1 A birthday gift

"Happy birthday Sweety! Here you go."

"Thank you." Another gift piled the mountain shown off in the middle of the party. The birthday girl plastered a frequent smile she carried all the way to make things easier.

"Thanks."

"Thank you so much."

"You bought me a gift too! How nice."

"Thanks a lot."

"Thank you."

The day of birth celebrated every year is like the most precious day for someone, yet all she felt was tired. Despite, her mother being the one to work herself out in meeting the needs of guests, she was the one feeling absolutely tired and hungry.

"What are you doing here? Go and welcome your friends." Mrs. Archie Roulette shooed her daughter out of the kitchen. Sweety went back but not without picking a handful of fries.

"Welcome. Thank you." She was on her thanking duty when Papa made his way towards her. Sweety thought of a reason why he was approaching her way; unlike others, he had wished her already that morning.

"Sweety, have you given them return gifts?"

She watched the man whose facial features she acquired, he stood solicited from the crowd hands behind his back, unwilling to interact with anyone. In fact all this time, he had been scooped inside his room while the chitter chatter surrounded the halls.

"Uh... you arranged the return gifts?" It was a social tradition Sweety observed within the friend circle of this neighborhood. If we invited people's gifts on our birthday, friendship day, etc. we have to favor their good wishes with gifts too.

The expensive the popular.

"Don't you do that every year?" He answered with a question instead. She blinked once, waiting for him to speak on. "You have turned eighteen today. Which means you are growing up to a woman. That makes you intelligent enough for giving them important gifts."

Sweety's heart filled with joy. She remembered the tradition for which she had bought nail polishes and cool keychains to gift, but seeing her father this happy, it mirrored on the daughter's face.

"Okay."

He took her in his room, all the way Sweety could feel everyone's eyes on them. The father and daughter shared a lot of features like the smile, chubby cheeks, a tummy, thus it was obvious for her friends to recognize him as the father.

The gifts were packed decoratively making the girl proud of her father's idea. "This one is for you." He gave her one of the packets. Excited, she unwrapped it immediately. The content's visibility faltered the smile she wore.

"Isn't it beautiful? What can be more fortunate than to be gifted a Bappa's statue! This sculpture is most special than others, Bappa's eyes will blink when you say something to him. Like you are talking to God and he is listening too!"

Sweety liked her gift, of course she did. It was a statue of Bappa, the deity she worshipped most. Her special smile said it all to her father. Then it got interrupted with noises from outside the room.

"Papa," she tried conveying her worry, "Should I gift them statues of Gods? I mean, I don't know if they'll like it. One of them is a Muslim too."

His brows squinted together, "Who says no to a God's statue? Whatever caste they come from, they have to accept what you give. Just like you are accepting their gifts."

She smiled agreeing. "Okay," Sweety said looking at Bappa's statue in her hand and truthfully, the almond shaped eyes closed once to open back again. The action brought a happy smile on her face making her forget what others would think. Papa was right, they have to accept what she was gifting them. And with such a religious substance, there could be likely less to no rumors of her taste.

That evening, she provided them gifts in the end of the party. The packets and nail polishes. Sweety made her mind to remain relaxed but the slight uncertainty lied somewhere deep inside. Just when she had to encounter the mixed expressions of her friends, especially the girls, lights went out.

"What happened to the lights?" One of them started, after which followed numerous other pleas.

"Seems like yours is the only house without lights, Sweety." Heeding to Monica's statement, Sweety checked out. Sure enough, it was only their house which stood dark.

"I'll check the generator." The girl called for her father's help but she knew it was futile because he might be already looking into the matter. Picking her feet carefully, she followed her phone's torch to get to the basement.

Seeing the opened door, Sweety called, "Papa?" He did not answer, she pushed the door letting herself in. He didn't utter a single reply to her calls, decidedly she reached the meter box.

"Ah, it tripped." Moving forward, her fingers went to pull the switches up when a noise clattered behind her. Shuddering at the thud of the wooden crates falling one by one which were always positioned perfectly at a corner.

"What the...?" The view seemed so confusing that she tried putting the blame on a cat or mouse, yet the possibility seemed unsure because those wood were heavy.

"What are you doing here tripping the crates? Don't create extra work for your mother. As it is, she is a tortoise in such things." Papa entered in, scolding her before she could say anything. Not that it surprised her, it was his habit of assuming the worst from everyone, especially the family.

"I am standing here, how will I make them fall in such a distance?"

"Come and hold the other side." Shaking her head slightly, she went to help him. "What were you doing down here anyway? The lights are out, you should have called the guards. An electrician would have been here by now."

She stopped trying to defend herself, rather listened to brags of her father. After they were done, he pulled the switches himself, seemingly happier for being useful. All Sweety could do was regret hoping to help Papa, he never left a chance to boast himself.

"Go and check if the children are doing fine. I told you and Archie numerous times to check if the generator is working regularly. Do I have to look after everything!"

Upon looking for the mates above hall, everyone had left except for Sonia who was talking with Tessa, her younger sister.

"Hey. The food was delicious. I liked the crispy kachori." Sweety smiled at her, sending her sister off.

"Did you all enjoy? Sorry, I couldn't be with you guys, I had to help Mom."

"I get it. You opened your gifts? Please don't judge mine. I would have removed the tag to not let you know it was me, but I suppose that will become obvious when everyone present in the party has mentioned the sender's name except me, right?"

Sweety genuinely chuckled after a long time that night. Listening to her friend she looked over the gifts she received, meanwhile putting small bites of cake in her mouth.

"Wow. Someone really special gave you the statue." Sonia commented of the Bappa's statue gifted by Papa. "But... isn't the pendent or is it a locket? It looks too big and urban for God's statue..." Sweety was instructing Tessa to be careful while peeling off the gift papers. The younger one was more excited than her as if it had been her birthday all along. Turning to her friend's mentions, she happened upon the statue which must have been left by her near the entrance door before going to basement.

The pendent/locket, it was not easy making the difference, yet she preferred it as locket. It wore upon Bappa's statue like being garlanded without notice.

"Ah... God's blessing." Sonia concluded.