We all spent quite a while preparing for Tyla’s birthday. Birthdays had always been a big deal in this household. I helped Mama come up with a good cake flavor for Tyla, but I left the decorating up to her. We would invite the handful of close friends we knew, and they’d hang out for a little while. Papa and I would set up a few games for the younger guests. Nothing too complex. Just the good old classics like tug of war and bobbing for apples. Tyla insisted on having them be somewhat seasonal, and with fall approaching swiftly I thought those games would fit the theme perfectly. But the party would take place in the morning and be done by noon. The rest of the day would be all for the family. It would be our chance to spend some true quality time together before I left.

  “Fun?” I asked Tyla as the last guest left. She nodded

  “Fun,” she said breathlessly. “Very fun. This was amazing.” Her cheeks were flushed slightly, and her eyes glowed with delight. I couldn’t help but smile. “But now, I need to chill for the rest of the day.”

  “Sounds good.” I pulled her into a hug. “Happy birthday, Tyla.”

  “We should clean up. Then I think I’m going to go for a walk. Do you want to come?”

  “Sure.” We got to work tidying up, humming as we did so, pausing to snack on leftover treats here and there. It took a while to get everything back in order. But I hated the idea of leaving with the house messy. After a while, the house was sparkling clean, to Mama’s delight. Now we headed off on our walk. This was my chance to finally give Tyla my gift. I hadn’t given her this at the party. I had wanted to wait till it was just the two of us. This was just too special to share with a crowd of people, even if they were our good friends.

  “Here, take this.” I handed Tyla the little box.

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  “You know, you didn’t have to get me anything, Tiffany,” she said, trying and failing to hide the look of pure joy on her face. “But THANK YOU SO MUCH! What is it?” I sighed.

  “For crying out loud, open it up and find out for yourself, Tyla. Go on, open it.” The wrapping paper was ripped off in an instant and flung to the side, followed by the box. Tyla stood there, perfectly still, perfectly silent. “I got one for myself too. I just thought it was a nice idea, you know, both of us having one.” Tears filled Tyla’s eyes.

  “It’s perfect.” My gift was a tiny locket I had found at a nearby thrift shop. The outside had been carved into the shape of a small bird with its wings spread. Inside I had placed an old, but beloved photo of Tyla and I as kids, sitting under a tree and eating ice cream together on her twelfth birthday. She slipped the locket around her neck and squeezed it tightly. “Thank you, Tiffany, thank you.” We spent the rest of the day wandering around the fields and forests we called home, exploring all the little nooks and crannies that we so loved. Thinking about all the times we had spent together--the good, bad, happy, sad.

  We tied bundles of wildflowers together and scattered them across Connie’s grave. We sat there together for a while, Tyla resting her head on my shoulder as the sun stained the sky a rainbow of crimsons and violets. Obviously, we needed to finish off the day with mugs of hot white chocolate and a few songs.

  “So, you’ll be gone tomorrow,” Tyla said quietly.

  “Yes. You’ll be okay.”

  “I know. But I will miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you too.”

  “Tiffany?”

  “Hm?”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too.” I pulled her into one last hug and rested my chin on her shoulder. “Thank you, Tyla.”

  “For what?”

  “Everything. I wouldn’t have ever made it this far without you. You’ve helped me more than I can ever say.”

  “And thank you for being my sister, Tiffany,” she said. “I made a bouquet of violets. I know they’ll be withered by the time you get there, but do you think you could take them and put them on Ross’s grave for me?” she asked.

  “Of course.” We headed upstairs together. I sang softly to her, tucked her in and kissed her forehead as if she was still a little girl. When she woke up in the morning, I would be gone. But I knew, and I knew she knew that we would forever be in each other’s hearts. And our bond was adamantine.

  THE END

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