"Okay." Max thinks back to the memory he wants, the very last happy birthday he ever had. It was just five days before that disastrous party, and yet the emotions surrounding it couldn't be more different. He was so, so happy.
[Happy birthday to you~" His dad and sister's singing is about as pleasant as a cat's yowling to listen too, but it still puts a big smile on his face.
"Now, I know it's not going to impress mister big-time chef-to-be over here," his dad is saying as he lowered a frosted hunk that's supposed to be a cake down in front of Max. "But, just imagine this is how your decorating would turn out after a whole night of drinking, huh?"
The blue buttermilk icing is unevenly distributed over the cake top, with writing on top of that in royal blue that reads 'Happy 21st Birthday Jonah!' There are plastic beer bottle stuck all over the cake and, at the top, a set of plastic costume glasses shaped like beer mugs. He can see himself in the weird yellow reflection. He has a smile so wide it's threatening to leap off his round face.
"Aaaaand," his dad is saying proudly, "we can't forget to light the candles. But, oh no! I forgot my lighter. I guess we'll just have to use this instead."
His dad reaches under the table and comes back up with a butane kitchen torch, a top-of-the-line one, just like the kind he'd seen in that chef magazine.
"Oh my god! You didn't?" His hands clap together with excitement.
"Why don't you do the honors, Jo?" His dad hands over the torch.
"Just don't burn the whole house down," his sister Jennifer teases. She makes a big show of stepping back from him and the flame.
He fires up the torch and sits there admiring it for a moment, in awe of such a wonderful gift. Then he turns it to the candles and lights them up, accidentally melting half of them away in the process. "Oops."
"Guess that's why you still need to be in school," his father jokes. "Go ahead, blow them out and make a wish."
"I don't know what else I have to wish for," he says, hovering over the candles. Maybe snow for Christmas, he thinks. Then he blows them all out, to the applause of his sister and dad.
"Okay," his dad says, clapping him on the shoulder. "Now that you've made it all the way to manhood, it's time for you to have that first drink with me. I save this for only the most special of occasions."
His dad fills two shot glasses with a strange clear alcohol that has little golden flakes in it. Then offers one to his son to take.
"Can I have some too?" Jennifer asks. The blond eyes those glasses with jealousy. But dad shakes his head.
"Awww," she pouts.
They lift their now full shot glasses. His dad makes a toast. "No matter how far life will carry you, be it here or maybe all the way to Paris, I want you to remember one thing: I could never be more proud of you, son. Happy birthday."
He drinks and instantly sputters at the sting of the alcohol, stronger than anything he's ever tasted. He uses that as the excuse for why his eyes are suddenly watering so much. Just the alcohol. Definitely. He's not crying...]
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Date: 2020-09-23 08:22 pm (UTC)[Happy birthday to you~" His dad and sister's singing is about as pleasant as a cat's yowling to listen too, but it still puts a big smile on his face.
"Now, I know it's not going to impress mister big-time chef-to-be over here," his dad is saying as he lowered a frosted hunk that's supposed to be a cake down in front of Max. "But, just imagine this is how your decorating would turn out after a whole night of drinking, huh?"
The blue buttermilk icing is unevenly distributed over the cake top, with writing on top of that in royal blue that reads 'Happy 21st Birthday Jonah!' There are plastic beer bottle stuck all over the cake and, at the top, a set of plastic costume glasses shaped like beer mugs. He can see himself in the weird yellow reflection. He has a smile so wide it's threatening to leap off his round face.
"Aaaaand," his dad is saying proudly, "we can't forget to light the candles. But, oh no! I forgot my lighter. I guess we'll just have to use this instead."
His dad reaches under the table and comes back up with a butane kitchen torch, a top-of-the-line one, just like the kind he'd seen in that chef magazine.
"Oh my god! You didn't?" His hands clap together with excitement.
"Why don't you do the honors, Jo?" His dad hands over the torch.
"Just don't burn the whole house down," his sister Jennifer teases. She makes a big show of stepping back from him and the flame.
He fires up the torch and sits there admiring it for a moment, in awe of such a wonderful gift. Then he turns it to the candles and lights them up, accidentally melting half of them away in the process. "Oops."
"Guess that's why you still need to be in school," his father jokes. "Go ahead, blow them out and make a wish."
"I don't know what else I have to wish for," he says, hovering over the candles. Maybe snow for Christmas, he thinks. Then he blows them all out, to the applause of his sister and dad.
"Okay," his dad says, clapping him on the shoulder. "Now that you've made it all the way to manhood, it's time for you to have that first drink with me. I save this for only the most special of occasions."
His dad fills two shot glasses with a strange clear alcohol that has little golden flakes in it. Then offers one to his son to take.
"Can I have some too?" Jennifer asks. The blond eyes those glasses with jealousy. But dad shakes his head.
"Awww," she pouts.
They lift their now full shot glasses. His dad makes a toast. "No matter how far life will carry you, be it here or maybe all the way to Paris, I want you to remember one thing: I could never be more proud of you, son. Happy birthday."
He drinks and instantly sputters at the sting of the alcohol, stronger than anything he's ever tasted. He uses that as the excuse for why his eyes are suddenly watering so much. Just the alcohol. Definitely. He's not crying...]