Birthday Misadventures

Mom’s baking tastes like eating a cloud drizzled in smooth maple syrup. It is so relaxing to just sit and watch the syrup slowly cascade down towards the plate. I move to grab my fork and take a bite, but I don’t taste anything. Hey! Why can’t I taste anything? I continue to try and eat what is supposed to be the most spectacular birthday meal, but I can’t any of the foods that I’m putting in my mouth. What the heck? This can’t be happening! I want my breakfast meal to be perfect; it can’t taste perfect if I can’t taste the flavor! I awake from the nightmare of losing the thing I want most on my birthday. I sit up in bed and try to relax knowing that the breakfast downstairs is not ruined.

Today is my 11th birthday, so I get all the power in choosing what we eat for breakfast! Of course, I chose pancakes, because you can’t have an awesome start to your birthday without pancakes, especially my Mom’s blueberry pancakes. These pancakes are not only special because of the love Mom bakes into them, but also that she said she would put add cinnamon-sugar on top. It’s going to be like eating heaven on a plate. That might be where I end up after eating so much sugar. This morning is going to be a great start to my 11th birthday.

It’s a warm summer’s day here in Greendale, Ohio, and I don’t have to wake up or move out of my bed until Mom calls me down to breakfast. Although, the smells of the frying feast wafting from the downstairs kitchen are starting to pull me towards the stairs in search for the holy grail of meals. I’m trying to stay calm about the rest of today’s plans. I heard Mom and Dad whispering about going to a theme park later, but I don’t know which one; I hope it’s the Food Farm. It just opened over summer break, and I’ve been dying to visit.

I don’t think I can wait any longer! Maybe I can sneak to the edge of the stairs and peak over the railing to see what Mom’s been working on for so long. Getting out of bed, I slowly make my way to the door of my room with caution like a bunny hiding in the grass. Wait a second, I need to get dressed before I leave my room. I don’t want anyone to see my messy hair or my kiddy pajamas. I am wearing my Disney Frozen matching set that has a light blue top with dark blue sleeves. The pants are the same dark blue as the sleeves on the top. My favorite part of the outfit is Elsa, Anna, and Olaf on the Top. I walk over to my dresser and pull out a long-sleeved and frilly pink dress shirt that Mom bought for me a few weeks ago. I also pull-out black leggings, and white ankle socks. I dress quickly, so that I can spy on the smells of the delicious breakfast coming from downstairs.

Finally, to finish my outfit, I find a black ribbon to tie up in my hair. I look in the mirror to see an elegant, smart, and awesome 11-year-old looking back at me. Know that I look presentable, I’m going to attempt to sneak downstairs and see how much longer Mom will be in the kitchen. It smells like heaven coming from down below! I know Mom say to stay in my room until she calls for me, but I just don’t want to wait any longer! I walk up to my door and start turning the knob, then I poke my head out to see if anyone is awake to catch me in the act of escaping from my prison. Without a family warden in sight, I cross the boundary into the hallway. I put my back against the wall like a secret agent to stay off of Mom’s radar, so she won’t get mad and send me back to my room to wait longer any for breakfast.

I slowly move back to the top of the stairs which is next to my room; my room is at the top of the stairs on the left as you come up. My brothers’ stinky room is further down on the right-hand side and my parents sleep in the master bedroom at the end of the hall. My two brothers are twins, and I can tell you that their dirty smell is also identical. How hard is it to spray some Febreze? Scratch that, I don’t think there is enough Febreze in the world to cover up my brothers’ stink bombs. I move at a crawling pace, and I can almost see into the kitchen. I can just about imagine finally digging into the fanciful feast. I can feel myself being pulled down the stairs. I better go back upstairs, so Mom doesn’t…

“Jenny,” I hear mom shout from the kitchen “Your birthday breakfast is about ready. Oh, I see you’re already up. Happy birthday sweetheart.”

“Thanks Mom.” I say bounding down the stairs with a thud like a horse.

I gave her the look I always giver her when I don’t want to do something. The look really isn’t just a look though, it’s kind of a moody move. I slump my shoulders a little, tilt my head, and stand there with eyes wide open, looking like a sad puppy. This look hasn’t worked on Mom in a while; she’s a Stonewall Jackson if I ever saw one. Mom stares back at me with her own commanding look. You know, having a mom that was in the military when she was younger is not always a good thing.

