My sister, Elizabeth planned her own birthday party. She’s now 28. I came into town very late. Did what I could in the progress of restoring the cracked plaster in the hallways of second floor or the Historical Federal Building in downtown Pueblo, Colorado. Not much can be accomplished in only four and a half hours. I headed over to her party at 5:30PM and was first to arrive. Well her place is this small split level apartment, a duplex two houses down from my parent’s house. It’s a bit too convinient in location. My nephew, who is nearing 13 years made the cake with a thick layer of frosting and multi-color design of which Jackson Pollock would be proud. Aunt Becky with oxygen and uncle Bob show up next, then my parents. My brother David was already there, but without a vehichle. I guess his girlfriend has taken it to her college nightclass. Grandma arrives with dad and we help her up the icy steps (which my nephew has neglected to shovel the snow off). She seems in a good mood regardless and has a few tales to tell. She tells one of being mad for six months at her neighbor in an apartment during the war (WWII), then confesses to her about being mad. Her neighbor said that she didn’t even know about it, to which grandma said, “You mean, I wasted all that mad!” Truth coming out she couldn’t even remember what it was that made her so mad.
Aunt Becky has made us all banana bread, tells us she used 86 bananas and baked two at a time. They all get laid upon the table and look as if they are large cellophane bricks of something else. Later on my cellophane wrapper, cling wrap, actually, will vex me with impatience at having nothing with egg nog. I almost break out the knife before I get it off.
Then my brother Matt comes in with wife Angie and two year old son Cole. We all sing Happy Birthday with the candles lit. Cake is cut by the teenage chef. The frosting is so thick that his knife’s drag tears the cake to shreds. He doesn’t know to dip the knife in water. Mom helps him serve, but he still is in a hurry and continues to flaunt the authority. It’s all pretty funny. Somewhere along the line some coffee is also served with what few cup my sister has. We improvise.
Then my last brother shows up, the one with the brood all going through a series of infections. The only members absent are my brother, Ben who is in North Carolina, and Angela who is in Fort Collins to the north. How did he get away we all ask. It is wonderful to see so many here on such short notice, wonderful to see so many who cannot get along with the other call a truce of sorts.
Then some friends of Elizabeth’s show up and change the whole dynamic. The television is put on and my nephew puts on a video, the movie Spiderman. The bliss is busted.
By and by people are going home. Lizzies friends first since the have an errand or something, told they would be back.
I make the weary slog home to my mountain home, let all my cats in and feed them. I read the entire breakdown on celebrity breakups and get togethers for some reason. It’s getting where I hardly know why or how they became famous now. Katie Holmes – no idea. Oprah and Letterman making up after 16 years of feuding, maybe. Why people care about celebrity private lives I’ll never know. I suppose some feel their lives aren’t enough.
