11+Birthdays

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass
 * the oldest man in town,
 * she was an old lady when HE was a boy
 * She had been waiting a LONG time
 * The person asking would get so distracted by watching the duck-shaped birthmark wiggle on her cheek, they would forget their question altogether. (1)
 * Small and swift, she was moving even faster than usual because today was the day she had been waiting for. (1)
 * Pink cheeks, a mop of black hair, clenched fists. And then, in the next bassinet, the girl. (2)
 * the other, a blonde with a fashionable bob, had already changed out of her hospital gown into a running suit. (2)
 * She had perfected the are of blending into the background. (2)
 * The men were suddenly struck with an uneasy feeling, like they wre remembering something out of a storybook someon read to them when they were children. (3)
 * You will be sure to celebrate this day together every year, no? 3
 * My family used to live her, but my parents moved away before I was born. 3
 * so his parents told them the important things, like where to find the best pizza, who offered the best prices on diapers. 4
 * she liked it here. the air smelled like cake. 5
 * her mother would never let her bring her teddy out in public. 7
 * not that she knew what germs were, only that they were bad to put in your mouth. 7
 * she reached out and tugged on one of the boy's curls. 7
 * as a younger sister, she wasn't used to people simply hading over their toys. 7
 * four parents and many bemused party guests watched as the two babies took their very first steps, crashed into each other, and fell to the floor laughing. 7
 * she gave a quick, satisfied nod and whooshed away. Yes, everything was going exactly according to plan. 8
 * but what if I land on my head? And then, you know, all the other body parts? 9
 * what i really want to say is, if you're my best friend you'd tell me to try out for the marching band instead. 9
 * i stare across my backyard, willing my mom to come out and tell us it's getting late and she has to go home. 10
 * dad's a good guy. he just doesn't pick up on a lot of things. 10
 * she and a preppy boy from her science class are on the back porch trying to turn lead into gold or some other sciency thing for their final project of the year. 10
 * he's the breed of boy whose clothes actually match and whose hair looks like it was professionally cut in a salon. 10
 * in an alternate universe where my older sister actually paid any sort of attention to me, she might see that i'm scared and come to my rescue. 11
 * and if we may ke the team, our status in sixth grade will be secure. 11
 * i think my center of gravity is too low. 11
 * but time seems to accelerate faster than its normal speed and before i know it, i'm crumpled ina heap, the freshly mown grass tickling the back of my neck. 12
 * somehow i'm a good two feet away from the mat. 12
 * Yikes! that would bring your sister down, like, five rungs on the coolness ladder. 13
 * i sigh. I wonder if practicing in my head counts. 14
 * i know she has to work but i'm pretty tired of mac n cheese and salami. 14
 * she's holding a tape dispenser in one hand, and a thick roll of red crepe paper in the other. 14
 * i debate either bursting into tears or screaming, neither of which are likely to make me feel better, and one of which could get me grounded. 15
 * Physical Clue -- Hollywood sign, red crepe paper
 * lying neatly across my bed is the costume she picked up for me since she didn't have time to make one. 16
 * i toss the dress over my desk chair and find myself staring at the bottom drawer. 16
 * i used to love looking at them, but after last year I locked it away. 17
 * it was just too hard seeing it on my shelf every day. 17
 * Physical Clue-- small silver key
 * i run my hand over the yellow cover with the picture of a smiling pastel green frog on it. 17
 * i used to think we were so lucky, but after what happened last year, i'm not so sure. 17
 * he is holding a tambourine, and his arm is a blur as he brings it down on his hip. 17
 * Physical Clue- drum sticks
 * i once heard Mom call his parents "overgrown Hippies" because they grow their own vegetables and encourage their son to write poerty. 18
 * but the seed did grow. it thrived in fact for another 5 years. 19
 * behind us I can see those bumpers that they stuck in the lanes so we never got gutter balls. 19
 * Physical Clue-- handpainted flowerpot/ multicolored wig
 * normally i would have rolled my eyes at "man" and "dude" but I was too shocked. 21
 * i ran downstairs and out the door so fast that at first, no one knew i'd left. 21
 * when she comes out of the room she just breezes by me and flips her hair like she doesn't have a care in the world. 22