“Don’t give me that look Jennine Akers; you can wait five more minutes until the whole family is at the table. Please go wake up your father and your brothers.”

I turn on my heels before Mom has the chance to burn a whole in my face with her fire-like glare. I travel back upstairs in a hurry to wake them my brothers. I began knocking on the door to wake them up, but I don’t get a response right away.

“Hey guys, it’s time for breakfast, and I would really like to enjoy it before it gets cold.” I declare.

From inside the room, I could hear them starting to stir. Oh gross! What is that awful smell? I know it’s not Mom’s cooking. Now, I definitely know the boys are awake. Boys are so disgusting! They were awake, so I go to Dad’s door next. I could hear his loud lumberjack-like breathing through the door; it sounds like a foghorn. Walking into the room I put my hand on his shoulder to shake him out of his dream of lumber.

Slowly, one by one, his eyes began to open.

“Good morning honey. Happy 11th birthday. Is that your Mom’s breakfast I smell?” He asked in a slow-groggy voice.

“Yes!” I answered. “Come on, I’m starving!” I say as I began to get him out of bed, so we could eat!

“Alright Kiddo, slow down. Let me change into my work clothes before you take me down stairs.” My Dad says.

“I can’t slow down. Mom’s blueberry pancakes are down stairs and I want to eat them before the boys demolish them.”

“Jenny,” my Dad says in his I’m-the-boss tone. “You can wait in the hallway while I get ready to go into the office.”

I want to give Dad the look, but I know that mature 11-year-olds do not give snarky looks to their parents. I go to stand in the hallway and wait as patiently as possible, but the smell of breakfast down stairs is getting stronger every moment I stand here. Is the food done? Is it getting cold? Come on guys, hurry up and get ready! I gave up on trying to move Dad any quicker down the stairs. I bound down the stairs again with my nose in the air like a basset hound searching for kibble. The smell of the bacon frying was awesome to my senses, and the freshly cooked pancakes were sitting on a fancy white platter ready for consumption. Oh, I love the big word; it makes me feel like a really smart giant. Beside the pan of sizzling bacon, the eggs were also doing their own unique dancing movements. Those little guys are bubbling as if someone was poking them with a hot poker. To be fair, they are cooking in a frying pan at a high heat. I go to sit at the dining room table, which is across from the oven to patiently wait for Mom to officially be done making breakfast that is fir for a queen; I am the Queen today! You can’t go wrong with delicious pancakes, frying bacon and eggs, and homemade orange juice when you turn 11 on your birthday. You can only turn 11 once you know.

All of a sudden, from the corner of my eye, I see my brothers running down the stairs with wild in their eyes. They look like they’ve eaten too much candy from their leftover stash from Halloween. How they could have eaten candy before my birthday breakfast just doesn’t make any sense. As my brothers, Stevie and Nicki, came toward the kitchen their whole bodies spun around and they were now walking backwards! What the heck are they doing?

“Nicki, Stevie, what’re you doing?” I asked bewildered.

“Today is a special day for you, so…” Stevie says.

“So, we wanted to make the day special for us too!” Nicki blurts out.

Before I have the chance to respond, they start running circles around Mom who is still trying to plate up the food, so we can finally eat it. I’m surprised Mom is stepping in with her military voice or glare to stop the boys from running around her. She must be really focused on making my breakfast as perfect as possible. Maybe If I ask the boys to stop then they will?

“Guys! Stop galivanting around the table; you might run into Mom and ruin my perfect breakfast!” I beg.

“Don’t worry about it,” Nicki suggests. “I won’t knock anything over. I’m a pro at walking backwards, see.”

“Boys!” Mom finally intervenes. “Nicki, Stevie, stop racing around me like a bunch of monkeys or when your birthday comes around, you’ll be eating dry cereal!” She shouts.

Nicki don’t stop walking backwards, and Stevie don’t stop either. Dad came down stairs to the morning performance of the circus. Even it’s my birthday, my rowdy brothers still insist on being obnoxious. Now, they’re both going in different directions around the island we have in the middle of the kitchen. Now, I’m starting to worry about Mom and the food. My brothers are still running around her like border collies trying to herd sheep!

I was sitting there bouncing my leg hoping that Mom’s harsh words would get my brothers to settle down, but they were having too much fun. Without paying attention to where they were going, my brothers ran into each other and Mom who is trying to carry all five plates to the dining table at once.

