Special Birthday
“Mom, Becky’s dad is going to have a pitching clinic this fall. I wanna do it, and he’s only charging $40.” I watch her face as she thinks. Afraid she’ll say no, I blurt, “It can be part of my birthday present.”
At last she says, “I’ll think about it.” She flips over a blueberry pancake. “Please set the table.”
I get out plates and utensils, then grab the milk, butter, and maple syrup from the fridge. I fill a sippy cup with milk, then hand it to my two-and-a-half-year-old brother. “Do you want a glass of milk?”
She adds another pancake to a platter. “No, I’ll have coffee. Please get out the hazelnut creamer.” She shuts off the stove, then sets the platter on our kitchen table. Sitting down, she says, “Thank you, Lord, for what we are about to eat.” She forks pancakes onto plates for Jase, me, and herself. After she cuts my brother’s food into bite-sized chunks and puts the plate on his tray, she glances at me. “Is there anything else you want for your birthday?”
I was going to wait until my little brother was napping, but she seems to be in a good mood. I swallow another bite, then take a deep breath. “Well, this is my extra special birthday, Mom.”
She sips some coffee. “What do you mean?”
I take another bite of delicious pancake before I say, “I’ll be 8 on the eighth. That only happens once in a lifetime.” I see her nod and rush to say, “My friends say this one is super special because it’s also the eighth month.”
She glances at me. I can’t help squirming in my seat. This is so important to me. I put down my fork and take a deep breath. “Can I puleeze have a sleepover birthday party?”
Mom doesn’t answer right away. She gets up and dampens a wash cloth then wipes the stickiness from Jase’s face. She takes him from the highchair. Once he is standing on the floor, she flips the wall calendar up so she can see the month of August. “Hmm. Your birthday is on a Thursday. It would be better if it were the weekend.” She releases the calendar and starts clearing our breakfast things.
I put the items back in the fridge. “Pretty, pretty puleeze?”
She picks up Jase, carries him into the living room, and puts him in his playpen. She looks thoughtful as she returns. “We don’t have much room for a sleepover. How many girls?”
“Tracy, Becky, Liz, and Chrissie. Maybe Santina.”
Mom frowns then begins washing dishes. “The sofa bed won’t hold that many.”
I grab a dishtowel to dry. “We can use sleeping bags on the living room floor. That’s what we did at Tracy’s party.”
She rinses a plate, puts it in the rack, and washes another. I continue drying. I want to ask again but wait. Finished washing, she dries her hands and looks at me. “With 6 girls giggling most of the night, I won’t get much sleep. Guess I could schedule a vacation day for Friday.”
I hug her hard. “Oh boy! Thanks Mom! You’re the best!”
She smiles. “Would Domino’s pizza be good for your party?”
I grin. “Sure. Can I call my friends?”
Mom sighs. “No you cannot, but yes you may.”
Ugh! Why does she always correct my grammar? I wait until she leaves the kitchen, then grab the receiver from the kitchen wall phone. “‘Lo Becky.”
“Hey Tessa. Wassup?”
“Guess what!” I bounce on my feet. “I want you to come to my sleepover birthday party!”
“When?”
“Thursday, August 8th. My mom will order pizza, and we’ll have cake and ice cream too.”
“Hang on a sec.”
I twirl the long phone cord around my finger and listen as Becky asks her mom.
“She said okay.”
“Fantastic!” I dance around the kitchen. “Think I can convince my mom to rent a few videos. Maybe Hook, Curly Sue, and The Sandlot.”
“Have you seen The Addams Family yet?”
“Oh, that’d be a good one. Hope the store has it. Well girlfriend, I need to call the others. Talk laters.”
