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When she woke up that morning, the first Tuesday in May, she almost forgot what day it was. After all, birthdays were new to her and she had never celebrated one of her own before. Will’s birthday had been in March and Joyce had a small intimate party for their extended ‘family’, including Steve, Nancy, Max and all the other members of the party. Everyone had bought or made small gifts for Will to unwrap. As hard as she tried to remember she could not recall any mention of her birthday, or anyone else’s, while living at the lab.
“Good morning, birthday girl,” Hopper said, smiling at her while leaning in the doorway of her bedroom.
El sat up in bed and smiled back. He couldn’t believe she was fourteen. She was still small for her age so could even now easily pass for twelve. He had missed almost all of her childhood and wished she wouldn’t grow up so fast. Her hair was down to her shoulders and had lost some of its curl. Her huge brown eyes were just as mesmerizing as the first time he saw her. So much had happened since the gate had been closed. He had officially adopted her last December and they were about to embark on some home renovations to freshen up the cabin, make her room bright and cozy and clear out the back room so he could finally move out of the living room and have some private space of his own. He walked towards the bed, leaned over and kissed the top of her head.
“There’s an eggo extravanganza with your name on it waiting at the table,” he told her.
El threw back the covers and dashed out for her favorite special breakfast, taking note of the colorfully wrapped boxes on the coffee table. “Gifts after breakfast,” Hopper reminded her, refilling his coffee mug before joining her at the table.
When they had finished eating, cleaning up and El had dressed, they sat on the couch. “Go ahead,” Hopper told her.
There were two brightly, but badly, wrapped gifts in front of her. When she couldn’t make up her mind where to start, Hopper handed her the larger box and she began to delicately remove the paper.
Hopper watched her slow, careful movements with a grin. “You can just tear it off you know. Like at Christmas. That paper’s going in the wood stove regardless.”
She looked up at him and he confirmed with a nod that it was perfectly okay to rip the package open. So she did. It contained four books, two Nancy Drew and two Trixie Belden. El stared at the pictures on the covers.
“Now that you’re reading on your own I thought you might enjoy these. They’re about young female detectives trying to solve mysteries.”
“Thank you,” El said, turning the books over to check the back. “Nancy told me she used to read these.”
Hopper was aware of that, as Nancy was the one who suggested these. “I hope you like them.”
“I do. I love them. Thank you.”
El looked at the other gift, not sure if she should open it now. She had never received birthday gifts before and was totally unaware of any protocol.
Hopper sensed her hesitation so said, “Go on, open the other one.”
When she picked it up it weighed nothing, which confused her. “Empty,” she said.
“Open it and find out,” Hopper replied, stifling a grin.
This time she tore the paper off immediately, revealing a small box. She opened the lid and pulled out a piece of paper.
“What does it say?” Hopper asked.
“Look on the porch.” She said it more like a question than a statement.
“Go on,” Hopper prodded. When she jumped up he followed her out.
As El stepped out she spotted the brand new, purple bike, complete with a huge white bow on the handlebars. She stopped dead, speechless.
Hopper stepped behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Do you like it?”
“I LOVE it!” she cried, turning to wrap her arms around his waist. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
***
“Ready?”
A deep breath. “Yes, ready.”
“Ok. One, two, three, go.”
El tightly gripped the handlebars of her new bike, felt Hopper give her a push and she was off. She had been practicing on the newly extended and widened flat patch of road behind his parked truck for the last fifteen minutes. They started with Hopper keeping a grip on one handlebar and the back of the seat, slowly walking her around in a circle so she could get the feel of it. The first time he had let go, at her insistence, she had pedaled about ten feet before losing her balance. But she was quick to learn and made it much further the second time. This time she was bound and determined to make it as far as the big oak tree a hundred feet away.
“There you go,” Hopper called after her, “you got it now!”