 * i have 15 kids coming here tomorrow night. 22
 * i reach out to turn off my alarm, open my eyes, and scream 23
 * safety tips run through my head. stop drop and roll. 23
 * i force myseflf to peek out from the top of the blanket. with one swift move i flick on my lamp. 23
 * Physical Clue-- spongebob- happy birthday balloon
 * no one was more surprised than me when she suddenly took up running first thing in the morning. 24
 * the most interesting thing is the purple notebook on the floor by the bed. 24
 * her biggest fear is chipping a nail before homeroom and not having the right color polish to fix it. 25
 * my dad doesn't drink tea. unless he's sick. oh no! 25
 * she has a big presentation today at the ad adgency where she works. 25
 * the bus was due 3 minutes ago, so it's already late. can i risk it? 27
 * first of all, you didn't tell me that. and second of all, I don't have anything cool. 30
 * if it's not for me, and someone saw me take it, i'd be really embarrassed. 31
 * i had planned to get ahead in my homework so I wouldn't have to do any tonight, but that plan hadn't quite worked. 31
 * She makes a big deal of you're late. fortunately she's busy writing on the board and doesn't see me come in. 31
 * THe Historical Society is really just a little house decorated to look like it did a hundered years ago. 32
 * I decide to take my chances and say that there's no creepy stuffed raccoon. 33
 * i hobble to teh cafeteria, bent forward like i'm hiking up a mountain with a pup tent on my back, adn collapse into a chair at our usual table. 33
 * i try to act normal while i scarf down the last of my meal. 37
 * his allergies must be acting up. they always do this time of year. 38
 * but they have a built in excuse. they help out at their parents' flower shop after school. 40
 * she's a little wobbly on her landings, but not too bad. 40
 * i plaster a smile on my face. i hope it doesn't look as fake as it feels. 41
 * so i swing my arms. and i smile. and i swing my arms some more. 41
 * I feel like i'm in one of those dreams whre you're taking a big test but you realize you've missed class all year. 42
 * it's fine. we can't always be good at the same things. 44
 * he groans, " I feel like i was hit be a truck." 45
 * this has got to be the itchiest dress i've ever had the misfortune of wearing. 47
 * i just wish we could have done something, i don't know, smaller. 47
 * the unmoving lump in the bed that i thought was pillows is my father! 48
 * honestly. you're the worst sick person i've ever known. 48
 * i try to swallow the jealousy at how pretty her costume is, but its hard. 49
 * Physcial Clue-- wicker basket-- wiz of oz
 * That's right! I see it now. I used to love that movie! 49
 * every few minutes, he has a sneezing fit and his hat flies off and everyone in the room stops talking. 51
 * i understand she has a really important job, but what could be so important on a friday night? 51
 * he was supposed to organize the games, but he's sitting down on the couch, a glazed expression on his pale face. 51
 * At first I think she's kidding. "but you don't even like football." 52
 * i want them to know i'm a team player. you know how it is. 52
 * i lost a very important account this morning. I knew a lot was riding on thsi one. 54
 * They didn't like your ideas? But you always have good ideas. 54
 * if the client had wanted to learn how a solid turns into a gas, i'd have been all set. 55
 * I lie still, watiing for sleep to come. But something's not right. 56
 * I switch the lamp back on, hop out of bed, and shut Spongebob in the closet. 56
 * my second thought is Why is my alarm going off on a Saturday? 57
 * out of the corner of my eye, I spy something moving in the middle of my room. 57
 * i rub my eyes and then whirl around to check the closet door. 58
 * we don't really have a trick playing kind of relationship. I'm not sure what kind of relationship we have. 58
 * Her diary's out on the floor again. she's either getting more trusting or more forgetful. 58
 * I'm sorry I can't take you to school. I have a big meeting. 58
 * Maybe it's like the time I got six inches cut off my hair, and for days after I kept thinking it was still there. 59
 * this is some kind of game. you're all trying to trick me into thinking it's a school day. 59
 * Wow. They're really committing to this joke! 60
 * i open my drawers and am momentarily surprised to see my clothes from yesterday clean and folded. 60
 * I put most of my books away when my locker got fixed. 61
 * Do you have something in your eye honey? You keep blinking strangely. 61
 * She always was a good actress. She had teh lead in the school play last year. 62
