ME, LAST YEAR; 18th Installment

I didn’t have anyone over today after school, and neither did Brian, so after we shovelled the driveway, we decided to go in the back and make a really terrific fort. Mom said it’s so cold and we’ve got so much snow, to put on our snowmobile suits. We got them a couple of years ago, but Mom bought them big so they still fit, although mine’s tight and Brian’ll probably get it to wear next year. He’s an all-right kid for a little brother and I didn’t mind going out to fool with him since I didn’t have anyone over.

Larry came home on the bus when we were already out and he laughed when he saw us in our identical red suits, and he called me Fatty-Rascoon. He gets me so mad. He didn’t have to call me that on my birthday. Anyway, me and Brian got busy cutting out big blocks of snow and we pulled the blocks into place with our toboggan because they’re so heavy, and we started to make our fort.

I guess Larry got jealous that we were having such a good time, because he came out after a while and started to help, too. While we were working on the fort it started to snow again, great big flakes, and we thought maybe we’d be able to go out that evening with our skis.

At dinnertime, Mom brought in a beautiful big cake with candles and everything, and she had put Happy Birthday Jennifer! On the top with pink icing, and it was really nice. Our little green china worm, “Murgatroyd”, was sitting in the middle of the icing, just as he always does on all our cakes, ever since I can remember.

Mom told us a long time ago that she had bought him ‘way before we were born, on Dad’s birthday once, and put him on a hamburger he was eating for dinner, to surprise him. Well, Cad didn’t even see the worm, he was about to put it into his mouth, when Mom made him look. Now, Murgatroyd goes on all our birthday cakes, he’s a family institution.

Anyway, it was a strawberry cake, my favourite kind. After I blew out the candles and everyone sang “for she’s a jolly good fellow” (I heard Brian sneak in “rotten old”, instead of jolly good, but I didn’t say anything), Dad went and got my present. He gave it to me and it was heavy, whatever it was, and oblong. Mom said, go ahead, unwrap it, and I pulled off the paper and there was a leather case inside. I knew it, I just knew it!

I was so excited, I was all fumbly-fingered, so Dad undid the clasps and lifted up the top of the case. It was a flute! I was surprised, but I wasn’t surprised. Like, maybe I didn’t think I would really get one, but I was hoping I would. If you know what I mean.

It was apart, of course, lying in the case, and the lining of the case was red crushed velvet or something, and the flute pieces glittered like silver. Dad said it was silver, real silver. It wasn’t a nickel-plated flute like I thought I’d maybe get, but a sterling silver flute! It’s called a Gemeinhardt and it’s really beautiful. Dad explained that he bought it second-hand for the same price that he’d have to pay for a new nickel one It sure didn’t look second-hand, it looked like bright shiny-new. And the case looked like new, too.

Mom said she’d start looking around for a teacher for me, and next year I’d be taking flute at Ridgemount High. Dad didn’t look too happy at the thought of me taking private lessons, because Larry does too, and it’s expensive and it means another driving session for Dad. I felt kind of bad, even though I felt so good. Why does something always have to spoil things?

Anyway, Larry handed me a little box all wrapped sloppy, and I opened it and it was African trade beads! Was I ever surprised, like I didn’t think he would get me anything at all. He said it was from him with a little help from Mom. I’ll wear them all the time, because I always wanted a strand of them. Dad told me they’re really old, that they’d been dug up from the desert where they lay in the sand for a long time They used to be used for barter or trade, instead of money like we use, and they’re maybe over a hundred years old.

Brian gave me a box of maraschino cherry chocolates and he just couldn’t wait until I opened them. Brian made me a birthday card, and so did Daddy. They’re much better than any kind you can buy. I guess it’s a pretty special birthday, after all.

After we helped Mom clean up, we all got on our old-new (new-old?) skis and went out to fool around, and we practised swooshing around on the skis. Dad and Mom, too. Mom did a lot of falling, but she laughed about it. It was a beautiful clear night and we had plenty of light. Later, we went over to the big hill where it’s kind of gradually sloping and we all went down on our skis.

Mom kept going down on her skis all right, if you can call it that; falling the most of us, but she didn’t mind, and the rest of us did really well. We learned how to go uphill sideways, it’s really awkward and silly-looking. But it was fun going down-hill and we had to learn to kind of lean forward going down, with our knees bent, kind of.

When we got back home, we were all excited and happy, and warm. And we all had some of the cherry chocolates, with milk. I ate too many and felt kind of nauseated, and Mom said it was all the excitement.