My breakfast! With my very eyes I sit watching as one plate fall, then another, then another, and then the rest come crashing down to the floor is an unsettling mess. My eyes grow wide as it hits me that the perfect breakfast, I was hoping for this morning is gone. I want to cry since we can’t eat any of it since it touched the ground, but I can’t do that. Mature 11-year-olds don’t cry. At least, they don’t cry in front of anyone.

The boys came over to the table looking as if someone had died. Well, my dreams of having the perfect birthday just fell to the ground in a heap of misery.

“Oh no,” My parents both say at the same time. “Boys, I told you to stop running and now you’ve ruined your sister’s breakfast.”

In a shocking rush of tears, I ran from the kitchen towards the stairs to go alone into my room. I close the door behind me and flop on my bed like Cinderella whose step-sisters tore apart her mother’s dress. I don’t think I’ll ever forgive my brothers. They knew this was important to me, but they got in the way and messed everything up. From behind my door that I slammed with anger when I came in, I can hear someone quietly knocking. Ugh! Go away. I don’t want to talk to anyone right now. Dad walks in with a sly grin on his face.

“Hey sweetie. Do you want to talk about what happened?” Dad asks me.

“No, not really” I reply.

Maybe I should talk to Dad about it. I mean, a mature 11-year-old would think rationally about her feelings, have a nice conversation, and forgive the people involved in the situation. Dad gets up to walk back out, but I call out to him just before he gets to the doorknob.

“Wait. I can talk” I say.

“Okay,” he says. “Why did you leave the kitchen so suddenly?”

“I couldn’t bear to see the mess on the floor anymore. Mom worked so hard on it just for me, and I was shocked that it all vanished so fast.”

“Well, I think it’s okay to be shocked that something happened. Although, running away from the issue isn’t going to solve anything, right?” My Dad asks.

“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” I say sitting up onto my elbow. “You know, being a mature 11-year-old is really hard.”

“I know,” say Dad. “Believe it or not, I used to be 11 too. I had to learn that sometimes things don’t go the way you thought, that forgiveness is a virtue. Don’t you think you should forgive your brothers for what they accidentally did?”

“I don’t want to forgive them for what they did. They ruined it,” I say.

“Jenny, it was an accident. If you had accidentally done something by accident wouldn’t you want them to forgive you. I constantly have to give myself for stupid things I do all the time. You know, the other day at work, I accidentally spilled coffer all over new dress shirts,” Dad say.

“I guess I understand what you mean. Even though they made a mess of things, I should still forgive them because they’re family and I love them,” I say.

“Yes, Exactly. Now, how about we go back downstairs, so you can forgive the twins,” Dad explains.

“Okay,” I reply.

I follow dad back down to the kitchen table where I can hear bits and pieces of Mom’s own conversation with the boys. As I walk into the room, the boys’ face turn into the same puppy dog face I tried to give Mom earlier. I guess they learned that face from me, clever boys. I don’t even get a chance to sit before they start apologizing.

“We’re sorry,” Say Stevie with a glum face.

“Yeah, really sorry,” say Nicki with the same expression.

“We just wanted to have a little fun. We don’t mean to run into Mom and make her drop everything.”

“It’s okay, I understand that you wanted this day to be special as much as I did,” I say. “I guess I was just so excited to eat, and I was upset when it came crashing down. I talked with Dad and I forgive you guys; I know you aren’t old enough yet to know when to not be crazy.”

My insides were crying because that wonderful food of Mom’s wouldn’t end up in my tummy; it would end up in the garbage. Wait! What are we eating for breakfast then? I look up at the brass clock on the wall to find that it’s almost 11:30am. So, what are we eating for lunch? I’m starting to get really hungry. To prove to the rest of my family that I was really hungry my stomach began to growl like a lion in search for its next meal.

“Jenny,” My Dad say as he and Mom came to sit at the table. “There is a way to fix this mess. Have you ever heard of the Food Farm Theme park?

My eye lit up as soon as he says those four magical words.

“Are you kidding? That theme park just opened a few months and it’s all about chocolate! Of course, I’ve heard about it.” I exclaim.

“Well,” My Mom teases “We made plans to go later today. It was supposed to be a surprise from your father and I, but since breakfast don’t go as planned” Mom and Dad made eye contact “We think we should go to the park early to spend the whole day having fun. How does that sound?”

