I've decided to stop thanking people in my stories and will instead, contact them directly from now on. This will prevent me from causing UNWANTED attention to others. I'll continue to thank God and my guardian angels because I believe they actually help me write.

This is MangoKat, my friend's birthday present.

Thanks to my mother, who came up with the plot.

Thanks to God and His angels for helping.

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The Postman got up early on his birthday, just like it was any other day. He was going to treat it like any other day when Sakon found him.

"Gotcha!" he said. "Where are you going?"

"To work, Sakon."

"AGAIN?"

"Come on. You act like I do this every year."

"You DO do this every year!"

"But-"

"This year, you're staying home, at your parents' house until everything is ready. Then we'll go to the inn."

"We're going THERE this year? Don't we spend every year the whole time at my parents'?"

"Yes, but everything else will be different, like I said. Different cake, different presents, and some different people. Anju, for instance."

"Fine. But I probably won't like it."

"I'm sure you will like it. You could use a change in pace, Mr. O.C.D. By the way, your mother agreed with me and made you a suit."

"A birthday suit?"

Sakon snickered.

The Postman ignored him. "Ooh! THAT suit! I know just where I put it. You stay here. I have to change."

Sakon not-so-patiently waited while The Postman changed in the bathroom.

"You done powdering your nose, Darling?" Sakon asked.

After a while, he knocked on the door.

"What? Didja fall in?"

He knocked again. Then again. Then, sensing something was wrong, he couldn't wait any longer and broke the door down. He found an open window, curtains swaying in the breeze.

"Son of a-"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Postman ran back home and saw everyone getting ready for the party. He hid behind a flower pot with bamboo in it so no one could push him into another room so they could surprise him. He wasn't very fond of birthday surprises and he'd already had enough that day. He saw Precious, Sakon's drag queen friend, was helping. The pregnant Anju and The Postman's mother, Jinaudi, were there overseeing.

"Do we need pink streamers?" The Anju asked.

"You're right." said Precious. "We're going to need more."

The Postman became embarrassed as lilac air freshener wafted threw the air along with blue rose petals meeting the floor.

"You do realize my son is a man, don't you?" asked Jinaudi.

"Cologne and a different shade of rose, perhaps."

"How about no flowers at all?"

"How about an actual cake?"

"Maybe we should let your son decide." said Anju, pointing at the bamboo pot.

The Postman awkwardly staggered up and away from his hiding place.

"Oh, you've ruined the surprises, son!" exclaimed Jinaudi.

"He still doesn't know about the presents or cake." said Anju.

"We don't even know if he'll like them."

"Excuse me," interrupted The Postman. "Why were you working on the party here when the real party's at the inn?"

"Because we KNEW you were going to go out on your route no matter what, you stick-in-the-mudd."

The Postman knew that voice. "Sakon!"

"We were just doing a little fung shway." said Precious. "You know, practice for the real party?"

"Sakon," said Jinaudi. "You were supposed to get him to put on his suit and keep him busy."

"His birthday suit." Sakon laughed again.

"I can help with that." said Precious.

Precious was about to walk up to him when The Postman stopped him.

"NO! Uh, I mean. No. I can do it myself. Also, I'd like no streamers or flowers, Precious. I wouldn't mind the air freshener, though."

"Then let me at least give you a corsage."

Precious was about to hand him a red carnation, when Sakon stepped in.

"Go get dressed." said Sakon. "I'll hold the flower."

The Postman was about to shut the door when Sakon came in,

"Can't have you running off again."

"How am I supposed to have privacy?"

"Step into the shower."

They came out of the bathroom looking quite handsome. Sakon pinned the carnation to the suit.

"You look fabulous, Darling!"

"I agree completely!" said Precious.

Everyone else got in refined birthday attire. The woman got in different colored dresses with ruffles. Sakon's suit was black with a white tie and white carnation and The Postman's was white with a yellow sash around the waste with a black tie.

"A sash?" he asked out loud.

"I thought it would remind you of your uniform." said his mother.

"It does."

Once everyone was ready, they headed over to the inn.

The Postman and Sakon stood outside as the family got ready. Whispers and shuffling could be heard.

"Why don't we just go in?" asked The Postman.

"Because, Birthday Boy," said Sakon. "It was supposed to be a surprise."

"If you all had just let me go on my morning route instead of stopping me, I wouldn't know about the surprise!"

"Too late, now."

A few minutes later, Haru came in a black suit, white tie and yellow carnation out the front door.

"Oh, Sakon. You, too, bro. What ever are you too doing here for?" he asked in a flat voice. "We were just about to sit down and eat. Want to join?"

