Stuck with a Punk ✔

No. 50.: Wrapping up

Once the cake is on the way and Danny, carrying it, starts singing a happy birthday song, the entire party goes to a halt so we can all sing along. I just silently murmur the happy birthday lyrics, because I can't imagine anything more awkward than that, but Annabelle, on the other hand, faces no such problems. She even holds up Devon's hand and waves with it in the rhythm.

Two kinds of people.

Aidan is ushered to blow out the candles and in doing so, he uses all his lung strength to get out as much breeze as possible. He succeeds in a first try, thankfully, otherwise, he'd start crying or hide his face in Pats' stomach.

When the ritual is behind us, everyone and I mean everyone, head to get a piece of cake. If the crowd has looked engulfing before, I don't know what to call it now. So, Annabelle, Devon and I stay in the back of the party. Devon probably shouldn't even eat cake yet, and I don't really care about it that much. I'm not so sure about Annabelle, though.

Nonetheless, my sister surprises me when she sends her two kids, Bram and Ewan, to bring both of us a portion.

Bram, the eldest one who turned seven this January, gives a plate with more than one piece of chocolate cake to Annabelle, while Ewan, who is still to celebrate his seventh birthday, gives me the smaller piece. I won't even start to object how this is unfair. I'm taller and heavier than Annabelle, but somehow she gets more material than me!

"Oh, thank you!" Annabelle smiles and graciously takes her plate, for which I try to reach, but she angrily swats my hand away, "You got your own!"

"I'm not a pigeon in a park to feed on this one breadcrumb!" Poutingly and a little bit insulted I later smile at Ewan, who, the moment I grab the plate, glues himself to my leg and refuses to move, nearly knocking me over in the process.

"E-Ewan!" I exclaim when I struggle to stay upright.

"I'm a tick!" He yells proudly and loudly. I never thought my own idea how to irritate May would backfire at me like that!

I don't bother to shake my leg or try to get him off of me. I've taught him everything he needed to know in order to stay glued to me like that.

I sigh and look at Annabelle instead, who is giggling silently to herself. Bram, on the other hand, looks bored and sick of this party. It's not a surprise, he is the eldest of the children here.

"Why don't we ever come over to your place, Nathan?" Bram asks completely out of the blue. He and Ewan did have fun over at my place, but I never thought Bram would care about it at this age when he already has friends in his neighbourhood. I think if he came to my place, he'd be even more bored than at this party.

"Erhm," I hesitantly say as Ewan is gripping onto my leg tighter. "It's because of things like that." I point down at his younger brother, "Your mother doesn't appreciate things like that. I'm sure you're not missing out on anything."

Bram starts to toss over the stone he found on the ground, the only entertaining thing he found here, "I had fun and Ewan did too."

"Your Mum did what she thought was best."

"Do you think you could convince her to drop us at your place? It's not that fun at home anymore." He mutters and acts very reserved, but I know what's happening.

May and Thomas probably didn't always manage to keep it quiet and both Bram and Ewan are of the age where they're very much aware of what's going on. Ewan doesn't seem to be touched by it as much as Bram.

I'd kneel down to him, but the little one is in the way, his grip tight around my knee. "I'm sure your parents will handle it. It may be rough right now, but it will get better, okay?"