 * My stomach drops to my feet when the sounds of all the kids reach me. A beach ball narrowly misses my head. 62
 * But how can I explain the fact that I know everything that's about to happen? I must be psychic. 63
 * i must be having premonitions, which was a vocabulary word in english class a few months ago. 63
 * That's why all this feels so familiar. Like a serious case of deja vu. 63
 * i wonder what other kinds of magical powers I have. 63
 * Having psychic powers can be a lonely existence. 65
 * THe teacher steps aside, revealing the annoucement of the pop quiz. 65
 * School finally ends. I dump most of my books into my locker and tuck in the reamaining streamers. 66
 * I knew that the shoes would be tight when I put them on, but they're more than tight. 67
 * I break out in a sweat. the sweat doesn't help with the itchiness of the costume. 68
 * with one last glance at the closet to make sure it's securely closed, i shut my eyes tight. 70
 * whatever happened yesterday is over and done with and i can put it behind me. 71
 * Physical CLue-- alarm clock
 * I reach down to feel the back of my ankles. Band-Aids on both. 72
 * Well, I can touch my nose with my tongue, but that's pretty much it. 72
 * He's been like a brother to you, and now, well, he's not in your life. 75
 * Unfamiliar with rule breaking, I still feel guilty for making my parents think I'm sick. 76
 * Even though my life has gone from boring and predictable to totally insane and unreal, there's something freeing about being home on a school day. 76
 * i'd love to go downstairs to play my drums, but that doesn't seem like something a sick person could get away with. 77
 * Keep out or suffer the consequences. 77
 * it was kind of cool to see someone else instead of my boring face with my eyes too close together and that one ear that sticks out too far. 78
 * just when I thought life was as weird as it's going to get, she surprises me by actually being insecure. 79
 * A yellow bird flyies by. It's a really nice day out. I hadn't appreciated that before, when I was stuck in school. 80
 * he was here yesterday too? It doesn't say that in the book. 84
 * I pull off my socks and grip the edges of the mat with my toes. okay, bend knees, power down with arms, and go! 82
 * First I see the work boots, then the jeans, then the red flannel shirt, then the silver and black hair. 83
 * Since her husband died a few years ago, she pretty much gardens all day. 83
 * i expected her to drive something sensible and environmentally friendly. 84
 * I never had a midlife crisis because I was too happy, so that's where she gets her name. 84
 * I believe you've had a miraculous recovery. or what we call in this business, a gullible mother. 85
 * How can I lay low on a weekend that never comes? 85
 * You know, my grandmother used to be friends with your great great grandmother, the one you were named after. 85
 * Every small town's gotta have something to gossip about I guess. 86
 * i used to think the bizarre things that happened on soap operas could never happen in real life. But I'm living proof otherwise. 87
 * her usually perfect hair has slipped out of its knot, and her papers are spilling out of her briefcase. she's holding two pizzas out in front of her. 89
 * it's not a big wish, not extravagant. nothing that wouldn't happen, anyway, in the natural order of things. 91
 * i lean in awkwardly to give her a hug, and my hand gets caught in her wig and it comes off. 92
 * i cross the room, push open my window, and toss him out. 93
 * she leans closer until I can smell her peppermint toothpaste. Did you read my diary? 97
 * I notice for the first time that she has a birthmark shaped like a duck on her cheek. It wiggles when she smiles. 98
 * I know this test so well I probably could have written it. 100
 * maybe my timing was off, and he always WOULD have winked at me, if only I'd looked later. 101
 * I mean, MAY I go to the bathroom? 101
 * My friends are going to wonder where I am when I don't show up at lunch, but I have to do this. 103
 * Look, you and I seem to be the only people this is happening to, so there's no sense arguing. 105
 * for the first time it occurs to me that maybe it wasn't allergies that made his face red and blotchy those other days. 107
 * I don't think people go crazy together. 108
 * How do you know how i looked in it? Are you spying on me now? 108
 * I'll never know because I didn't aske him to thedance and now he's going with her. 109
 * Clearly the rules of teenage dating rituals are something I have yet to figure out. 109
 * i forgot my science project and my teacher took off half a grade and he's really mad at me. 110
 * It's the kind of smile you see on the Nature Channel before one seemingly harmless animal devours another. 110