El pedaled quickly, enjoying the sunshine and the feel of the wind in her hair. She couldn’t wait to tell Mike she would be able to ride alongside him now, not just sit on the back of his bike. They were definitely getting too big to both fit on one bicycle. This bike meant freedom and exploration and being with friends. This was the best birthday present ever.
And then the front tire hit a rock.
El could hear Hopper running towards her as she picked herself up off the ground and brushed dirt and dead leaves off her pink sweatshirt.
“Are you okay?” he asked, a bit breathless from running several yards. He had packed on a few extra pounds over the winter, not that it mattered to her.
“I hit a rock,” she explained.
Hopper leaned down and gave her a once over. No cuts, no blood, no bruises, no bones sticking out. She was fine. Honestly, considering how little physical activity she had done in the first twelve years of her life, she was much more coordinated than he expected. “Wanna try it again?” he asked, pulling the bike upright.
She smiled at him, determined. “Yes.”
***
As her birthday was on a Tuesday, Hopper had to go to work. He had let Flo know he would be late coming in, and as much as he hated leaving El alone for most of the day, duty called. He walked her back to the cabin and watched her lean her bike against the stairs.
“Okay kiddo, I have to get to work,” he said, holding his hat. “But I’ll be back around 5, with pizza and ice cream. Yeah?”
“Yes,” El replied, hugging him around the waist. Hopper had cancelled Nancy and Jonathon’s tutoring lessons for the day and planned to tell Flo he had an appointment so he could beg off early. “Thanks for breakfast and the gifts, I love all of them.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie.” He kissed the top of her head and headed to the truck. “See you this afternoon.”
Hopper drove off, smiling to himself. What El didn’t know is that when he returned he was bringing Mike back with him. The rest of the kids were going to do the official birthday party tomorrow at Joyce’s after school because it was her regular day off, but he knew that getting to see Mike was going to be the best present he could give her.
El passed her day as she normally did, doing her schoolwork, reading and watching tv. She started reading one of the new Nancy Drew books and thoroughly enjoyed it. While her reading skills had greatly improved, she still needed to take her time and occasionally look up words. Thankfully, the day passed quickly and it was almost time for Hopper to return. Eventually she heard footsteps coming up the steps. She thought her mind was playing tricks on her as it sounded like he was carrying on a conversation.
She slid the locks before Hopper had a chance to knock. “Hey kiddo, look who tagged along,” he said, stepping through the door with a pizza box and a grocery bag, so she could see Mike standing on the porch.
“Mike!” El cried, rushing to him and throwing her arms around his neck.
“Happy birthday El.” Mike quickly checked to make sure Hopper wasn’t looking and gave her a kiss. He hadn’t seen her in two days. Which was two days too many as far as he was concerned.
El kissed him back and then kept her arms around his neck. “I didn’t think I would see you until tomorrow.”
Hopper had moved into the cabin, putting the pizza on the table and the ice cream in the freezer. Mike gave her another quick peck on the lips. “Yeah, well, you can thank Hopper, it was his idea.”
El smiled over at Hopper, who gave her a nod. El grabbed Mike’s hand and pulled him further into the cabin, shutting and locking the door with a hand swipe and nod of her head.
“Wow that’s a great looking bike, El,” Mike told her. “Have you tried it yet?”
El nodded. “This morning, but I need more practice.”
“Maybe after dinner I can help you,” Mike offered.
“Come get it while it’s hot,” Hopper said, grabbing plates.
“Can Mike and I eat in my room?” El asked, giving him what he now thought of as her “please daddy” look.
He hated that look. He was a complete sucker for that look. He sighed. What the hell, it was her birthday. “Yeah, sure. As long as you - ”
“Keep the door open three inches,” Mike and El recited together.
Hopper looked at the two mischievous faces in front of him. “Exactly,” he agreed. “Go on then.”
The kids immediately grabbed their pizza and scooted away. Frankly, he was grateful to have the table to himself so he could quietly read the paper while he ate. It had been a very busy day at work and he didn’t feel like watching two lovesick teens mooning over one another. He kept hoping El’s infatuation with all things Mike Wheeler would fade over time, but instead the opposite was happening. She was completely head over heels. And Mike was even worse.
