“Then start wishing.” For Alfred’s sake, my sake, her sake, I hoped she wished for the moon and more before the world tried to crush her heart.
13. GONE
MALACHI
A big wisher was an understatement.
First—See the Seven Wonders of the World.
Second—Take a hot air balloon ride with a beautiful view.
“A little vain aren’t you?” I asked as I dried my hair and read the third one over her shoulder as she sat on the couch.
Upon hearing me she hugged the book to her chest and looked at me wide-eyed. “When did you come down?”
“A custom-made gown?” I repeated her third wish and she stood up. She’d changed into a dark green knitted sweater, one of many she’d gotten from Joanna in town, that stopped right around her hips. Under it she wore thick black leggings and a pair of furry rainbow socks over that. Hiding the book she’d been writing in behind her back, she smiled as she mocked me.
“Is it too much for the great Malachi Lord? I tried to warn you.”
She knew it was a bit much, but I’d wanted her to ask for it all. “No. Go on. But please try adding something that can be accomplished on the day of your actual birthday.”
“Wish four,” she read aloud as she laid back down on the couch and I moved around to sit beside her. “Malachi Lord shall bake Esther Noëlle a vanilla birthday cake with chocolate icing.”
“Fine. Do you want twenty-three candles too?” I asked, sitting where her feet were. She wiggled her toes in her rainbow colored socks as she looked up at me and stared for so long I began to feel uncomfortable under her gaze. “What?”
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
“It’s your birthday. Would you like me to not be nice?”
She didn’t look convince but continued writing while looking up at me every so often. “Wish five, Malachi Lord will wish me a happy birthday and thank all the people who wished him a happy birthday on his fan group.”
She had to push it. She was testing me…and this wasn’t something I could fail. So I took out my phone and turned the screen to face me. Sitting upright I hit record. “Hello… Lord Nation,” I snickered at that. “I am, as you may or may not know, Malachi Lord, and today is Esther Noëlle’s birthday. Esther…is…if you knew her personally you’d know that there is not one word that could quantify who she is. And while she drives me up the wall sometimes, I’m not ignorant to the fact that she has put in so much to this site simply because she loves my work. So today on her twenty-third, I would like to say thank you and happy birthday, Esther. And also I would like to thank all of you who wished me a happy birthday as well. I’m honored.”
Ending the video, I looked up at her and she frowned at me.
“What? It’s not grand enough?” I asked as I sent her the video.
“No. I just don’t know what to say when you’re being so nice.”
Rolling my eyes, I reached for her list but she pulled it away. “I haven’t finished!”
“Then finish!”
“Excuse me if I don’t want to rush a once in a lifetime chance to have anything I want. It’s a lot of pressure trying to think of stuff.”
She wasn't serious. “Fine, take your time, put down roots if you want to. I’ll go work on your cake.”
“You’re seriously going to make me one? Can you even bake?”
“Why make wishes if you don’t think they are possible? Do we have flour?”
She stared at me amazed.
“Alright. I’ll just check for myself then,” I muttered as I got up from the couch.
“Wish six: Malachi Lord makes a full course birthday dinner for me.” She tapped her chin with the blue pen in her hands. “Wish seven, we go ice skating on the pond…that way we can pick up things for the cake and dinner. Teddy’s make these cool skates. I really want one. Ohhh wish eight: you’re going to tell me more about your past lives…or maybe you don’t mind painting me? I mean honestly the world deserves to see your art, it’s so beautiful. Actually both. I’ll make that my ninth wish since you’re being so generous.”
I really hadn’t thought this through. I walked away from her but when I looked back, her head swayed back and forth and she grinned to herself…I wanted to smile. She wasn’t in pain…but I knew I was only delaying it.