 * Dad sneezes into the punch bowl by mistake and everyone laughs(then mom takes away the punch bowl). 110
 * I wait by the window for him, figuring he'll probably climb up the branch instead of ringing the bell. 111
 * we have a knocking rule in our house and someone has just broken it. 111
 * And you have a lot of nerve coming here. We've missed you a lot this past year, you know. 113
 * And don't try climbing that tree! Grounded means grounded! 113
 * For the first time, I can't wait to see the freaky streamer arms waving at me in the morning. 114
 * And here he is! Waving and smiling, just like always. 115
 * Sure enough, it's a diagram on how a solid becomes a liquid and then a gas. 117
 * I guess the thing with the poster distracted her from what she would normally have done. 117
 * Now that I know what depths of meaness she's capable of when crossed, it pays to stay on her good side. 118
 * The bus pulls up and as the doors open, I wish I could find a way to shield her from seeing him with his arm around her. 119
 * I want to share my good mood with someone other than an empty seat. 119
 * I swear I didn't decorate your locker. If you'd like me to take credit for it though, I'm happy to. 120
 * Um, I'm going to leave you two alone. Looks like you hae a lot to talk about. 120
 * He's taller, by a few inches. He'swearing his dark hair a little shorter. I wonder how else he's changed. 121
 * Our friendship breakup was kind of legendary. 122
 * But what if today is the last time this happens and tomorrow really IS tomorrow. 123
 * needless to say, we both ace the pop quiz. 123
 * What I said was horrible, but you've go to know I didn't mean it. What can I do to make it up to you? 125
 * I dont' even remember a time that you weren't right there next to me, since I was born. 125
 * I knew right as it came out of my mouth that night that I shouldn't have said those things. 126
 * I can't really explain it. they were hanging out in my room and those guys never wanted to hang out with me before. 126
 * They think girls just sit around and have tea parties and play with stuffed animals. 127
 * I felt like a zombie, just going through the motions, scared to do anything differenlty from the day before. 128
 * THen you weren't in school and it was like fireworks went off in my head. 128
 * I show him my healing blisters and explain that they're the reason I knew this was real. 129
 * Maybe everyone's stuck, but only the two of us realize it. 129
 * Good thing those guys he was trying so hard to impress can't see him now. 131
 * We give each other a high five and a wave to the crowd before giong our separate ways. 133
 * I really hate lying. Consequences or no, it doesn't feel good. 135
 * Okay. I'll be on the couch downstairs if you need anything. 136
 * As he closes the door it occurs to me that i might not have to go to such elaborate lengths to get out of going to the doctor. 136
 * Okay, I guess it's a reasonable request. I'll tell the doctor we'll call tomorrow if you don't feel any better. 137
 * I wrench open the bottom of my toothshaped piggy bank and pull out the crumpled bills i've stashed in there over the years, compliments of the tooth fairy. 137
 * Didn't you hear the branch crack? I thought I was a goner. 138
 * Wow! I 've never seen that much money before. I reach out to touch it. 138
 * I borrowed them, there's a difference. I fully intend to bring them back before they even notice them missing. 140
 * If this day is going to work at all, you're gonna have to go with it. 140
 * Only thing I ever won was a turkey at Thanksgiving parade. PUlled my back out lifting it and was in bed for a week. 142
 * Don't you remember? We guessed the amount of jelly beans in the fishbowl. 142
 * We live in the most boring town in the world. 142
 * My math teacher would be proud of my fractioning ability. 143
 * You need some learning in you if you don't know the days of the week at your age. 143
 * At least with your mouth full you're less likely to get us in trouble. 144
 * THe scooter doesn't go very fast, and it's a little tricky staying on the sidewalks, but it's pretty fun. 145
 * I can't believe we're actually going to school and cutting school and the same time. 145
 * They're close enough that their words float back to me. They're arguing whether a hot dog counts as meat or some yet to be discovered substance. 146
 * You know, you're pretty good at making up stories. You should be a writer. 147
 * I wrote this last year, after I said some not very nice things that hurt a friend of mine. 149
 * "Louder!" an old man in the back row yells, twisting a hearing aid in his ear. 149
 * You keep this, he says, as a souvenir of our day. 150