He pretended to ignore them as they came out to get bowls of ice cream (there would be a cake tomorrow), barely moving more than a foot from one another. It was adorable and repulsive at the same time. He firmly believed she was too young for anything this serious. But if it was going to happen, he had to admit that Mike was a good choice. His seemingly endless patience was something to behold. And the way he seemed to know exactly what El needed before she did was uncanny. And he would never hurt her, he was sure of it. He really should be grateful. If they would just keep the constant, relentless kissing to a minimum.
A little while later they emerged, putting their bowls in the sink.
“Outside?” El asked.
“Yeah, just be careful,” Hopper replied. “And Mike needs to be home by eight so be back in by 7:30.”
****
At 7:29 on the nose the teens returned to the cabin to find Hopper on the couch finishing his own ice cream. “I did it!” El announced, leaping onto the couch beside him. “I rode to the end of the road and back all by myself. I even turned around in a circle at the end.”
Hopper looked at her skeptically. “And?”
“And I didn’t use any powers,” she confirmed. He had insisted she not use her powers to maintain her balance or keep herself from falling. She wanted to be a normal kid so she needed to start acting like one.
“That’s terrific,” Hopper replied, ruffling her hair.
Mike was beaming at her proudly. “She’s a natural.” He couldn’t wait to ride alongside her. El having her own bike opened up so many more opportunities.
“Do you want to take the bike to Joyce’s tomorrow so you can practice some more?” Hopper asked.
El nodded before Mike added, “Then maybe we can all go for a ride after school?”
Both kids turned to look at Hopper, who hadn’t introduced El to Hawkins yet and was notoriously overprotective about where she went. But her “safe zone” had been expanded several times and there was lots of open space around the Byers’ house for them to wander. And it was her birthday.
“Yeah, sure, that’s fine,” he agreed, “as long as you…”
“Stay within the safe zone,” El and Mike finished. They looked at each other with grins.
“You two really need to stop doing that,” Hopper complained, trying and failing not to grin back. “Okay Mike, time to get you home.”
Mike and El disappeared back into her room so he could gather his stuff and sneak in a goodbye kiss out of view. Normally El wasn’t allowed to come when Hopper chauffeured Mike or any of the other kids home, but pretty soon he was going to have to introduce her to the outside world. He figured now was as good a time as any to start. When they emerged he asked, “Wanna come for the ride, El?”
Her eyes grew big as saucers, not believing what she was hearing. This was the best birthday. Ever. “Can I?”
“Yeah, new rule now that you’re fourteen,” he announced, grabbing his coat off the hook and pulling his keys out of the pocket.
El squealed with delight and hugged Hopper around the waist. Mike was staring at Hopper like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. He had been hoping she would be granted more freedom with school due to be out soon, and this was a good first step. He kept silent so as not to jinx it, but Hopper didn’t miss the gratitude written all over his face.
El’s jacket flew into her hands and she clicked the locks open, grabbing Mike by the hand to scoot out the door before Hopper had any opportunity to change his mind. “Meet you at the truck,” she called as they hustled down the stairs.
Hopper stood in the open door watching as they carefully stepped over the trip wire, holding hands and laughing as they continued to the truck. And he thought for the thousandth time how grateful he was to have found her. That they had saved each other.
It didn’t take much to make El happy but he was glad he had managed to make her first official birthday as special as possible. He knew tomorrow would be a much bigger celebration, with decorations and a cake (hopefully made by Jonathon and not Joyce as her last cake had been slightly uncooked in the middle and the icing was lumpy). It would be shared with the small group of people that had become their extended family. Their monster hunting, other worldly facing, slightly dysfunctional but somehow perfect little extended family. She’d have lots more presents to unwrap and there would be games and songs and laughs. It would be loud, annoying, heartfelt, nauseating, and amazing all at the same time.
He couldn’t wait.