Click!
And then in a burst of noise and colors, the door swung open,
"Happy birthday!!!"
Behind the door and inside the living room were neighbors living in the apartment complex and few friends.
The room was filled with the sweet scent of freshly baked cake, the sound of music filled the air keeping everyone in a festive mood and the colorful balloons and streamers added a pop of color to the room.
At the center was a table and on that table was a white cake with four candles on top and the sentence "Happy 10th birthday Miguel" stylishly written on it.
Miguel had already tried to retreat before observing the room, his reaction time and calculation ability was something that a child his age shouldn't possibly possess.
However, as soon as he moved back he bumped into Julio who was standing behind him with a gratified smile on his face.
"Very good Miguel, you priotized your safety first, at least you still remembered what I told you" Julio spoke in a whisper.
Miguel's reaction was something that was within his expectation.
"Of course, surprises are dangerous"
As he spoke, his eyes repeatedly scanned the room until it landed on the couple standing closest to the cake and he relaxed greatly.
"You're right, but this time it's a bit different" Julio still whispered as his smile turned mysterious.
"How?" Miguel was extremely confused.
"Hahaha...What date is today" Julio casually asked before going back to untying his shoes.
It seemed like a casual question, however Miguel froze as soon as he heard that question.
"12th of August, I actually forgot my own birthday" Miguel stood still in a stun state while wondering how he actually forgot his own birthday.
Miguel couldn't be faulted for forgetting his birthday, since he'd never had one celebrated before. To him, it was just another regular day, except for the occasional wishes from his family.
"What are you still standing there for migo, come on in quickly" the male among the couple standing closest to the cake waved with a smile on his face.
His face and the brothers face seemed to have been carved from the same mould, except he was more matured and had a goatee on his jaw.
He is the father of the brothers, Mr Marco Santos.
Mr Marco is a 5ft-plus tall Middle aged man with a slight pot-belly and glasses resting on the bridge of his nose.
His voice joited Miguel back from his thoughts and then he realizes that everyone was looking at him with smiles.
"Both of you go take a shower quickly and come to the party, don't keep our guests waiting" the woman standing beside Mr Marco smiled gently.
She had a slim but tall build, had raven-black long hair tied into a ponytail.
Her facial features marked her as a beauty during her hay days, however wrinkles were already beginning to form at the corners of her eyes making her look older than her actual age.
As she spoke to them her smile was filled with motherly love.
She is the mother of the brothers, Lucia Santos.
"Yes mom, we'll be right back" Miguel smiled as well while he and Julio quickly ran past the living room into a door that led else where.
The kids returned fifteen minutes later looking different but nice and then the celebration began.
Miguel was putting on his favorite outfit, a black velvety trousers and a white long sleeved shirt with a wolf image on the chest.
The soft feeling of the fabric against his skin making him believe that this wasn't a dream after all.
The atmosphere in the Santos apartment was merry, the sweet scent of Lucia's freshly baked brigadeiros filled the air making the kids' mouths water.
Currently, Miguel was standing before the cake in the room.
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!! Happy birthday to you!!! Happy birthday to you!!!!" Everyone in the room surrounded him while singing birthday songs.
"Hip! Hip!! Hip!!!"
"Hurraaaay!!!"
"Alright migo, make a wish and blow off the candles" Marco said while tussling Miguel's hair.
He and his wife were standing behind Miguel, Julio was standing by his left side while every other person both children and adults crowded around them.
He silently made a wish and then he blew, drawing the cheers of everyone and so the celebration continued.
At around 4:00pm the party came to an end and everyone dispersed to their various locations.
"Mom, dad thank you" as they were cleaning up after the party Miguel stood up and bowed towards his parents.
He was well aware that his parents weren't well off. His father works as a reporter for the local favela news agency, and his mother runs a roadside stall selling cheap local snacks.
For them to organize this party for him even though small definitely took up a lot of expenses and it went to show how much they loved him.
"It's alright sweetheart" Lucia replied.
"What are you thanking us for migo, it's our duty, to begin with" Marco smiled.
"Hey Miguel, why don't you take the leftovers to Dante, I bet the poor thing would be starving plus it'll be better than throwing them away" Julio who just finished cleaning the dishes returned to the room with a bag of half eaten cakes and leftover foods.
"Yeah you're right" Miguel's face instantly lit up.
Quickly putting on his shoes he grabbed the bag from Julio and hurried towards the door "Mom, dad I'll be right back"
"Say hi to the little fella for me" Julio yelled after him.
"I will"
That was the reply he got from the stairs before going back to doing other chores.
After leaving the apartment and turning a few streets, Miguel finally came to a stop before an alley.
As he stepped into the alley, the smell of rotting trash and the stale air assaulted him, almost making him puke. He ignored it and whistled,"Dante, here boy"
Woof! Woof!!
As soon as he called out, two barks responded from behind a trash bin and echoed throughout the whole alley.
A dirty and hungry-looking brazilian terrier ran out from behind the trash bin towards him while wagging its tail.
Miguel dropped to one knee and hugged the dog "there you are, who's a good boy? Stop no licking eww what have you been sticking your face in"
"Here I brought you something....."
booom!
Miguel was still talking when a loud explosion interrupted him shaking a few buildings.
bang! bang! bang!
"M*therf*ckers, get those Axe fools" a myriad of clamorous voices resounded from the distance.
"Gunshots, it's a gang war" Miguel's heart thumped in his chest as these thoughts appeared in his mind.