 * okay, okay, maybe girls do have a thing for stuffed animals after all. 152
 * You're going to audition to be a drummer in a rock band. 153
 * I stick my finger in my ear, pretending to clean wax out of it. "I'm sorry, i'm going to do what now?" 153
 * WE are going down there together and you're gonna bang those drums with all you got. 153
 * they're both wearing faded jeans, sandsals, and black tshirts with the words born to rock on them. it takes a few seconds for my brain to register that they're identical twins. 154
 * Hey you kids gonna interview us for your school paper or something? 'Cause if that's the case, we've got a lotta people to see today. 155
 * You can stop looking because I have your new drummer right here. 155
 * We gotta let a fellow twin audition. 156
 * it feels strange holding someone else's drumsticks. Mine are worn in so my fingers automatically know where to go for perfect balance. 156
 * The traditional grip. Nice. Don't see that much anymore. 156
 * I knew I shouldn't have learned how to play from Dad's old books! 157
 * You can do this, I tell myself. No consequences. 157
 * Inside my head I hear the familair one and a two and a three and a four. 157
 * you're good ,kid. but we can't take you on account that you ARE a kid. 158
 * You were awesome! You were definitely born to rock! 159
 * it was fun. but no more pushing. I'm getting bruised! 159
 * you can buy anything you want, as long as it's under ten dollars and you have a gift card for it! 159
 * So we stroll (casually) down the main hallway, sticking close to the storefronts so we don'tattract too much attention. 160
 * I thought someone was playing a trick on me when I got a missing kid call with those names. 161
 * I also don't think this is a good time to point out that if I had been allowed to own a cell phone, he could have just called me. 162
 * It's humiliating. the walk from their porch to the sidewalk feels a little like walking the plank. 165
 * See you Monday. I've heard a rumor there's gonna be a pop quiz. 165
 * Never in my life have I been so happy to see a balloon. 166
 * Where'd you get that nightshirt? I don't recognize it. 167
 * I won it at school yesterday. For guessing how many jelly beans were in a fishbowl. 167
 * I hang on tight. "Can't a girl just hug her big sister?" 168
 * Then, suddenly inspired, I run onto the middle of my lawn and do my best back handspring ever. 168
 * Why would the band's tshirt have made it across the boundary, but not the poem? 169
 * Let's just pass notes today, instead of cutting. That didn't work out so good. 170
 * She has a zero tolerance note policy and I wouldn't want that one read out loud. 171
 * By the way, my tshirt from the band is gone. 172
 * That's weird. I wonder why yours would stayand mine wouldn't. 172
 * Anything on our bodies stays with us!
 * What it means is that me and you are still growing every day, like normal. 173
 * He doesn't look like he has the power to make anyone buy a pack of gum, let alone cluck like a chicken. 174
 * I tell him how my great great grandfather was supposedly well known for some feud in town, like a hundred years ago.
 * For old guys they move pretty quick-- tossing cards and plastic coins so fast I can't keep up with whose turn it is. 177
 * Any of you guys a hundred? 177
 * Haven't heard those names in the same breath for must be going on eighty years. 179
 * Their feud disrupted the workings of the town. 180
 * Their secret died with 'em, I expect. 180
 * My pleasure. Better than talking about the weather or what's for lunch. 181
 * How about we hold a seance and ask our great great grandparents what their secret was. 182
 * WE need to figure it out before I have to pretend one more time not to know a stuffed raccoon lives here. 183
 * What do you know about the people we were named after? 184
 * Maybe they just realized a few apples weren't worth all the hassel. 185
 * I'll never get tired of her being happy to see me. 185
 * Have fun with the blisters. 187
 * Perhaps it would be wise not to leave your poetry journal where the boys can see it or they'll keep teasing you. 189
 * That's why I had to go to the guidance counselor. 190
 * I must be pretty unobservant not to notice he was getting picked on for a whole year. 191
 * THe door sticks a little, but I give it a little push and it creaks open. It looks just as it did when we were here on our last school trip. 192
 * I peer at it closely. It's pretty gross, acutally. Hard to believe I had missed it. 192
 * Wow, that's a big birthmark. 192
 * We've GOT to have a conversation about tact! 192
 * I gasp. I've seen that duck before..192
 * What about their feud? DO you know anything about it? 194
