A Very Happy Birthday to You
Yali was out like a light for yet another church service. Oxbear likes formulas, and he’s found another one. Instead of a two year-old bouncing off the walls during the sermon, Yali sleeps straight through, laid out on Oxbear’s lap.
It was probably the worst “Happy Birthday” we had ever put together in the history of the Snicketts family. With about eighteen family members trying to find the same note and the same rhythm, two strumming Hawaiian ukuleles, and a screeching baby, the song was belted out over two bundt cakes decently populated with candles.
With Joe’s birthday last Thursday and Jaya’s on Wednesday, we had pulled both sides of the family together, including Grandma and the Combs for another joint celebration. There were gifts: chocolates and sweaters and bike accessories.
Puck and Jaya’s little brother played Spy and Police Officer and Dynamite and who knows how many other make-believe boy games in the basement when the dense heat and mosquitoes got to be too much in the yard. Despite flocks of citronella growing around the picnic tables, I was eaten up pretty good. Mosquitoes find me tasty.
There was fried chicken and pork steak for dinner. The bundt cakes and ice cream for dessert.
We left late, about six-thirty, after the ridiculous rendition of “Happy Birthday” that sent Joe into fits and tears of laughter.
When Puck walked back into my room and saw the garbled carcasses, the wrinkly remains of my chocolate truffle feast before he went to bed that night, he piled on the guilt.
“Oh my word! You’re a chocolate beast!”
The kid has always displayed a certain measure of concern for my consumption of chocolate. But as I say, when you’re in the middle of a tightening pennant race and the current game in question isn’t exactly going your way, the chocolate comes out and the wrappers pile up.
That night I dreamed that Adam Wainwright tried to teach me how to play Fantasy Football with a pile of business cards.
It didn’t go so well.
CARDINALS:
5.5 games up on Pittsburgh: 87 and 49; 26 games remaining.
Magic Number: 22.