Sunny Days and Moon Cakes (15 page)

My phone buzzes with a text from Mum:
How’s Operation Min going? Our ETA is 5.15 p.m
.

Almost ready
, I text back.
Wait till you see the decorations
.

She’ll be so excited. See you soon
.

I put the final touches to the huge red heart I’ve painted on the window overlooking the harbour. Min’s name is written, back to front, inside the heart in big sparkling pink letters so she can see it from the ferry.

Alanna’s been busy this morning too, baking Min a special birthday cake and making loads of fairy cakes, cookies and sandwiches for the party. Landy and Cal have pitched in as well, helping us blow up balloons and tie bunches of them to every tree, car, boat and lamp-post we can find. Min’s in for quite a surprise.

As soon as the ferry is in sight, we all line the harbour walls, waiting for it to dock. We’ve invited pretty much everyone on the island to the party and loads of them have turned up to greet the ferry. Landy is here with his dad, Bat. There’s Cal and his mum, and Mollie, of course. Mollie’s great-granny, Nan, has also come along, as have most of Min’s school mates, and her teacher. Alanna’s inside the cafe, preparing the last of the food. We have a lot of people to feed.

“Here’s the ferry!” Mollie shouts.

The girls and boys from Min’s school start to wave and cheer as the red boat chugs into the harbour. They all love Min, especially the little ones. Lots of them have brought birthday cards and presents for her. Min will be thrilled – she adores presents!

The ferry staff throw thick ropes over the concrete bollards and the captain reverses the boat until it comes to a stop alongside the steps in the harbour wall.

There are even more cheers when we spot Min. She’s sitting in a small wheelchair on the back deck with Mum standing just beside her, holding two huge yellow Toystar shopping bags. Min seems to be giving the ferry staff directions. Dad jumps onto the boat and lifts Min out of the wheelchair. One of the ferrymen carries her wheelchair onto the island while Dad follows, Min in his arms. “Happy birthday, Minnie Mouse,” I hear him say.

When they’re on dry land, Dad puts Min back into the chair and starts pushing her towards the crowd, and she smiles and waves at everyone like she’s the Queen of England. She even poses for photos with some of her school friends.

“This is amazing!” she says. “What a surprise! I had no idea you were planning this for little old
moi
. Now, who wants to give me a birthday hug? Line up if you do. No pushing.” She’s such a madam. And they do it – everyone lines up, good as gold, to say “Happy birthday” and to give her a hug!

Mollie digs me in the ribs. “Your sister sure loves being the centre of attention.”

I smile at my friend. A few weeks ago, Min’s behaviour would have annoyed me, but not today. It’s just who she is – my crazy little sister.

Mum appears beside me. “All set up for the party?”

I nod.

“Good for you. I’ll go inside, see if Alanna needs a hand with anything and get rid of these.” She lifts up the bags. “Your sister went a bit mad in the Sylvanian Families department. There’s a house and a caravan, plus three new animal families in here.”

“Hey, Sunny!” Min shouts as Mum hurries off. “There you are. Come on, Dad, push harder!”

“Yes, Master,” he says. But he’s grinning, so I can tell he doesn’t really mind.

When Min reaches me, she puts her arms out. I bend down and hug her. “Did you do all this? Is it a surprise birthday party?”

When I nod at her, she grins. “Yeah! I love parties. Dad, can Sunny wheel me to the cafe?”

“Of course she can.” Dad smiles at me. “Go for it, Sunny.”

I wheel Min up the road to where Alanna is waiting in the doorway in her Songbird Cafe apron, beaming at us.

After most of the party food has been eaten, it’s time for Min to blow out the candles on her birthday cake. Alanna has asked me to carry it out of the kitchen and I do so very slowly and carefully. It’s magnificent – a giant moon cake with
MIN
written on it in delicate curving pastry and a picture of two intertwined nightingales underneath. “You and Min,” Alanna told me earlier.

When I place the cake gently on the table, everyone gasps.

“It’s stunning, Alanna,” Dad says.

“Beautiful,” Mum agrees. They’re standing together and Dad squeezes her hand. Mum rests her head on Dad’s shoulder.

I point them out to Min by nodding my head in their direction and Min rolls her eyes dramatically. “Mum’s going to start crying in a minute,” she whispers in my ear. “She’s in one of her weepy moods.”

I smile at my sister. She’s probably right.

