Three Brood Instigators

36. Birthdays & Pleasures

1st of November, Pastuzo initially thought that watching El-Tedinor for the Saturday might help with his Grandpa Mont issue—he is worried every day about his current health, worried also about his future without his golden empathy and sympathy. However, it didn't work for him, especially since el-Tedinor was there no more on the channel.

"W, w, what?!" Pastuzo couldn't accept.

"Sorry Pastuzo, it is gone," his dad said.

"Fine," Pastuzo tried to be patient. "At least I can still use YouTube."

"No, I don't think you could," Pastuzo's dad joked round.

"Wait, what, it is CANCELED?" Pastuzo reacted.

"No, Pastuzo. It will still be there... just, you can use the YouTube, and after the finals are done, and you have a good score, ok?"

"I don't think he can, like his old man," Pastuzo's dad chuckled.

"Please don't give him any thoughts," she patiently said.

"h...h.... h... happy birthday to you," she chanted.

"Happy b, birthday to you," she chanted one more time with that eyebrow

"Happy birthday to you," they both chanted awkwardly. "Haaaa... haapy, birth... day... to you..."

There was an awkward silence, with awkward eyebrows. "Ok, honey, just cut the uhh... lemon bread?" Pastuzo's father said.

"Alright Pastuzo, let's cut the cake..." Pastuzo's mother said.

"I can handle it, mom," Pastuzo immediately said, cutting possibly the sourest cake to ever be eaten by a child, and when he did, for the first time, it was tidy.

"Nice son, very precisive, very...clean, how did you do it?" Pastuzo's dad asked.

Pastuzoa alluded, "Well, I learned from the streets."

"Did you? All punk and cold, alright," Pastuzo's dad. "At least you still have a happy mood."

"Happy birthday, dear," she said, kissing him.

"MOM!" he moaned hardly.

"Honey, don't do that, he's sensitive," he said to her. "Come here."

"Nop, no, no," share rejected. "I am fine."

"Right," his dad said. "So... Pastuzo... we... we... uhh... we have to tell you this... well... now or never..."

"It is your birthday gift, sweetie," she said.

"The best you've ever had," he said.

"Aww, guys, please don't," Pastuzo shied.

"No, you have to, you are our son after all."

"Well... uhm... thanks," Pastuzo smiled, they smiled too, for too long. "Uhm, so... what is it?"

"Well... Pastuzo... this is uhh... a very good gift, that, we do not know how to start, hihi," she said.

"Ok, ok, I'll tell you—I mean, we'll tell you," he said. "Uhm... here in Tavernier... uhh... we've... we've always have been... well... you know... that," he stated, and Pastuzo showed that face of incomprehension. "So... there is only... one thing... one uhm... obvious thing we can think of, well... what do you do if you were on level one, well, you keep going, and rising up..."

"Hold, hold on, what is this?" Pastuzo is confused.

"Son, we all cared about our future, we don't want to... waste it... we need to keep going... keep... improvising. And this is good... we got a good house... a very big house... that is... and we are gonna move there, to Massachusetts, and uhm... we will see how it goes," her mother revealed, Pastuzo opened his mouth wide, and his eyebrows were sharp.