It was late in the afternoon when Penelope and Derek arrived back at the house. They arrived to staff setting up the dining area with more formal dinnerware. While there were still several hours to go before it should be anywhere near dinnertime, Penelope could tell that whatever it was that Lilly had been working on setting up for her, it was going to be special.
The dining room had a large pile of presents set up on it, and Penelope had tried hard and failed to not pay them any mind. It was more than she had ever received and she had no idea what could have possibly been inside all of those pretty packages.
She and Derek spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool, swimming and flirting with one another. Now that Penelope was a consenting adult, Derek didn't feel as reserved about withholding his desire to show Penelope affection. She welcomed it warmly, giving it right back, although she had no idea what she was doing.
Was she in love? Not quite. Though she was finding herself to be quite infatuated with the man who had just tossed her across the pool and yanked her legs out from under her before she could get her footing back. When Lilly called out to them and told them that it was almost dinner time, they went back inside to change, coming back down the stairs hand in hand. Penelope, sporting her necklace and Derek beaming with pride.
"Oh, Penelope your dad is running late. He said that he was stopping to get your present and got held up a little bit. But hes on his way and will be here in time for cake and presents."
"Okay! Thank you!"
They sat down at the table to a whole spread of Penelope's favorites. How Lilly had gotten wind of some of these foods, Penelope had no idea but she pawed around, trying to figure out what she was going to try first. She didn't even know if she could eat much of any of it! So she just scooped little bitefulls of everything on her plate and began to dig in once they said grace.
"This is all so much! You really outdid yourself, Lilly!" Penelope exclaimed. It was more than she could have possibly imagined for an eighteenth birthday, and it was absolutely perfect! She ate until she was too stuffed to get another bite. Then, they all relaxed on the patio while they waited for food to digest.
At some point, there was a knock on the door and Penelope's dad had arrived. Dan led him out to the Patio, where Penelope stood up to greet him with a hug. "I'm so glad you came, dad!" She exclaimed.
Her father hugged her back with a warm smile, though he looked visibly worn. "I'm glad that you were willing to have me. Thank you for inviting me."
"Of course! I wouldn't want it any other way!" Penelope replied, and she meant it. Sure, her dad had failed to protect her, but he was still her dad and she still loved him. "Are you hungry? There is still plenty of food!"
"Oh, no. I grabbed a bite to eat on the way. But I heard that there is a delicious cake hiding somewhere?" He said.
"Oh, yes. Theres plenty! Are you ready, Pennie?" Lilly asked. At Penelope's nod, Lilly excused herself to the kitchen while everyone waited outside on the patio. Several minutes later, she walked out with a large, two tiered cake. It was the same pink and teal colors that she had decorated the house in. There was a large "18" standing on top of the cake, with letters on the tiers saying "Happy Birthday Penelope" on it. It was simple, yet beautiful at the same time.
Everyone around the table sang Happy Birthday to Penelope, and when she blew out the candles in one breath, there was one that sparked back. She blew it out again, and it came back again. And again. Finally, she pulled it off the cake with a giggle and dunked it in her water glass, not caring that she had just ruined her drink.
"Whoever put that trick candle on there, you suck!" She playfully exclaimed.
"Its tradition." Lilly winked. "We do it for fun, but also, to remind eachother that nothing in life is every easy. But even the toughest struggles can be fun. Its our wish to you that with it all comes laughter and joy."
"Aww I like that! But you still suck, though!" She said, sticking out her tongue as Lilly began to slice up the cake.
"What did you wish for?" Derek asked.
Penelope smiled "A girl doesn't wish and tell." Otherwise, it wouldn't come true. And what Penelope wished for, she hoped would come true. Please don't let the magic end. I want to be happy like this forever. She had said in her head as she closed her eyes.
Lilly handed Penelope the plate, and she noticed a luscious red jelly frosting between its layers. She took a bite and savored it. Strawberry filling. Yum! The cake was perfectly moist and practically melted in her mouth. It was nothing like any of the other storebought cakes she had had every other year. "Mmm. Oh my gosh, this is so good!" She exclaimed, enjoying every bite. Only this time, it was so good she whoofed it down. There were some things she simply couldn't bring herself to savor as much as other. Sweets especially were one of them.
Everyone else finished their own cake and Lilly led them inside for presents. Penelope didn't know where to start, so she just let Lilly start handing things. "This one is from Jezz. She said sorry she couldn't make it but she was caught u pwith work." She handed Penelope a large box and she opened it. Inside was a pair of hot pink high heels. They matched the little purse she had gotten her the other day. She read the card, which said "Every girl deserves her own pair. Walk in them with confidence, and you will own the world." The shoes, although gorgeous, were nothing Penelope could walk in. She'd probably break her neck if she tried! She placed them back in the box after looking at them and set them to the side.
The rest of the gifts were mostly designer clothes picked out by Lilly, who now had a good idea of what Penelope's fashion tastes were. Derek had gotten her some new art sets, having noted that all she had were sketchbooks and pencils. "I don't know if you like to paint or not, but I thought you might like some color to add to your drawings? There was a set of water colors, some oil paints, acrylics, an easel, and some canvases for Penelope to play with. She loved them all.
