Give Me Grace

Chapter 6

Part Two

I celebrated my sixteenth birthday with Emily and a few other people. I didn’t really consider the other people in our group as friends. They were around because they were Emily’s friends, and since I was also Emily’s friend, I spent time with them too.

I knew that since Mr. Bates wasn’t here, this birthday would be different. My birthday was never really celebrated since I was seven until we moved in with Mr. Bates. He made it a point to make all of us feel special on our birthdays.

This year, though, Emily decided to throw me a birthday dinner at her house. She invited a few of her friends, people I knew, and planned the whole thing.

Since I had a summer birthday, we had the whole day to do whatever we wanted. I, of course, didn’t know what Emily had planned. She just told me to be ready. She picked me up from the farm in her brand new Volkswagen that she got for her birthday earlier in the year and took me into the neighboring city.

Mr. Bates had started giving us allowance when we turned ten, and I saved every dollar he gave me. I had a secret stash in the old barn where I hid all my money away from my siblings and parents, but since it was my birthday, I decided now was a good time to start spending it. I had a few thousand dollars, and Mr. Bates paid me extra since I did more work, plus, I was always tipped generously during the farmer’s market. I was saving for college, but I didn’t know if I still wanted to go at this point.

We went to the mall in the next city for a little shopping. I had only been here a couple of times with my parents and siblings and once with Emily. I normally just followed along, not ever wanting to get in the way, but this time, I was going to do what I wanted. Something about being around Emily made me feel like I could. It was almost like when I was with Mr. Bates, and I believed anything was possible and I could do whatever I set my mind to.

Emily was more than happy to follow me around the mall and go to the stores that I liked. Granted, most of the stores I went to were the same ones she liked, so she did a little shopping, too. Since it was my birthday, she refused to let me pay for anything. I had to fight with her about it because I had money, and I wanted expensive things, but she insisted.

Money was never an issue for her; her family was very wealthy, so she didn’t mind spending a few thousand dollars on me. As much as I appreciated it, I also didn’t want to take advantage of her kindness, so I skipped going to the designer stores and figured I’d come back another time.

When we finished our shopping, we went to a nearby restaurant for lunch, that’s when everything changed for me. Our waiter was a very attractive and clean-cut man who had the cutest smile and the deepest dimples. I was instantly mesmerized, and when our eyes met, I knew it was game over.

I had never really thought of boys or being in a relationship before, but Mr. Bates always told me that one day, I would meet someone who would turn my world upside down. It was inevitable, but the important thing to remember was to make sure I knew when it would be for better or worse. He told me that sometimes, the devil would disguise himself as an angel, and I had to be careful.

I didn’t want to end up like my mom. My father was a devil in disguise, and she couldn’t see through it. Mr. Bates told me I needed to have standards and expectations but not unrealistic expectations. I had to be flexible without disregarding myself. It was confusing, and the moment I got lost in the waiter’s dark brown eyes, I knew I was trapped.

I snapped back to the present when Emily grabbed my hand and pulled me towards our table. She had a smile on her face like she knew what was going on in my head. When I blushed, she smiled bigger and wiggled her eyebrows at me.

“Damn, girl. Eye fuck him any longer and you’ll end up pregnant,” Emily laughed after we took our seat and he left.

“I was not eye fucking him!” I defended myself, but she was right.

I was extremely attracted to him, and I knew my mind would constantly be on him. I didn’t even know his name. I knew nothing about him, but I wanted to. I wanted to know everything.

“Can I get you, ladies, anything?” he asked as he brought set waters in front of both of us.

“Your name?” Emily smiled at him.

“Ben,” he smiled at me. 

“Well, Ben, it’s my best friend’s birthday today. So, whatever is the most popular item, we’ll take it.”

“The most popular item is the wagyu steak. How do you take it?”

“Medium rare. What about you?” Emily smiled at me, clearly enjoying this.

“Same,” I managed to say.

“It will be out shortly, and happy birthday,” Ben smiled at me before taking our menus and walking away.

“You’re totally into him!” Emily all but shouted.

“You don’t have to make it so obvious,” I looked around nervously, suddenly feeling self-conscious and covering up a bit.

“Sis, you’re making it obvious. You should ask him for his number.”

“I don’t need a boyfriend. He’s just attractive, that’s all. I’ll probably never see him again.” I rolled my eyes at her.

Our food came, and we dug in. The steak was probably the best steak I had ever had. It was juicy and tender and full of flavors. The vegetables that came with it were not that great, but it didn’t matter. Neither Emily nor I could finish, so we got the rest to go. Before we left, I ran to the bathroom, and when I came out, I saw Emily laughing with Ben up front.

“Happy birthday again. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day,” he smiled at me as I walked up to them.

“Thanks,” I smiled back before leaving with Emily.

We headed back to our small town, stopping to give our leftover food to a hungry man on the street. We often did this, especially since we knew we would never finish it and it would go bad. Might as well give it to someone who needed it.

The 45-minute drive went by fast, Emily and I sang our favorite songs as loud as we could. We laughed and danced the best we could in her car as she sped down the highway. It was probably the most fun I had since Mr. Bates passed.

We pulled up to Emily’s large family estate. It was the biggest house in town, and although the property wasn’t nearly as large as Mr. Bates’s farm, the house was grand, and everyone wanted a look inside. People tried so hard to be friends with Emily because of her wealth, and she hated it.

I, on the other hand, didn’t care about wealth. Mr. Bates was a very wealthy man; he had more money than Emily’s family, I’m sure of it, but he never flaunted it around. He taught me wealth didn’t matter; what mattered was who you were as a person. He spoiled me; whatever I wanted, he got me. I quickly learned that what made me happy was the time I spent with him, not the things he bought me.

It was the same with Emily. I enjoyed the time we spent together; it helped me through my depression. I could care less about her money and what she could buy me. She knew this, which is why she stuck so close to me; at least, that’s what she told me.

We rarely hung out at Emily’s house; usually, we spent time in the old barn, which I turned into my secret getaway from the family. But today, we went to her house. When we got there, I was surprised to see how decorated it was. Her parents, siblings, and some friends from school were all there to surprise me with a party. Everyone was dressed nicely like they were ready to go to a fancy dinner.

After I got over my initial shock and thanked everyone, Emily led me to her room, where she had another surprise for me. It was a beautiful, sparkly black dress that hugged my body tightly. My makeup and hair were already done from earlier today, and she did a quick touch-up.

When I came down, I was surprised to see everyone smiling at me. I felt like a celebrity because everyone wanted to take pictures with me. After a few hours, Emily’s parents told us dinner was ready. We all made our way to the large dining room table. After taking my seat, the doorbell rang, and Emily ran out of the room to answer.

Butterflies fluttered in a frenzy throughout my stomach as I saw Ben walk into the dining room with a large bouquet of flowers. All the girls swooned as he showed off his dimples in the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. We became inseparable after that.