Pounding on the bedroom door made her head jump off the pillow. She heard his muffled voice, but couldn’t make out his words. Today she understood the commotion. It is an important day, after all.
“Happy birthday, kiddo.” She swung her door open. She looked down at her son, he was already dressed. His curly blonde hair was a mess, but that was expected.
“I watched the T.V.” He said proudly. “School is not canceled!” He spoke in a fake deep booming voice and triumphantly raised his fist into the air.
His mother went back over to her window. The pale light confirmed her fears, they were still snowed in. The plow truck hadn’t come yet.
“Kenny, we are gonna have to stay in again. Guess you will just have to play video games and watch T.V. all day…”
“So my party is canceled?”
“No, your party is when you get to go to school next. They won’t eat it without you!” She understood his frustration. His cake was at school. It was huge and had Batman on it.
“That’s not really even a birthday cake if you think about it.” Kenny showed his maturity in stubbornness. He put his head down and crossed his arms.
Upset, Kenny’s mother thought back to her own upbringing. Her mom had a way of turning a negative into a positive or making chores into games. She didn’t want Kenny to have a childhood full of unhappy memories. Without thinking she blurted out, “I can still make you a cake! You can play games or choose what you do all day. You’re still gonna have a great birthday.”
“What type of cake?”
“That’s a surprise. Go to the living room and let me get out the mixer.”
Kenny’s mother knew how important this was, it’s not a cake but proof that he is older and that people care about him. Kids deserve a day that is about them. In the kitchen, his mother dug out what she could make a cake with. She had almost everything, but no eggs. She heard a favorite voice telling her to use white vinegar in place of the eggs, it will hold it together and the cake won’t sink. Just use a bit more sugar.
She managed to solve one problem. She had enough for the cake, but what to top it with? The nuts were out. She searched through the spice rack again. She quickly found her answer: cinnamon. She could make a cinnamon glaze, Kenny would love that.
The cake took a little bit longer to bake.
The candles were about the only thing where they should be. She counted out nine candles.
At first, Kenny didn’t want to pause his new game: Super Mario World. “Play until you die.” Said a wise mother. Fifteen seconds later Mario met his doom. He followed his mom downstairs.
“Wow!” He exclaimed looking at the pie pan with a white cake bursting out.
“Let’s try it first, if it’s bad I owe you another.”
“So I would get three cakes?” Kenny grinned as only an eight-year-old about to eat cake can. Very goofy, yet still absolutely serious about cake consumption.
His mom lit the candles and sang happy birthday two times. Cutting onto the cake was easy, but getting the cake out was hard. It fell apart a bit. The glaze helped hold it together. Kenny took a bite and then took bigger bites. No reason to ask him if he liked it.
“Mom this is the best cake ever!” Success! Happy memory achieved.
“Don’t say that until you try the Batman cake! That is the one you get to eat with all of your friends.” Kenny’s mother took the opportunity to take out her Polaroid camera and snap a picture.
“OK, just don’t make me share this cake, it’s my favorite. Put the camera away and try it!”
-Never give up on life, never give up on love.
That’s it, that’s all
-Nathan Hall