I am not talking to Jo about this It was bad enough telling Mom She kept saying I really think I should call Lula’s mom and discuss what’s happening I had to make her promise not to Because that would be so embarrassing I’m not a baby Jo did help me feel better though I have to admit When she saw how sad I was and how much I did NOT want to talk about Lula she left the room for a minute Then she came back carrying a long box of foil What are you doing I said Because our foil does not tend to leave the kitchen Just trust me she said Then she started gathering up the presents I’d opened this morning Those are mine I said I know that she said Obviously I’m trying to do something that will keep you from sitting around feeling sad on your birthday Will you please just trust me So I trusted her Except not with this journal She does not get to touch this journal She re-wrapped all of my presents in foil Then she hid them around our apartment and wrote up complicated clues for me So I could have a birthday treasure hunt Searching for foil-wrapped presents was not exactly my dream birthday activity Lula and I were supposed to rent two movies and watch them both and eat popcorn AND make ourselves sundaes with whipped cream and hot fudge and chocolate chip cookie crumbs and rainbow sprinkles Just exactly like we did last year THOSE were my dream birthday activities Still Jo’s treasure hunt was fun And I do like my presents Mom gave me a book of world records One woman in that book didn’t cut her
fingernails for 21 years So now she has the world’s longest nails They swoop and curl It’s crazy Mom also gave me a sweatshirt that says Narwhals Are Awesome Because I love narwhals I like the big horn that sticks out of their heads It’s actually a tooth It keeps growing and growing out of their mouths Like that woman’s nails Only the horn is straight
like this Dad gave me a punching bag which he’s going to hang in my room And this great journal I’m not just going to write and draw in here I’m going to tape in letters and notes and report cards whatever I can think of So I can tell the full story of my whole life
not like this Granny sent me a white tablecloth with pretty blue flowers She says she got it as a birthday present too from her mother Years and years ago Which is nice Only I don’t actually need a tablecloth And she mailed it so early The package was delivered three weeks ago I was home with Mom when it came so I saw it I could tell it was my birthday present from Granny because she’d written Happy Birthday Sensational Celie in her curly handwriting on the outside of the box I wanted to open that package right up but Mom wouldn’t let me She put it in her closet and made me wait until today my actual birthday I don’t care about any of that though I still love my granny Last but not least Jo gave me a super-official spy notebook I know exactly who I’m going to spy on first But not until Monday
