Tiffany woke up earlier than usual. She checked her phone and it was still too early to move. It was 5 am on a Monday for pete’s sake. But today was Nabi’s birthday and she wanted to make the day extra special for her daughter so she decided to get up and prepare for Nabi’s breakfast. 

She saw her face in the mirror and thanked the heavens that her eyes were not looking so puffy. Her daughter will surely notice it and she did not want a worried Nabi on this day.

She looked for a banana bread recipe on Youtube and followed the instructions. Tiffany was determined to bake this properly because the last time they attempted it, the results were unfavorable. 

Bananas, sugar, eggs, butter, milk, flour, and other ingredients were combined together. Tiffany was actually proud of herself because the mixture looked decent. She put it in the oven and set the timer for 50 minutes. She looked at the clock and noticed that it was already 5:45 am. 

She cleaned up for a bit and decided to wake up Nabi but it looks like her daughter beat her to it as she sees her going out of her room excitedly.

Nabi suddenly half-shouts, “Today is March 9th! Finally, happy 7th birthday to me!” says Nabi while shooting an eye smile at her mom.

Tiffany chuckled and ran to her daughter and picked her up. “Oomph. You’re getting bigger. Thank you for being born 7 years ago on this day, my angel baby Hwang Nabi,” she showered her daughter with kisses as Nabi squealed.

“I love you, Nabi-yah.” 

“I love you too, Miyoung Omma.” 

—

After taking a bath, Nabi sat down at their dinner table, reading a book. The baking timer suddenly rings, so Nabi calls her mother. Fortunately, Tiffany was also done with her morning routine.

Tiffany takes 2 slices of the cake and puts it on Nabi's plate. She also takes two for herself. 

“Do you want some candles to go with this now?” she asks. “Let’s just do it during dinner, Omma.”

Nabi tries a piece of the cake as Tiffany watches her daughter’s face intently. 

“Mmmmm! Omma, this is so good!”

“I can’t actually tell if you’re lying or not.”

“Try it, Omma! You’ll be surprised!” Tiffany was cautious of her daughter’s remarks but as she ate the cake, it actually turned out well.

“See? I wasn’t lying! This cake is the best! My mom is the best!” Tiffany laughed at her daughter once again. She held her daughter’s face and took a good look at her. 

“How did you get so big? It seems like it yesterday when I was calling you by your taemyeong and not Nabi.” 

“I will always be your popo, Miyoung omma. But please don’t call me that when we’re around people, even if it’s just a slip of the tongue?”

“Of course, Little Miss Iris Hwang.” Tiffany daughter, calling her by her English name that she uses in school.

“Don’t call me that, omma please! It kind of feels awkward hearing you call me that.” Nabi huffs and Tiffany laughs at her daughter’s animated reactions.

—

The two walked hand-in-hand as they went to Nabi’s school. Tiffany sees to it that she always gets to send her daughter to school whenever she’s around and if she isn’t, it’s halmoni who takes her to school. 

Continuing their little tradition, Nabi sees her halmoni waiting for her at the front of their old home as soon as they make a turn.

“Halmoni! I missed you! I am 7 today!” she says as she runs towards the older woman. The older woman smiles and opens her arms to hug her Nabi.

“Happy birthday, popo-yah. I missed you too but we just saw each other the other day! I love you, uri Nabi,” she says while giving each other a bone-crushing hug. Tiffany’s heart swells at the sight, almost tearing up.

“Now, can we make this into a group hug?” Tiffany asks.

“Don’t be jealous, Miyoung-ah.” Halmoni teases her and this remark earns a chortle from Nabi. 

The older woman hands Nabi a lunchbox, something she does everyday even before they moved homes. “Here’s your seaweed soup. Can’t forget that on your special day.”

Nabi shows one of her best smiles. “Thank you, halmoni,” she raises her lunchbox, “I will be sure to enjoy it.” 

“Oh that reminds me, you’ll stop by at the store later with your friends right?”

“Yes, halmoni! I want tteokbokki and bungeoppang. I’ll be with 2 friends only, so no need to prepare a lot.” Nabi informs her and Tiffany smiles at that. Her daughter surely is like her, very detailed to the core.

“Okay then! Tteokbokki and bungeoppang for the birthday girl and her friends. You should get going now. You don’t want to be late.” 

Halmoni hugs Nabi tightly and greets her again. “Happy birthday again, Nabi. See you later.” 

“Thank you again, halmoni.” This time, Nabi gives her a 90 degree bow and the older lady chuckles at that sight. She turns to Tiffany and tells her something.

“Miyoung-ah, you’ve done well like you always have. I’m always here for you, you know that. I love you lik