“Yes, a million times yes! Going right now would make this whole birthday misadventure not as bad.” I shriek with delight!

“Okay, you better go get ready then and we’ll leave in about 20 minutes,” my Dad say.

My feet were running on their own up to my room to get ready for the best day ever. All I need to do know is put on my shoes, race to the car, and wait until we’re on our way!

“Mom! Dad! Come on. Can we please drive faster? The Food Farm theme park has only been open for one season. If we don’t get there on time the place will be packed, and we’ll have to wait an eternity in line to get anything to eat. I think I’m starting to feel my ribs poke out of my belly; my life is slowly withering away to nothing.” I dramatized to the ceiling.

“Jenny, Hold on. I don’t think you’ll disappear into nothing or out of existence by waiting 10 more minutes to get to the park.” My mom says.

“But Mom, we have to have as much time as possible to try as many vendors as possible. Did you know they’ve created a dark hot chocolate drink with marshmallows in it? That must be the most heavenly drink with chocolate in the history of, well, ever! I can’t wait to try it.” I gushed.

Hot chocolate is my favorite drink in the whole wide world! I want to try the sweet treat even though it’s like 100 degrees outside; the sensation of that warm and deliciously smooth mixture is currently the one of the only things I’m thinking about.

I was looking out the window to get the first peak of the gargantuan theme park while somewhat waiting patiently. Finally, through the gaps between the trees, the Food Farm came into view with its newly built roller coasters along with the central attraction of the park. I went online before we left this morning and committed the map to memory. From what I can tell, the theme of food is similar to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania, but Food Farm isn’t as expansive.

While I’ve been daydreaming of the rides I’ll get to see, we’ve made it to the parking lot!

“Jenny, are you still with us? Boys, how about you two?” My dad teased.

“Yes, Dad, we’re all still back here. Can we get out now please? I’ve been thinking about the rides they have, and, oh my gosh, I haven’t even thought about the food in the last few minutes; I was focused on the rides I could see from the outer road.” I reply to Dad.

Dad say “Kiddo, I know you’ve done your research on this place, so start thinking about where you want to eat when we get inside.”

“Okay,” I say.

From the parking lot we got on the tram, which is a long train-like vehicle that have multiple sections for people to sit in. The tram began moving towards the main entrance of the theme park and that’s when the smell hit me. The smell in the air is amazing. I can smell cotton candy, pizza bites, and popcorn like they’re right on the opposite side of a barrier wall I began fantasizing I would climb to find treasure if we don’t get into the park soon.

A male voice says over the speakers, “Welcome to the Food Farm where everything chocolate and snack related goodness can be found here. Please keep all hands, arms, and children inside the tram at all times. We will be arriving at the front gate momentarily.”

I can’t believe it; we’re finally at the front gate. Now, all we have to do is get through this line, up to the cashier, and buy tickets so I can find out which food vendors those glorious smells are coming from. We are in a large common area made of cobble stones walkways, trees, and bushes. The smell of the food I first smelled in the parking lot was even stronger now, that we are standing so close.

The family in front of us had three kids and took several minutes to decide the package deal that best fit for their family. Buying tickets while trying to decide where to explore first must have been difficult. My twin brothers were acting up again; Mom and Dad hold to hold onto each one, so they wouldn’t run off into the crowd and get lost. As soon as they went through the turnstiles, our turn came next. Thank goodness. I’m even hungrier now than I was this morning when I woke up. Our parents took a step towards the cashier to purchase tickets.

“Hello, we have two adults and three children today.” My dad says to the cashier woman.

“Okay, five tickets with tax added will be $69.75. Will you be paying with cash or card today sir?” The kind women asked my dad.

“Card. Today is also my daughter’s birthday. Do you have anything special for guests that come on their birthday?”

“Of course, we have a cute little button that says ‘I’m the birthday kid.’ Would you like one young lady?” She asked.

“Sure.” I replied, but I am so full of excitement to finally go into the park that I don’t want to say too much or I might just squeal with delight like a little pig! Speaking of pig, a pulled pork sandwich smothered in barbeque sauce with a side of baked beans sounds like a good start to all the other foods the Food themed park has to offer.

I put the small yellow button onto the right corner of my t-shirt and followed my mom and dad into the theme park with my brothers tagging along behind us sulking they don’t get a birthday badge of their own.

