But she couldn’t tell them that now, could she? Well, not when they were all smiling before her. To tell them the truth would ruin the whole mood. So she lied.

“I’m just so happy you did all this for me. And you both, coming all the way here from Dunedin, just for my birthday.” There, now the smiles were back, except for her two friends who eyed her, clearly broadcasting, We’ll talk to you later about this.

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world, darling.” Her mother hugged her.

Just then, her little five-year-old nephew came and tugged at her skirt, asking in his little high-pitched voice, “Aunty Anna can I open your presents?”

Children and their presents, she thought, smiling as another sob erupted. She tried to hold back but almost choked on it, so she let nature take its course and more waterworks escaped her eyes.

“Why are you crying, Aunty Anna?” Timmy asked her.

“Because I’m so happy to be here, celebrating my birthday with you,” she replied. “I love you, Aunty,” Timmy said, wiping away her tears. “So don’t cry anymore.”

“I love you too, Timmy.” She hugged him again. Then after she released him, she walked to the present table. “And which one would you like to open first?”

“That one!” he said, pointing to the largest on the table with his little wee fingers.

So cute, so adorable—her motherly instinct cried out to her.

After she finished cutting the cake and everyone got a piece each, they all said their congratulations, and a little while later, they all left her apartment. Her mother and father were the last to leave.

“Anna, are you sure you’re okay?” her mother asked her worriedly.

“I’m fine. Just tired from work, I suppose, and then when I came home, I got a full-blown surprise.” She laughed drily, hoping her mother would believe her excuse.

“I didn’t want to surprise you too much, but Julia and Dalia suggested it,” her mother replied, hugging her warmly.

Anna eyed her friends as they both eyed her from the couch. She knew they were waiting for her to explain what happened before.

“Thank you for today, Mum, Dad.” She went to hug them both, then led them out the door. “When are you heading back to Dunedin?”

“Tomorrow. Ken will drop us off. You take the day off too. You work too hard.”

“I don’t work too hard. I’ll drop you off instead. Speaking of Ken, where is he?” Anna suddenly realized her favourite cousin wasn’t present during her birthday party.

“Not a clue, Anna. You just make sure you look after that boy, though,” her father said, rubbing his temple.

Anna knew her father had a lot to deal with when Ken was in Dunedin, since both of his parents were away overseas, but now since he was here in Lagos, her father grew even more worried. That little cousin of hers was more robust than a rodent. There was no way of knowing when he would explode and cause trouble for them all.

“I will. I don’t understand why he can’t study in Dunedin when you’re both there to look after him.”

“It’s because he’s worried about you and wants to make sure that you’re fine,” her mother answered her instead. “He’s a boy, Anna. He can look after you until Mr. Right comes along.”

“Yes, Mum.” Anna kissed her mother and father, then closed the door as they departed. She sighed heavily, leaning against the door, glad everyone had left. But as soon as the door was closed, both Julia and Dalia rushed to her side.

“Explain!” was all Dalia said.

Anna knew immediately what Dalia was referring to, but she didn’t want to elaborate about her dilemma tonight. Tonight she just wanted to drown in self-pity, maybe do something bad, like drink a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice without even waiting thirty minutes to brush her teeth, or better yet, flag the whole brushing of her teeth altogether so they would rot away in that acidic environment in her mouth.

“I…” she began but then choked on her word.

“I’m going to get some tissue.” Dalia sighed, patting her back. “I have a feeling we’re going to cry over this.” Dalia jumped from the couch, motioning for Julia to follow.

All alone now, Anna brooded in self-pity. What could she say when the others came back? That she was scared midnight would strike in two hours and when she woke the next morning she’d have white hair and wrinkly skin, with no one beside her but a walking cane as her only companion.

“Cuz,” a deep voice said from behind her, startling Anna out of her thoughts.

Anna turned around and saw her cousin Ken, the subject of her earlier conversation with her parents. She smiled, seeing her favourite young cousin, all dirtybrown hair and dimples.

Ken was her cousin on her father’s side. She didn’t have any relatives on her mother’s side, as they did not survive during the war. Her mother was the only one that had made it alive. She lived in the Khao E Dang camp for many years before meeting her father.

Ken had full-on typical European-Kiwi features, fair skin, with a few sprinkled freckles dotted on his nose and cheeks; while she had the typical Asian features in her genes, making her traits stand out more than her other cousins, with thick black hair and fair porcelain skin. When the two were seen out and about together, no one would even believe they were related.

“Happy birthday, you.” He hugged her from behind, almost strangling her neck in the process. “And I’m not going to congratulate you for turning thirty, but I’m definitely gonna get some of that cake on the table over there.” He laughed cheekily, eyeing his favourite white chocolate cake.

“Ken, you rascal. Don’t think you can come to my birthday party without congratulating me. Now be a good boy and say your part.”

“Nah.” Ken shook his head, smiling.

“Ken Henry Christopher Mason!” Anna warned him, knowing Ken hated it whenever anyone used his full name.

Ken screwed up his face in disgust. Why his parents had decided to name him Ken was beyond him. Anna did mention his mother was a historical romance fanatic since reading that book from her favourite author Alexia Praks, called The Duke’s Revenge or something along those lines, with the hero being called Ken. His mother had become so addicted to the story that she had declared if she ever had a baby boy, she would name him Ken. Then lo and behold, just three months later she was pregnant. And now he was stuck with the name.

“Not going to,” Ken said, determinedly stubborn.

“Fine then. I’ll just grab Sweet Julia and Madam Witch, who will tear your ears down.”

“What? They’re both here too?” Ken asked in fright.