"Why not?" Sakon said in the same fake voice.

They all walked in and everyone yelled, "SURPRISE!"

The Postman remarked at how spacey the Stockpot Inn was. It was much bigger than his own home.

"I wouldn't mind coming back here next year. Or the year after that. As long as I can go on my route first, that is."

Everyone from Sakon and The Postman's immediate families were there. The Postman's brothers and sisters, and his mother and father. Anju's parents were there. Sakon's uncles and cousins and aunt were there, too."

"Oh, no. Uncle? Boss?"

"Yes?" said The Happy Mask Salesman.

"Stop being creeped out by someone who needs desperate counseling." said the Curiosity Shop Owner. "And, you know. I'm here to make sure to make sure the firework candles go off properly."

"For Tsuki, too?"

"Sure, whatever."

"Let's sing 'Happy Birthday'!" yelled Minoko.

"'Happy birthday to you'!" began someone who sang off key. It was Sakon.

Then everyone joined in.

"What next?"

"How about we start with the tickets?" asked Jinaudi.

"Tickets to where?" asked Sakon.

"Sakon, these next two surprises are for and my son and a special friend of his choosing."

Jinaudi handed The Postman a white envelope. The letter reminded him of his job.

"You gonna open it? 'Cause I will." said Sakon.

The Postman carefully opened up the letter and saw a birthday card inside. All of his family members had signed it. Sakon signed it, too. The handwriting from Sakon was sloppy, but it was still there. His younger brothers and sisters drew him a picture of the whole family and Sakon was in it, as well.

Sakon grabbed the card from The Postman.

"I don't remember this picture. Just the signing part."

Then something fell from the card. Sakon picked it up.

"What's this?"

"Two tickets to an all-expense paid cruise vacation around the nations of Labrynna

and Holodrum!" said Jinaudi. "There's stops at every beach, so feel free to stretch your legs."

"That's amazing! That's-Oh, but you made a big mistake. You know he'll never go for that."

"He's right, Mum. I want to go back to work. I thought you would be giving me a new uniform and running shoes like every year."

"Then I'll just be taking these."

"NO, Sakon," said Makoto, The Postman's father. "The tickets are in my son's name and any guest he chooses like Jinaudi said. They're non-refundable."

"Then I'll be the guest and find someone who looks like him."

The Postman swiped the tickets from Sakon.

"We will both be going on the cruise."

Haru and Jaru laughed.

"You're both just jealous you can't go on a nice trip." said Sakon.

"Hopefully, I can find work at the beach stops as we go along." said The Postman.

"Do you HAVE to be like that?!"

"Uh... Let's move on to the pie." said Jinaudi.

"What pie?"

"Jinaudi has to lay off the frosting, now. According to the doctor, at least," said Anju. "I had to make a meat pie."

"I'm a vegetarian when I CAN be," said Sakon. "But I'll be okay. I guess."

Before cutting the pie, the two large firework candles along with the truth wheels from Sakon's last birthday were put into place. The candles took off, lit in random colors. The spinning truth wheels reflected them high into the air. The Postman blew the candles out after a few minutes of everyone watching them. They all sat down after Anju had divided the pie into about two dozen pieces. The Postman took one look at the pie and felt his stomach turn. Sakon saw this.

"Hey, I don't like it, either, but at least give it a chance."

The Postman took one bite and said, "I love this! I wish we could have it every year."

"Please don't say that."

"There's still the matter of the cruise." said Jinaudi.

"I really would like a route that fits the vacation spots." said The Postman.

"All the other postman are on their own routes there that aren't yours."

"But you've all seemed to have forgotten that the greatest gift of all would be to work on my birthday."

"We wanted you to learn to appreciate other gifts." said Makoto. "Don't you already like the cake?"

"Yes."

"Eating out for a change?"

"Yes."

"The drawing the kids made you?"

"Yes."

"Then maybe you'll like the vacation."

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"Man, the beaches on Holodrum and Labrynna are too hot!" complained Sakon. My fair skin can't take much more of this."

The Postman was used to traveling all over the continent facing extreme temperatures so the heat didn't bother him. He was busy watching some kids play with a beach ball in the water. The kids accidentally threw the ball at The Postman who threw it back.

Besides watching the water, The Postman decided to take a nap. Before that he told Sakon something.

"I want to come back here every year."

"No way! Are you joking around?"

"And the year after that, and the year after that..."

For once, Sakon of all people sighed. They had created a monster.

"...And the year after that, and the year after that..."