Like Father Like Son

Birthday Boy

"Parker! Wake up!"
I put my pillow my head as I heard dad approach my room.
"Can't I sleep in today?" I groaned.
"Nope. We have a big day ahead us. Get dressed and meet me downstairs" dad closed the door as he left, leaving me to get ready. I groaned as I got out of bed.

I decided to take a long shower today as I felt I deserved it. I'm sure dad wanted to be out the door as quickly as possible, but I wanted to take my time this morning. Once I got out and dried myself, it was time to pick an outfit. I wanted to dress nice today. I picked out my black skinny jeans, a light blue flannel with a white shirt underneath, and a dark blue beanie. I went to my dresser and opened the top drawer, pulling out a small grey box. Inside the box was a necklace Eric gave me on my 16th birthday two years ago. It was a silver chain with a black guitar pick with my initials on it hanging from the chain.
"Parker! You ready yet?" Dad called from the bottom of the stairs.
"Just a second!" I yelled back. I put the necklace on and placed the box back in the drawer.

"Sorry I took so long" I said as I made my way down the stairs.
"You're good. Just wanted to be early, but now we'll be just on time" dad said with a chuckle.
"Better then late" I added, making us both laugh. Dad grabbed the keys and tossed them to me.
"You can drive today" he said. I smiled and followed him out the door, locking up the house behind me.

I started the car once dad and I were settled in. Dad turned the radio on and cranked it up, enough so we couldn't hear each other talk. I looked over to see him singing alone to each song. He was in a really good mood this morning. I started singing along as well, just much more quietly then he was.
"Come on Park, I wanna hear you" dad said loud enough for me to hear him over the music. I slowly started singing louder, increasing my volume as dad kept telling me to get louder. Soon we were both belting out to the music and having a good time.

We were the last ones to arrive to the studio. I was worried dad would be disappointed as I knew he wanted to head out early, but he actually looked happy still. I watched him send a quick text to someone before looking up at me.
"Ready?" He asked. I nodded and stopped the car before stepping out. I followed dad inside, but he suddenly stepped behind me and covered my eyes.
"It's a surprise bud" he said with a chuckle as he walked me farther into the building.

Dad uncovered my eyes and I saw everyone standing around smiling.
"Surprise!" They all yelled at once. I usually hated big gestures like this, but today it was nice.
"Happy birthday Parker" Eric said as he approached me with a large gift.
"You didn't have to get me anything. I just wanted to spend today with all of you" I explained.
"Well, this is from all of us. I think you'll love it" Zach said.
"Open it son" dad said with an arm around me. I took the gift from Eric and placed it on the table. They all watched as I removed the wrapping paper and opened the box. Inside sat a brand new black acoustic guitar, sitting in a black case lined with red velvet.
"It's yours man. Take it home with you, you don't have to leave it here and have nothing to play at home" Zach explained. I started crying as I picked it up.
"Thank you. All of you. This means a lot to me" I said quietly. I placed the guitar back down slowly and turned to face everyone. They all smiled and pulled me in for a group hug. I loved these guys so much.

Everyone had to get back to work so I had time to try out my new guitar. Barry gave me a box of guitar picks to go with it. I picked a white pick and sat with the guitar in my lap, and I started tuning. The guitar sounded really nice. Once I had it tuned I started playing "I'm Not Alright", one of my favorites to play.

I must have gotten lost in the music as I didn't realize how much time had passed. Dad and Barry suddenly burst in the room holding pizzas.
"Birthday lunch!" Dad announced. Eric and Zach were behind them holding plates and napkins. I put my guitar back in its case and placed it to the side while they set everyone up at the table. Dad then handed me a plate with a slice of meat lovers on it, my favorite. I thanked him as he took a seat next to me. The others joined us as we all sat around the room, eating and enjoying the time together.