Min blows out her candles – unlike me she doesn’t need any help – and then screws her eyes shut to make a wish. When she opens them, she winks at me.

“What did you wish for, Min?” Mollie asks.

“My lips are sealed,” Min says, pretending to zip them shut. “It won’t come true if I tell you.”

Dad catches my eye. He tilts his head and mouths “OK?”. I nod back at him. He can tell how nervous I am right now.

Alanna pulls me aside. “Are you sure about this, Sunny?” she asks gently. “It’s not too late to change your mind.”

I shake my head, determined. It’s going to be all right. Min’s here, my mum and dad are here, and Alanna’s here.

She squeezes my shoulder. “I’ll be right beside you. You can do it. I believe in you and Rosie believes in you and your dad believes in you. You just need to believe in yourself, Sunny. You’re a remarkable girl. Don’t forget that. And even if this doesn’t work out, you’re still amazing for trying.”

I nod. Even thinking about what I’m about to do is frightening, so I concentrate on picturing my happy scene to soothe my nerves. Just like Rosie taught me. I’m floating on Monet’s water-lily pond in a little wooden boat, Min by my side. All is peaceful.

Keep calm
, I tell myself.
I can do this. For Mum and Dad and Min. And for me. It’s time
.

“Now?” Alanna asks.

I nod.

Alanna picks up a glass and dings it with a fork. Everyone stops chatting and looks at her.

“Thanks for coming to the cafe for Min’s surprise birthday party,” Alanna says. “And now Sunny has something that she’d like to say.”

“But she can’t talk,” Conor, a boy in Min’s class, says loudly. His mum shushes him. But I know it’s what everyone else is thinking. Mum and Min are staring at me in amazement.

I open my mouth to speak, but my throat is too dry. Alanna hands me a glass of water and I take a sip and try again.

“Hap … hap…” I begin, my voice as breathy as the wind.

“She said something,” Conor says.

“If you don’t be quiet we’re going home right now, young man,” his mum hisses at him. But I don’t mind – because he’s right. I did say something. And maybe I can say more. Maybe I really can do this! A wave of adrenaline surges through my body. The room has gone completely silent and I can feel everyone’s eyes on me. Mum is holding on to Dad as if she’s about to fall over. But I concentrate on Min’s hopeful, shining face and block everything else out.

I start again, and very slowly, taking a deep breath between each word, like Rosie taught me, I say, “Happy … birthday … Min.”

That’s all I can manage. Like Mum, I think I’m about to collapse.

“You spoke!” Min squeals. “Sunny, you did it!”

Everyone claps and cheers. Mum and Dad rush towards me. As predicted, Mum’s crying. She throws her arms around me and kisses me. When she finally lets go, Dad says, “Attagirl, Sunny. I knew you could do it. All the hard work paid off.”

“Hard work?” Mum says. “What do you mean, Smiles?”

“Sunny’s been working on that sliding in exercise with Rosie and Alanna for the last two weeks,” he explains. “It was Sunny’s idea. She’s been incredibly brave, trying to do this on her own without you. We didn’t want you to be disappointed if it didn’t work. But as you can see, it did. And Rosie says Sunny is making remarkable progress.”

“I still can’t believe it,” Mum says, tears rolling down her cheeks. “I thought she was helping Alanna in the kitchen. I never dreamed… It’s all so…” She starts sobbing.

“Oh, Nadia, come here to me,” Dad says. He pulls her into a hug.

“I’m just so happy,” Mum says. “It’s a miracle.”

“Ahem!” Min appears beside us, Alanna pushing her wheelchair. “What about my leg and arm? I’m the miracle for surviving that fall. And it’s
my
birthday party, remember?”

“Now that Sunny’s found her voice, you may need to get used to sharing the limelight, Min,” Alanna says.

Min rolls her eyes. “I guess.” Then she grins at me. “But I don’t mind. She’s the best sister in the world.”

That evening we have a birthday dinner for Min. Dad is cooking Chinese chicken noodles in a wok on the stove and afterwards we’re having vanilla ice cream and strawberry jelly – Min’s favourite dessert. She loves poking the jelly with her finger and making it wobble. Dad’s just having the ice cream on account of his slimy food phobia.

“Girls, will you set the table?” Mum asks.

“I’ll do it,” I say. “Min’s the birthday girl. Besides, she’s only got one working hand.” I take the cutlery out of the drawer and start laying four places.

“Thanks, Sunny,” Min says.