 * Rumor has it that they sought the help of an old woman who had special, shall we say, gifts, to help fix the situation. 195
 * They became friends seemingly overnight and stayed that way for the rest of their days, except for the occasional squabble that all friends have. 195
 * She opensher mouth to answer, when the door bangs open and a Girl Scout troop pours in. 196
 * The man didn't talk much at all, confided everything to his journal instead. 196
 * But she isn't driving! Instead, the young guy I remember from last month is behind the wheel. 199
 * Physical Clue-- green apple lollipop
 * DId you know that helium is only found on the sun and lead comesfrom asteroids? 202
 * Um, not to be ungrateful or anything, but did you haveto use a purple pen? It's a little, um girly. 202
 * He practically catapults me through the window. 205
 * He even opensteh mini-fridge but only finds a half eaten salami sandwich. 205
 * but when I go to close the bottom drawer, it doesn't line up evenly with the rest. 206
 * Hey, maybe it's CAUGHT ON SOMETHING. 206
 * At first all I feel is a thick layer of dust. Then my fingers land on something smooth. 206
 * Guess they didn't know the place was closed on Fridays either! 208
 * This is not the place to list my grievances against the man. 209
 * I have started to record these words many times, only to have them disappear the next day. 209
 * That's like us! How we have to keep things on us when we sleep or elsewe lose them! 210
 * Why does no one else realize this is happening? It is enough to drive a man mad. 210
 * It was that strange old woman. She did this to us. 210
 * Our mutual situation has forced us to mend our fences. 210
 * He flips the rest of the pages, but they're blank. 211
 * So tomorrow we help everyone we come across, whether we think we can make a difference or not. 213
 * Then the two of us look at each other, let out a whoop, and bounce around just like they did. 213
 * Brought Dad a goody bag full of sick person stuff. 216
 * I came up with that after looking online last night for "things to say when someone you love gets fired".217
 * I've never been accused of cheating before. 219
 * So I swing my arms a few times to get momentum, and then fly backward, my hands landing perfectly behind me. 220
 * It's unanimous. Everyone wants to go. 222
 * I kick at the grass with my red shoe. 224
 * Are we doing it to break the enchantment, or because we want to? 226
 * I'm the worst person on the team, I'll probably never have to compete. 227
 * The band is playing some kind of jig that's totally impossible to dane to, but I'm having fun. 228
 * I shake my head to clear it of the image of a waddling duck. 228
 * PHYSICAL CLUE--alarm clock
 * PHYSICAL CLUE-- periodic table
 * Top of the morning to you. 231
 * Please, PLEASE, wear something else! I can't see you in this one more time! 233
 * Looking around I see the LEGO kid, heading down the aisle. 235
 * My family has a lot of, shall we say, longevity in it. 238
 * It is never a good idea for the enchanter to entangle herself in her enchantment. 239
 * Nothing nice you ever do for anyone is for no reason. 240
 * everything might hinge on that, and now, well, it seems we're in a bit of a pickle. 243
 * If it matters, the flowerpot could still be down there. No one ever goes into those bushes. 243
 * I tell myself, Do what comes naturally. What would I have done if al lthis hadn't happened? I make my choice. 245
 * When I finish the last bar I'm almost sad to stop. 247
 * He is holding up two halves of my broken alarm clock. 249
 * I must have been asleep for a long time-- when did you two make up? 252
 * No thanks, I have a thing about having scalding hot objects too close to my head. 253
 * LEGOs can be a very creative hobby.
 * PHYSICAL CLUE--- legos
 * Goth? Emo? Punk? I don't know what you kids call things these days. 256
 * I'm going to count down from ten to one and when I get to one, you won't be able to unclasp them. 257
 * The first night it was ME that clucked like a chicken!
 * On the way through the yard, we pass two boys who I recognize from marching band auditions this afternoon. 259
 * To friendship, forgiveness, and tiny apple trees. 260
 * Your mom really has something against sugar! 260
 * Her words clear the cobwebs from my brain. 261
 * I see that only half her head is white, the other is black. 261
 * This can only mean one thing. It's SATURDAY!!! 262
 * Seems that I lost my job. Fired after ten years of dedicated service. 262
 * I've always wanted to be an interior designer. I could work out of the house so I'd be around more. 263
 * The wallpaper with the race cars on it is gone, replaced with light brown paint. 264
 * You guys are much too young to be dating .. 266
 * PHYSICAL CLUES--- postcards