn’t keep arguing for something she didn’t want.

“You like animals, don’t you?” Beth said, instead of replying to Penny’s statement. They had reached the spot where her car was parked, and she gestured for the girl to get inside. “I heard there’s a rare animal exhibit opening in the local zoo, only for the weekend. You want to go?”

She wanted to go, more than anything else in the world. She had asked her parents to take them there for their birthday, but Milly’s insistence on a birthday bash at their house won out over anything she pleaded for.

Her wonderful aunt could see the answer in her eyes, and smiled widely at her. “This is my party for you, Penny. Happy birthday.”