“Why wouldn’t they be? They’re my best friends.” “But…”

“What’s wrong, Keny boy? Scared of us?” Dalia asked from behind him.

Ken was already shaking in his boots.

“Yes, Ken. You better say your congratulations to Anna or I might have to sweet talk you into doing it,” Julia added.

Ken wasn’t looking forward to Julia sweet-talking him. The last time he got on Anna’s wrong side, he ended up doing his cousin’s chores for a whole week, and he didn’t even know he had agreed to the deal in the first place. And as for her other friend, Dalia, the one he liked to secretly call the Wicked Witch of Oz, was no better either. If Julia used the sweet approach, then the Wicked Witch used her spells to torment him, which mainly involved painful words that eventually led to punishment, not by her hands, but by his very own cousin Anna.

Both of them were wicked, and if he didn’t know any better, Anna was also. But out of the three, he had to admit he had great affection for Julia, the sweet one. But then again, he couldn’t help hanging around any of them. It was like they produced this spinster’s pheromone that attracted him to their clan. Not that he was in love with them or anything. It was more along the lines of a sibling relationship whereby every time he hung around them, he felt safe and happy, like they were his long-lost sisters. That was why he made it his mission to make sure they were all safely married and never remained the Three Spinsters for too long.

“Now where were you when the others were here?” Anna eyed her cousin’s attire. “Why are you all dressed up?” “Not telling,” Ken teased.

“Ken!” Anna warned him again.

“Just out and about with friends,” he said cheekily, trying to avoid the hidden truth.

“Where?” Dalia asked in her serious tone.

“Mmmm, a nightclub,” he finally admitted.

“Ken,” they all said simultaneously.

Right now was one of those times Ken thought he was their little brother, with their eyes staring at him like any big sisters would, before laying out the ground rules and punishing him.

As for Anna, she couldn’t believe her young cousin would attempt to do such a thing. Never in her mind had she ever thought he would attend a nightclub. When she was his age, all she’d ever do was work and study. She didn’t even have time to admire the view around her, let alone go clubbing.

“There was hardly anyone there, though. It was too early and I didn’t even get a sip of alcohol. So there, I didn’t do anything wrong.” He rambled his confession.

“But, Ken, you’re only in high school,” Julia said.

“But I don’t want to grow up not being able to experience drinking alcohol. I’ve only got one life,” Ken whined to Julia. “Plus, I want to experience it before I turn twenty.”

When Ken said this, Anna felt her world spin around, her tears almost overflowing again. Before they could escape, though, she wiped them clean while the others were too busy with their argument to notice her change of expression

Since growing up, Anna had never had a chance to get drunk. In fact, she had never even been near to or tasted alcohol since the moment she was born.

No, wait. That was a lie. She had been near alcohol. In her life as a dentist, she had been near the Bunsen burner many times, with its purple spirit, making impression trays for the molding of her patients’ teeth. But that’s the alcohol required for lighting flames, not the drinkable sort.

“You’re underage, Ken,” Julia said, cutting her thoughts.

“More importantly, Ken, you broke the law.” Dalia topped it off.

“What, Dalia? Are you gonna tell my mum?” Ken challenged. “Phone her in

Dubai?”

“I think I might,” Dalia answered, walking towards the phone.

“You wouldn’t dare.” Ken gasped. “It’s gonna cost Anna a fortune to phone

Dubai. Plus, you don’t know her phone number.”

“Oh, I would, Ken.” Dalia nodded to show she meant business and picked up the phone. “I could always ask Anna for your mum’s phone number. Plus, I’ll pay for the phone bills.”

“You witch.” Ken gasped, head bulldozing at Dalia.

“Now, now, you two, stop it. It’s Anna’s birthday, after all.” Julia interrupted their feud, catching Ken’s head just in time before he made contact with Dalia’s stomach. “I don’t want his mom to know Ken has gone out. It would look bad on her behalf.”

“Oh, thank you, Julia.” Ken forgot all about his anger and went to wind his arm around Julia instead, resting his head on her shoulder like a little puppy asking for affection. “You’re the best, not like my cuz and that Wicked Witch of Oz.” “Excuse me?” Dalia huffed at Ken.

“No, nothing, I didn’t say anything.” Ken pretended to zip his mouth. “Julia, you didn’t hear anything, right?”

There was a look of sadness and longing on Julia’s face that Ken couldn’t understand. It only appeared for a fleeting second before it disappeared again.

“I didn’t hear that,” Julia said, smiling at Ken with affection.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, then,” Dalia finally said, letting the subject go.

“All right,” Julia said, smiling too enthusiastically this time. “Now, Ken, say your congratulations to your cousin.” And that was when they all noticed Anna had gone completely silent and a sad look was plastered on her face again, just like the face she had made when she blew out the candles.

Dalia was the first to react, folding her arms around her friend to comfort her, while Julia went to grab some green tea, with Ken following blindly behind her, having not a clue as to what had just happened.

Once Anna and Dalia were on the couch and Julia and Ken came back with the steaming green tea, they all sat in a circle, giving Anna their undivided attention. “That’s it. I’m not going to cry over what’s already been done, or hasn’t been done,” Anna declared with her head held high. “We are going out tonight.”

“Wherever you’re going, can I come too?” Ken asked enthusiastically.

“Not unless you have a death wish,” Anna said, eyeing her cousin sternly while the two friends pondered Anna’s declaration.

Yes, Anna thought. She might be old and yes, she might be on the shelf, but it wasn’t too late yet to find her own family, her very own husband, and find love. Starting tonight, she was going to reverse the clock. Tonight, they were going clubbing!