Dan, who had been sitting next to Penelope's father while watching contentedly, leaned over and whispered something into his ear. He nodded. "No, its alright. Go ahead. Theres no thunder to steal here." Her father quietly reassured her.
Dan got up and held out a small box that hadn't been in the pile to Penelope. "Young lady, this is my gift to you."
It was wrapped in the same fashion that Derek had wrapped her necklace in earlier. Except the box was smaller. More square. And the bow was just stuck on top. Pulling off the lid, Penelope gasped at its contents. "No way. You didn't!" She said, pulling out one of two key fobs that had been perfectly nested into the box. Inset to them were small Toyota logos.
"You're going to need it to get to work and school. Everyone needs to know how to drive. Its important."
"But I- This is too much!"
She looked over at her dad, who was smiling lightly. Now she understood the conversation that had transpired moments ago. A new car was a huge gift, and Dan had not wanted Penelope's father to feel inferior.
"Its okay, Pumpkin. Take it." Her father urged. "It might not be what I would have gotten you, because well, buying two cars for two of-age kids was a little bit too much for me when the time came. But I don't want you to feel guilty because someone more able than I got you something you not only deserve, but need."
Penelope smiled. "Thank you, Daddy." She took the keys. "And thank you, Dan."
"Of course." He smiled at her.
The room went awkward for a moment, but Penelope's father refused to let it stay awkward. "Ok, now can we go see it? I'm DYING, here!" He exclaimed hopping up from his chair. Dan chuckled and led the way outside, where he had everyone wait as he ducked into a garage to pull the car out.
It was a bright, girly blue RAV4 Hybrid which sported a huge pink bow on the hood. "Oh, my, gosh! Its so pretty!" Penelope exclaimed. When Dan parked it, he motioned for her to sit in the drivers' seat, to which she obliged. It had all the bells and whistles. Black leather heated seats, sunroof, a premium entertainment system on a large screen, power everything, and just the right amount of space for her.
As she checked out her new rig, Dan and her father conversed more on the side. "I know this is probably a little awkward for you. I hope you don't think its too much."
Penelope's father shrugged. "Yes and no. Like I said the other day, I'm fine with you wanting to purchase her a car. It was something I wanted to do for her sixteenth, but her step-mother and I got into a huge fight over it and it never happened. Personally, I would have gotten her a beater with a heater. It's a good way to introduce them into properly maintaining. Plus, they usually end up wrecking their first ride. This is great, though."
"I s'pose you make a good point." Dan replied. "Though the whole kids wrecking it thing is a reason why I didn't go with something significantly more expensive. Toyotas are a good first ride. They're safe, reliable, and if heaven forbid she does get into an accident, she'll walk out of it with insurance paying out for a ride that's still pretty good."
"Fair point." Penelope's dad shrugged. "Thank you, though. You know with all the mistakes that I've made that have recently come to light, I can't tell you just how grateful I am that you and your family took her in. She looks so much happier. And I noticed a bit more outspoken, too."
Dan nodded. "Its amazing to see how much she has come out of her shell in the short time she's been with us. She is already like a daughter to us, and we'll do anything to protect her." He promised. "Just don't keep beating yourself up. I'm no psychologist, but I do understand a lot about how human relationships work. It is easy to be manipulated by someone we love without realizing it. I don't think that Penelope holds anything that happened to her against you. Look at how happy she is to see you here. I think that perhaps with some therapy, she may be willing to open up to you about the things that happened to her, and you two could work on strengthening your relationship to make it better."
"I like that idea. I definitely want to stay a part of her life. I've never stopped being her dad. And I never will. I, uh. I filed for divorce, the other day. I'm working on finding an apartment downtown, so that I can move out of the house. "
Dan clapped Penelope's father on the shoulder. "Those are good first steps, Kent. Hard ones to take, too. If there is anything you need- anything at all- while you go through this, just ask."
"Thank you, Mr. Filmore. That means a lot. All of it."
"Call me Dan."
Penelope's dad smiled. "Dan."
Penelope emerged from her new car, the brightest look that Kent had ever seen on her face.
"What do you think, Kiddo?" Dan asked.
"I love it! Thank you so much!" Penelope said, throwing her arms around dan in appreciation.
"I think its missing something." Kent said alarmingly.
"What do you mean?" Penelope asked.
"Its something that I think is really, really important that you have now that you're going to be on the road. Hang on. Its in my car."
Kent walked back to his own car and ducked into his front seat, pulling the ignition out. Had he left it on the entire time he had been there? Why weren't any of the lights on, though? He then went back to open up the rear hatch. He bent over, rustling around for a bit before emerging with a little ball of fluff.
"Is that-!? Oh my gosh!" Penelope broke down into tears as her dad walked over to her with the tiny ball of fluff. It was a golden retriever puppy. Freshly groomed and with a beautiful pink bow wrapped around her neck.
"Shit, man! I thought I won with the picnic and the necklace!" Derek burst out with feigned frustration. "And here y'all come stealing my thunder with giving her a car and a damn PUPPY!? You guys suck!"
Lilly laughed at Derek's little tantrum. "Yeah, I think her father got everyone beat." She said.