Modest 18

10.45 p.m.

Atiqah and Hazirah were revising Chemistry. Atiqah's head dropped to the table.

"You wanted to sleep?"

"No, just lagging."

"Sleep on your bed. Your back's gonna ache."

It already is. "Wake me in 5 minutes, please."

11.03 p.m.

"Assalamualaikum! Atiqah!" Hamizah and Nuha came dashing in. Atiqah sat up straight and stared at the happy faces.

"Were you asleep?" Hamizah enquired, head tilted to the right.

Blinked. "Not supposed to. Ask Hazirah."

They chuckled, and proceeded to discuss on updates on the lecturer's t-shirts, upcoming MEP dinner and International Food Fair.

Atiqah remained awake. Am I forgetting something? She stared at her watch. 11.45 p.m. Nope, maybe not.

Nuha excused herself to go back home. Soon Hamizah followed, after piling her pictures of their Frisbee group into Atiqah's Haizen.

12.00 a.m.

Phone alerted her of an incoming message. From Kamilah.

Oh yeah, she smiled. I'm 18 already, hoho. How could I forget?

12.05 a.m.

Heard footsteps running outside the main door. Stood stirring her Nescafe + Milo and faced the door.

Nuha and Raihaana dashed in, squeezing between the frame as to enter the house first.

"Atiqah!" Both in unison. "Happy birthday!"

She chuckled.

"Here, from me." Nuha grinned her Noga Nany soft nouget.

She took it gratefully. "Haha, thank you." Perhaps a bit sheepishly.

"I've got something for you, too." Raihaana fished something out of her pocket.

"Same nouget?"

"Here." Atiqah held her hand out to accept Rai's identical nouget as Nuha's, albeit a bit squashed.

The four of them (don't forget Hazirah) laughed. Atiqah contemplated on her inability to make herself a card this year.

"Were we the first?" They asked.

"Fourth and fifth; you guys tied." Atiqah continued stirring her NestLo. "First was my muallimah. She was a month early."

"Second?" Raihaana asked after her fit of laughter.

"A classmate from SMI. A day early. Third was Kamilah. Exactly at 12."

"Wow." They nodded in recognition. "She's still here?"

"Sure, still in Damansara."

Maybe treat ourselves to a slice of cake this evening?
Sure. Oh, cannot. We've to review that place for our MEP dinner.
Oh yeah. Maybe next time.

"I'm fourth." Nuha said, facing Rai.

"No, I was earlier than you."

"I'm first."

"Me!"

Atiqah stared in amusement. A second message entered her inbox. Fatimah. She smiled gratefully.

"You guys were spoiling our surprise for her." Hazirah said, still seated facing her Chemistry notes. "We housemates planned to feign forgetfulness."

Third message that night entered. Along's. Her grin widened.

Nuha and Raihaana laughed. Atiqah remained stirring, contend with amusing herself at people's rememberence of her birthday. They chatted.

12.15 p.m.

Nuha and Rai excused themselves from the not-so-homey house with a packet of sira-ed keropok flown in directly from Kelantan. Atiqah grabbed her handphone to reply the birthday wishes with deliberate care.

Typed the entry for a message to Mama. All of a sudden, the handphone blanked itself. Battery flat. Inwardly she groaned.