Grandpa's 80th
Saturday night, the electricity had gone out. Thankfully, Puck slept straight through the outage, and while OLeif fooled with things at work, Collette lit candles by which to read. When her eyes finally grew tired of the dim light, she called it a night. When she closed her eyes, immediately, the lights came back on.
Sunday morning was a Scottish spring. It brought wild winds, which lasted through the worship service (where strange creaking metal noises were also heard from above) and throughout the rest of the day.
After the church service, everyone prepared for Grandpa’s 80th birthday party, which Mom had put together herself. Guests included those who were in town: Grandpa and Martha, Eriic and Amanda, Uncle Hilario and Aunt Corliss, Jashub, Blessing, Uncle Balthasar and Aunt Tuuli, and Bristol and Nerissa.
Somehow during the party, the conversation turned to blood types, as Aunt Tuuli had been called in to work earlier that morning to “save people”, as Uncle Balthasar put it.
“So what kind did you give them?” He asked her. “I would have just given ’em O negative.”
Aunt Tuuli gave him a look, like she usually did when he was being crazy. Then Aunt Corliss was talking about a case where the donator’s blood had been contaminated.
“Well, can’t they filter it?” Uncle Balthasar asked.
“They don’t do that, honey,” Aunt Tuuli told him.
“Well, I’ll have to invent one then.”
Grandpa seemed to enjoy himself. When Dad brought out the cake packed with eighty candles, Grandpa blew them all out with the aid of Frances and Linnea.
“I can’t believe it,” Grandpa said. “Eighty years.”
He opened his cards and his gifts from Uncle Balthasar’s family: two nice bird feeders. He thanked everyone and gratefully took a slice of cake.
Uncle Balthasar continued to make wise cracks about everything, and when the party was wrapped up three and a half hours later…
“Let’s get you home now,” said Aunt Tuuli, patting him on the back, laughing.
That was funny Uncle Balthasar.
“Would you like a slice of cake to bring home?” Mom asked Grandpa as they prepared to leave.
“Well, sure!” said Grandpa.
It had been a good party for him. They would gather next in September for Eriic’s and Amanda’s wedding.