Mum smiles too. “It’s so peaceful around here when you two get on.”

“But it’s a bit weird,” Dad adds. “Almost too quiet.”

Goldie gives a bark from under the table.

“I think Goldie agrees, Dad,” I say. “But we don’t have anything to fight about today. Do we, Min?”

“Apart from you stealing the show at
my
birthday party?” She pretends to look huffy, but I can tell she doesn’t mean it.

“And you’ve never done that at
my
birthday parties?” I ask her.

She grins. “Never.”

Mum puts glasses and a jug of water on the table and asks Dad if he’s ready.

He nods. “Ready,” he says, and serves the noodles onto four plates. They smell spicy and delicious. When we’ve all sat down to eat, Mum says, “Go on, Smiles, I can’t wait.”

“What is it, Mum?” Min asks.

“We have an extra present for you, Minnie Mouse,” Dad says. He reaches into the back pocket of his jeans, takes out a slightly squished envelope and passes it to Min.

She opens it and squeals. “No way! Disneyland in Paris. Thanks, Dad.” Min blows him a kiss.

“It was Sunny’s idea,” he says.

“I know how much you want to go, Min,” I say. “Happy birthday, little sister.”

She gives me the biggest grin ever.

Later, when we’re lying in bed, Min snuggles up to me.

“It’s been the best day ever, hasn’t it?” she says. “Apart from the day Mum and Dad adopted us. That was the number-one best day.”

“Yes. That was a pretty special day, all right.”

Min drifts off to sleep after that, but I can’t. In the end I climb out of bed, making sure not to wake her, take my red sketchbook off my desk and then walk down the corridor to Mum and Dad’s room.

Mum’s sitting up in bed, reading a book. Dad must be upstairs on his computer, working.

“Everything OK, Sunny?” Mum asks.

“I want to show you something,” I say.

“Jump in, then.” She pats the bed beside her. I climb in and she puts her arm around me. I can feel the solid warmth of her body through my pyjamas. It gives me the courage to take my China photos out of my sketchbook and arrange them on the duvet in front of me.

She stares down at them and then back at me. “I was wondering when you were going to show me these.”

“You know about my photos?”

“Yes. They were in a little bundle in your orphanage clothes. I figured you’d tell me about them when you were ready. The little bird song – the one you sang to Min when she was in hospital – that’s from China too, isn’t it? I remember it from my teaching days.”

I nod. “Mama used to sing it to us. I’m sorry – I shouldn’t have let Min lie to you like that.”

“She was just protecting you, pet. You’ve always been close, but since China you seem even closer and that makes me really happy. So, tell me more about Puggy.” She touches her finger to Puggy’s nose in the photo.

As we talk about the pictures, I find myself telling her everything: about how I felt when Mama and then Papa died, about the day Mama Wei took us to the orphanage, about the cherry tree accident and my fear of being separated from Min.

“When she was in the hospital, you thought they’d taken her away from you for ever?” Mum asks.

I can’t get the words out, so I just nod.

“Oh, Sunny. You must have been terrified. Is that why you were so nervous when you first met us? You thought we only wanted one of you?”

I nod again.

Mum hugs me close to her. “We definitely wanted both of you. With all our hearts. We asked for two little Chinese daughters and we got the best girls in the world. Thank you for sharing your photos with me, Sunny. It means a lot. Has Min seen them?”

“Yes. I showed them to her in the hospital. I’ll share them with Dad next. And then Alanna and Rosie and some of my other friends. I’d like to wait until I can tell them all about the photos properly, though – talk about them, I mean – and about China and everything.”

“Your dad would love to see these. And I’m sure your friends would too. But all in your own time, pet. No rush.” Mum’s eyes start to well up.

“Oh, Mum!” I say. “Not again.”

“They’re happy tears,” she says. “Very, very happy tears.”

“You’re such a softie.” I give her a big hug.

The morning after Min’s party, I wake up early, and after breakfast I stay in my room to work on the final scene of my Lotus Flower and Cherry Blossom story. I draw Lotus Flower finding her sister sitting under an enchanted fairy tree that is frothy with pink blossom. They hug each other and are immediately transported back to their own fairy world, where they are reunited with their fairy family.

The very last comic cell shows their dog, Firecracker, wagging his tail and saying, “There’s no place like home.” I got that from Dorothy in
The Wizard of Oz
. It’s a film I watch with Mollie a lot – it’s one of our favourites.