Legacy of the Dreams

Chapter 33 - April Birthdays

April began with a flurry of activity for the Abernathys. Greg took Susan out to dinner on March 31st, the evening before the April 1st eighth anniversary of the airline crash he, Susan and Jessie were in. Most of the family seemed unaware of the event except for the extra prayer of thanksgiving Greg appended to their usual Sabbath prayers said on Friday evening that week. While that happened on Friday, most of the days of the week following Easter, Susan spent making arrangements for both Jessie and Greg's birthday parties.

Jessie's 10th birthday was on Saturday, April 2nd. Her choice for a celebration was a party held at their house for her and her friends. Bert was amongst those invited, and the weather was nice enough they were able to have the party outside by the pool, adding to the fun for Jessie and her guests. That also made the planning and preparation relatively simple for Susan, although she did invite Shelly to come along to help chaperone so many children around the pool.

Greg's 60th birthday would be on Friday, April 22nd. To Susan, this landmark birthday was significant enough to be worthy of something more than the usual family dinner out with perhaps one other couple or family and a few friends. Instead, she wanted to host a party at a venue outside their home, and include their family and all of their friends. The day of Greg's birthday was also the Friday before the beginning of Passover, which would start two days later on Sunday. With that in mind, Susan decided to hold the party on Saturday, which would give out-of-town guests time to travel, and still allow them to have a birthday cake at the end of the meal for the party. It would also allow family members coming from Oakland to combine their trip with their visit for Passover, a holiday many of them intended to visit for anyway. When Susan described what she had in mind to Greg the Sunday after Jessie's party, he was enthusiastic about the idea.

"Does that sound alright?" Susan asked her husband.

"Provided you can find a suitable place which would allow children to come, that sounds like a wonderful plan, Susan," Greg said.

"I have place in mind," Susan told him. "I'll contact them tomorrow to reserve the space."

"I look forward to it," Greg told her sincerely.

"You know, I am too," Susan said with a smile.

And she spent the next three weeks making the arrangements necessary for the party.

A week before the event, the invitations were sent out, and nearly everybody decided to they could attend. Susan and their housekeeper spent the week making sure their guestrooms ready for overnight guests. While most guests were local and would only be coming for the party, there were those coming from farther away who would be staying with the Abernathys longer. Susan's brother and his family were staying through Sunday, while members of Greg's family were planning to stay through the week. Those coming from Oakland were definitely staying the longest: they planned to arrive the day before the party and stay through most of Passover.

By Friday, the day of Greg's actual birthday, everything was ready, and the Abernathys eagerly waited for the first of their guests to arrive.

c

Meanwhile up in Oakland, Ruth, Reuben, Alan, Cindy, Olivia, and Mr. Simms were headed for the airport on that Friday afternoon. They were leaving early enough they hoped to arrive at the Abernathy's house shortly before sunset, but they soon discovered their entire trip was a bit of a challenge.

It was the first trip for Alan and Cindy since baby Olivia was born, and the first trip for the baby to go anywhere. Consequently, Ruth and Reuben decided to fly with the young family instead of traveling separately so they could help out, bringing Mr. Simms along for the ride. Few of them realized before their flight, that Mr. Simms required almost as much help getting through security with his artificial hip and his cane, as Cindy did with the five-week-old baby.