Happy Birthday

Birthday Cake

Bill had just finished participating in his fourth birthday celebration for the month. He didn't know if July was the biggest birthday month for all people, but in his small world it sure loomed as a contender.

This last birthday party was for his granddaughter Casey who turned nine years old today. Once upon a time Casey's name would have been Martha, after her maternal grandmother, but such naming conventions had long ago been tossed out the window as new parents sought uniqueness for their children and maybe a dash of self determination for themselves. From Bill's perspective, over the years he had noticed occasional favoritism by grandmother's toward those granddaughters who shared their names. But such a thing couldn't be true, could it?

Casey had twenty or so of her closest friends over. Her trampoline got a good workout as did the Moon Bounce that had been rented for the party. The biggest hit with the kids, though, was the Italian Ice vendor truck that had been brought in that dispensed unlimited ices to all comers. Bill pretty much enjoyed that himself.

The birthday cake ritual, with the candles and the Happy Birthday song, was well received, but Bill observed that the cake was nowhere near as paramount as it had been at his children's birthday parties when they were young.

After the party broke up, Bill observed what was to him the crowning moment of the affair. Casey put a large slice of her chocolate birthday cake into a container, and yelled to her mom, "I'll be back in a minute Mom. I'm just going across the street."

Still excited, Casey ran across and a couple of doors down the street to the Handley house. Mrs. Handley, now in her late seventies and a widow lived there alone, her husband deceased and her own children and grandchildren scattered like seeds in the wind. She was a fixture in the mornings as neighborhood children walked to the school bus stop. She would wave and greet the children by name as she slowly, and somewhat painfully, took her daily walk with the aid of her walker.

Casey rang the bell, and Mrs. Handley slowly came to the door. Casey stood there, cake in hand, and presented it to her surprised and pleased neighbor. "It's my birthday today, Mrs. Handley. I'm nine years old today, and I wanted you to have some of my birthday cake," she beamed. "It's chocolate cake, my favorite. I hope you like it."

"Oh, I know I will like it. Thank you very much.. This is very sweet of you, Casey. You can't know how much this means to me. Thank you, and Happy Birthday!"

"You are welcome. Bye. I'll see you at the bus stop," Casey said as she took her leave.

Mrs. Handley took the cake to her kitchen. She looked in her cabinet, took down a tin of various tea bags, and found a Royal Blend Fortnum and Mason tea bag among them. She then put the kettle on, and while it was heating, took two cup and saucer settings of her Royal Albert Country Roses china and a cake plate and set them on the table along with cream and sugar. For cutlery she went to the silver set she had received as a gift when she married those many decades ago and selected two sets of forks and teaspoons.

After the tea had steeped she filled two cups with the tea and put the chocolate birthday cake in the cake plate. She lifted her tea cup and spoke to the empty chair across from her. "George," she said, "I think I owe Casey a great deal of gratitude for reminding me that birthdays are meant to be happy, and for sharing her's with me. And since we now have birthday cake, we will celebrate my birthday too.

“Happy 79th birthday to me," she sang softly to herself as her mind drifted through the many happy birthdays she had enjoyed as a child, a mother, a wife, and a grandmother. “Yes, Happy Birthday to me. And Happy Birthday to you, Casey.”