05 · IX · MMXXVI — she turns twenty
Happy Birthday, Wania
an evening, in ten chapters.
your favourite flowers…
roses and lilies — since I can’t hand you the real ones.
Chapter II
Make a wish
tap each candle
Chapter III
The moon that night
Twenty years ago tonight, this is what hung over the world you arrived in.
Two nights later the Earth slid across it — a partial eclipse. You were two days old for that one.
Chapter IV
The sky tonight
I went looking for something up there worth comparing you to. Came back with nothing that measured up.
move your cursor — the stars lean toward it
Chapter V
Seven reasons it’s you
- 01
you are one of those people I can talk to for hours and still somehow have more to say
- 02
I can tell you the dumbest things without ever feeling judged
- 03
there are so many little moments with you that I still randomly think about and smile
- 04
because you’re just… you — and somehow, that’s my favorite thing about you
- 05
you notice things other people miss
- 06
because out of all the people life could’ve placed beside me, it gave me you and I genuinely hope you never forget how special that is to me
- 07
I’ve stopped trying to name what this is. I just know I want more of it
Chapter VI
The reel
swipe —
Chapter VIII
A letter
Wania,
Happy birthday to the most beautiful soul I’ve had the privilege of knowing.
I honestly don’t even know where to begin, because somehow, somewhere along the way, you became so much more important to me than I ever expected you to be. You came into my life without any warning, and now I can’t imagine my days without your presence.
I hope you know how incredibly special you are. Not just to me, but as a person. There’s something about you that’s impossible to put into words.
On your birthday, more than anything, I hope life is gentle with you. I hope you get every beautiful thing you’ve ever wished for, even the things you’re too scared to say out loud. I hope you meet people who love you properly, who choose you without hesitation — and selfishly, I hope I get to be around for a lot of those moments. If this world was mine, I’d take your dreams and make them multiply. If it was up to me, I’d give you everything.
If I could give you one thing today, it would be the ability to see yourself through my eyes for just a minute. Maybe then you’d understand why I think you’re so beautiful, why your smile stays in my head, why I care about the little things you tell me, and why your happiness genuinely matters to me.
So today, please celebrate yourself. Celebrate the girl you’ve become, everything you’ve survived, everything you’re becoming, and all the beautiful things that are still waiting for you.
And whenever life gets heavy, I hope you remember that somewhere in this world there’s someone who is ridiculously proud of you, who wants nothing but the best for you, and who will always have a soft spot for you.
Happy birthday, Wania. You are ineffable, body and soul. Never think twice before sharing your problems with me — you will never be a burden, and I’ll always be here to listen.
You deserve the world. And if the world ever forgets to remind you of that, I’ll remind you. And even if you are wrong, I will simply reshape reality so that what you said is correct.
Happy birthday, truly. The perfect thing about you is that you don’t remind me of anyone. Everything about you is new. Lately my soul aches just to catch a glimpse of you — I sometimes wonder if, after God fashioned you, the leftover clay was used to create my eyes.
always,
— Hamza
Chapter IX
Open when…
Six letters you don’t read yet. Keep each one for the moment on its label — then break the seal.
Chapter X
A note to future you
Write something to the Wania who opens this a year from now. I won’t see it — it stays on your device.
Chapter XI
Twenty looks
good on you, Wania
— Hamza Zulfiqar
P.S.
the one who got there first
Twenty years ago today your mom gave birth to an angel like you. This day is a little bit hers too, go call her.