Things I can't forget

Birthday

"There's the birthday girl and boy!" Dallas exclaimed bursting into my bedroom making my door crash into my wall. "I come baring birthday presents! A cake, which my mum wanted to bake you guys and I bought an apple pie, blackberry pie, chocolate pie and a coconut cream pie for my little cherry pie over here!" He exclaimed excitedly. "Oh and don't think I forgot about those doughnuts you love Matty boy."

"Dallas that's so sweet," I said sitting up in my bed. I groaned. Looking at my alarm clock I could see that it had only just gone five in the morning.
"But Dallas, why are you up and why are you here so early," I asked half asleep. "What weird kind of specimen are you?"

"Please tell me you guys are going to stop talking," Matt groaned rolling over besides me and putting his pillow over his head.

"It's your birthday guys, so rise and shine!" He grinned excitedly pulling back my curtains revealing a still dark sky.

"Make it stop," Matt moaned under the pillow.

"Dallas please, for my birthday I would really like it if I could sleep at least just until nine," I said.

"Okay fine," he said pouting. "But if you guys are going to be sleeping for four more hours then so am I!" He chucked off his shoes and jumped right in between myself and Matt. "Ahhh now that's more like it."

######

"How do you kids like your eggs?" My Father asked getting the cartoon of eggs out of the fridge.

"Scrambled," Matt said grabbing five glasses from the cupboard.

"Dallas?" He ask as he cracked a few eggs into a mixing bowel.

"Scrambled is good for me as well, Mr Manners, thanks," he answered pouring us all orange juice.

"And for you Juliet?"

"I'll have a dippy egg please," I replied putting in some toast.

"What is a dippy egg?" My Father turned to face me with a confused look on his face.

"Half boiled," Rebecca answered for me turning over some bacon that she was cooking on the stove. 

It was rather odd seeing my Father and Rebecca standing in the same kitchen cooking breakfast for my twin's and I birthday. Firstly, I've never even seen my parents in the same room. Usually when my Father came down with Matt he stays at a hotel and Matt stays here but Rebecca had insisted that he stay the night and sleep on the couch that is. Maybe they were able to form a simple friendship.Secondly, it's the first birthday I've ever  had and shared with Matt. Thirdly, I was surprised that Rebecca hadn't burnt the house down yet.
Really surprised.

We all helped carry plates and drinks into the dining room where the five of us sat at the table. Rebecca and my Father had really outdone themselves. Between the two of them they'd made bacon, a variety of eggs, toast, hash browns, pancakes, waffles, fruit salad and my personal favourite French toast.

"So the Manners have a tradition," my Father spoke before taking a sip of his orange juice.

"Oh no, not this," Rebecca said regretfully but grinned.

"Every time there is a birthday in the Manners house there is a competition. To win you have to eat the most food for breakfast then anyone else in the competition."

"And what happens if you eat the most?" I asked slowly.

"You become the reigning champion!" He exclaimed. "I am the current reigning champion and that's because I ate  six whole plates full of breakfast when it was my birthday."

"I let you win last time, old man," Matt said competitively. "But it's my Birthday and I'm not going to hold back."

"Winner takes all," my Father cheered.

######

One hour later I had managed to have five plates cleared and believe me when I say that I felt sick.

"How are you still going?" I groaned cringing as Matt, my Father and Dallas all continued to demolish their plates.

"We're not quitters like you sis," Matt said finishing the last pancake on his plate. "Seven down, more to go," he grinned piling his plate up.

"I'm out," Father huffed pushing his barely touched plate away from him.

"Maybe you guys should call it a tie," I suggested. They both looked so full and it was becoming painful to watch the two of them eat so much.

"Never!" Dallas protested.

"Of course not," Matt agreed.

"I'm going to go check on your mother and see if she needs any help with the dishes," my father said excusing himself from the table, rubbing his stomach as he walked away.

Rebecca had finished long ago. She was the first one of us to give up. Watching us all pile our plates up and eating them made here feel sick especially after the three plates she'd finished. And so, she dismissed herself saying that whilst we finished our competition she would go tidy up the kitchen and was all the vowels, pans and whatever else my parents had used to make breakfast.

It was weird seeing my parents like this. But it was a good weird. One that I could get used to. It probably wouldn't happen and so I wouldn't want to get my hopes up that maybe my parents would perhaps get back together after realising how much they meant to each other. I could tell Matt was thinking the same things when they were making and eating breakfast. Who knows maybe it could happen. Anything a possible right?

Ding. The door bell rang.

"I'll get it," I said more than happy to move away from the food for even a little while.

"Juliet, happy birthday," Alex said giving me a hug whom I'd forgotten about especially when my Father came down yesterday morning. "Myself and Caroline thought we'd just pop over and give you and Matt your presents from us."

"Thank you," I said gratefully.

"Hey Juliet!" Caroline beamed as she bounced through the door. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks," I replied bluntly. Caroline may have been a nice girl but she was making out with Matt one minute and then Dallas the next. Those two were becoming good friends now and so that wasn't good and it just shows what type of person Caroline really was.

"I'd forgotten just how funny you were," Rebecca laughed walking out from the kitchen and into the hallway with my father following in suit. "Oh Alex! I had no idea you were coming over," she said turning a shade of pink.

A flicker of annoyance played on my fathers face but he soon shrugged it off before turning back around and walking the way he'd come before.