“Hey! I want a badge to,” says Nicki.

“Me too,” exclaims Stevie.

“Boys,” says Mom. “You can have a birthday badge if we come back for your birthday in a few months. How does that sound?”

“Yay!” the boys shout in glee.

Mom exclaimed with delight “We made it into the park! It’s only been about 30 minutes since we left home. Jenny, was the wait as bad as you thought it would be”

I gave my mom a big grin and a glowing face of anticipation. “You know what? You’re right, the drive here and the line to get in didn’t make me disappear into the cosmos, and my ribs aren’t really poking out through my skin; I was just being dramatic in the car to pass the time driving here.”

“See, we told you it was worth the short drive to come to the Food Farm and the wait in line,” my dad says, “It’s your birthday and you’ve been waiting patiently. What do you want to do first kiddo?

“Honestly,” I say, “I want to try as much food and drinks as they have to offer. I especially want to try the dark hot chocolate drink! Oh, and I want to ride the Loco Cocoa because I love hot cocoa and the Big Cookie!”

“Alright then, lead the way birthday girl,” My mom says.

We all began walking hand and hand towards the smells and the making of new memories ahead. As we walk into the middle of the walkways where the paths spread out to different attractions, I can see most of them from right here, in front of the large bar of chocolate describing where things are located. I can see Popcorn Rush, a tower that shoots riders into the sky by compressing air, then at the calculated time letting it fly. Down the left path from Popcorn Rush is Loco Cocoa which is located in the Fudge Fare area. I heard a rumor from a friend who came last weekend. She says it smells like chocolate scent was being pumped into the air through the entire ride. I can’t wait to find out if the rumors are true myself. The other roller coaster is the Lettuce Launcher located on the path to the right. As much as I like adventure, I am not willing to risk my life in a roller coaster that accelerates at high speed towards heaven at a 90-degree angle. I am not excited about watching my Dad, twin brothers, and Mom risk their lives either.

Finally, we choose one of the paths that leads to the back of the park. from where we are walking, I can start to see the ride I am most excited for, even more excited to ride coasters based on the decadent smell of chocolate. The Big Cookie is a ginormous Ferris Wheel that sits on the backside of the park surrounded by white painted walkways that looks like milk. I saw this information on line earlier while I was waiting for everyone else to get ready. It’s like a giant cookie rotating in the milk laden ground in order to get the perfect ration of moist and soft.

“Hey guys, let’s get some hot chocolate,” I say.

“Alright,” everyone else responds.

We go to the vendor selling the hot chocolate, order one for each of us, and then go to find a table to sit, enjoy, and marvel in whatever magic they put into the cup. I sit to enjoy my hot chocolate when I hear one of the twins’ favorite songs start playing through the radio. Oh no, here we go again! Of course, the boys start running around the little court yard where a few food vendors are parked. They circle past the hotdogs, burgers, nachos, cotton candy, and eventually back to us at our table. I have the feeling that something is going to go wrong again. I don’t want another birthday misadventure like this morning! I am just about to take a sip of my warm drink when Stevie accidentally bumps into me, and my cup slips out of my hands onto the ground. Great, that’s another edible thing my brothers have made a mess of today. It’s okay though, Dad told me I should learn to forgive my family, and that is what I intend to do.

“There goes another great work of edible art,” I say a little sharply. “But I forgive you guys. As a new 11-year-old I have to learn how to forgive you guys even when you do things like this.”

“That’s very good Jenny. I’m proud of you for starting down the path of maturity,” Mom says. “I guess we’ll be buying you another hot chocolate, and you boys need to learn to stay calm while you’re in public, so things like this don’t happen again.”

Mom and I go to buy another hot chocolate for me since the first one ended up on the ground. As we stand their waiting in another long line, I’m happy that Dad talked to me about forgiving my brothers. I feel much better that I forgave them. I think learning the value of forgiveness at a young age is going to help me in the future with bigger situation than breakfast spilling all over the kitchen floor. Mom buys me another hot chocolate and we walk back towards the guys at our table. I take a quick sip of my drink before anyone has the chance to knock it out of my hands again. This day has definitely had its ups and downs like the rollercoasters here at the Food Farm, but I learned a valuable lesson, so I think it was all worth it to make it to this point of the day.