Twenty-one. Twenty-one. Jennifer was now twenty-one, but she didn't feel it. She didn't feel any different from when she was twenty. Or nineteen. Or eighteen for that matter. She didn't wake up with the urge to shout it from the rooftops or go out and celebrate being able to legally drink at the local bar. In fact, she would not have been spending the day any different to how she had spent the previous day, or the next one, if it wasn't for her friend Constance. Jennifer had felt anxious prior to asking Constance if she wanted to do something on her birthday, mainly because if the latter had, if fact, made plans already, then it would be obvious that she was spending her birthday alone which was something she wanted to avoid people knowing. The reactions were never good. 

So Jennifer was here, five minutes before they had arranged, sitting in Little Skips cafe and bakery with a pot of tea, two teacups and an assortment of biscuits and cakes on tiered plates in front of her. She was smiling to herself even before she saw Constance appear in the doorway, excited for their private little tea party and spending her birthday with a friend. Jennifer stood up as Constance came through the doorway and greeted her friend with a smile.