Birthday Celebration – Weather Permitting

I turned 49 last Friday and every year my parents give my brother-in-law, John (who’s birthday is 4 days before mine) and me a birthday party.  Along with the rest of the immediate family, we invite my mom’s best friend, Lesley and her husband, Don and their son, Tim who now has a lovely new bride, Agnes, from Montreal. 

We’ve been getting together for dinner and playing mini golf to celebrate our birthdays for over 25 years.  Creatures of habit some might call us.  Scotts you know.  Why fix what isn’t broken?  But after this year, we may be ready for a change.

“Everybody ok back there?”
“You’ll have to get over soon, Ed,” Dad says motioning to the right.
“It’s a ways yet, Dad.”
“I don’t like waiting till the last minute.  And look at how they’ve taken that right lane out for a few bikes to use.”
Ed slowly inches the car back into the left lane.
“The mini putt’s closed!” shouts Mackenzie.
“Where?” Dad says.
“Look the sign’s gone and everything!”
Unbelievable.  We’ve been going to this mini putt for over 15 years.
Getting out of the cars, we have a mini pow wow in the parking lot.
“Let’s try the beach strip,” Tim suggests.
“Sky doesn’t look too promising,” Dad announces.
“It might blow over,” Mackenzie reassures him.
So we pile back into the cars and head off to the beach strip.

“Doesn’t look like it’s too busy today.  That’s good,” says Dad, looking around the empty parking lot.
“Didn’t you see the lightening, Grandpa?”
“Might be why everyone’s going the opposite direction,” adds Ed.
“Let’s just get ice cream,” I suggest.
We hurry under the awning to the ice cream stand.  The cold wind and rain start whipping at our clothes and thunder rattles above our heads.
“Take your ice cream to the pavilion over there,” I shout to my sister, Carol.
I continue ordering.  “I’ll have 2 single scoop chocolate ice cream cones….”
“Grandpa! Are you ok?”
“Earl!” shouts Ed.
I turn and see the giant wooden ice cream sign that was mounted on the wall a few minutes ago on the ground beside my Dad.
“Hit me in the ankle!” Dad shouts pulling up his pant leg.
And then out of nowhere like in slow motion, come half a dozen very pretty young female employees of the park running over to help Dad.
“Are you ok, sir?”
“Come and sit in the party room.”
“I’ll get some ice!”
“I’m ok.  I’m ok,” Dad says shooing them away.
“Just go with them, Dad.”
“I’ll go with Grandpa,” volunteers Mackenzie, with his eye on a pretty blond girl.
“I felt it brush past my head,” Ed pipes up.
I stare at him for a moment.  “I don’t think so.  Agnes is a nurse. You can stay here and help me with the ice cream.”

Soon, we’re in the party room eating our ice cream and only one of the entourage of employees is left.  Dad’s ankle seems to be fine.
“I heard someone say it’s a birthday party today” she asks cheerily.
“Mine and my brother-in-law’s.”
“Where is Uncle John?”
“John and Carol!  Oh my God.  I told them to wait at the pavilion!”
Agnes darts from her chair and heads out of the building towards the open pavilion.
“That would be funny if we forgot them.”
“Forgot who?” says Dad impatiently.
“We wouldn’t forget them, Earl,”  Tim assures him.
“Auntie Carol and Uncle John, Grandpa.”
“Let’s just carry on shall we,” I say brightly while heading for the door.

We hurry to the parking lot  and head back home to my mom and dad’s house. Just as we’re pulling into the driveway, Mackenzie says, “Hey look, it’s sunny, Auntie Kathryn.” 
And as we all look up, there’s not a single cloud in the beautiful clear blue sky.
“Thank you for pointing that out to me, Mackenzie.”

In every life, a little rain must fall.