The Best Gift
So he was 50. A day he had been dreading since 40. And 30. And every year before that. One of the worst parts? His mother was planning him a surprise party as if he was 5. How he knew about the party? Well, doesn't he know everything...
"Happy birthday Simon! My baby's growing up..." his mother started to cry. Simon rolled his eyes.
"Mum, I'm 50, not 5..." he sighed and ate his special birthday pancakes...which HAD been special, like, half a century ago...wow...was he REALLY alive half a century ago...
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It was almost time for his birthday party...He was supposed to be dressed up since his mother had rented a restaurant for family and family friends, but it was his birthday. He was supposed to stick out, right? His picked out a tight black tee shirt and blue jeans, laughing at the baby tee shirt in the back of his closest, a gift Ryan he kindly given him a few years earlier, reminding them of the skit they had done a few years back.
He looked at the clock. It was almost time for the party. He sighed, thinking about how he was going to deal with his family, and when his mother told him "family friends" she usually meant her friends, a bunch of old ladies who smelled like cat pee and prune juice...Not to be RUDE or anything...
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When he got to the "restaurant" his mother told him was for a "private dinner", he sighed, hoping he would somehow not have to go to the party...He would have rather gone to a concert with a choir of She Banging William Hungs...okay, maybe not THAT far, but...
He walked in to what really was a huge club. His jaw dropped. He actually knew people there, and not from his past parties OR the time his mother took him to her knifing club and he got attacked by the group of elderly women...
Ryan immediately ran up to him.
"Congrats man! You're officially old!"
"Ugh, thanks for reminding me Seaweed..."
"Oh, come on Ryan, it's his birthday!" Kara laughed, playfully slapping him.
Ryan gave him a fake dirty look and walked away to let other greet the birthday boy, bring Kara with him.
"Hey Randy," Simon started when he got to him, "do you know if Pauler or...Ellen are coming...?" He still wasn't enthused about him new coworker...
"I don't know dawg...Who knows about either of them..."
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Aside from the absence of Paula, his party was pretty good. He hadn't gotten attacked by old ladies yet, and he was everywhere...Even in the soup, where his name was spelled in the noodles...
A few hours later, he looked at the door. He'd been doing that all night, hoping to see Paula walk through the door. This time, he saw a familiar lady trying to get in, but getting a hard time from the bouncer...
"Look," she said, frustrated, "I know my name's on the guest list, so if you would just let me in to see..." She looked at him. "Simon!" she pushed past the bouncer to hug him.
"Pauler!" Simon tried his best to sound normal, and not as desperate as he really was. "Now where's my gift?!?" he joked. She laughed.
"Still the same Simon...You'll get your gift with everyone else's..."
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For once, his mother had thrown him a good birthday party. He had enjoyed the singers she had perform. She had Leona Lewis...Renaldo Lapuz, who sang...what else?
Now he was going to open his gifts. Mostly everyone had left, except for Ryan, saying he wanted to see his face when he opened his gift, Randy, who claimed to have come with Ryan (no, not like that for all of you dirty minds out there),Kara, who also was with Ryan (and this time, who knows), and obviously some family. Some paparazzi had crashed the party, but instead of getting annoyed like he usually was, he let them stay. Something made him almost want to have the whole world know about what he was doing.
"It's a mirror...with...AHH" he pretended to hide in fear when he saw that Ryan had had his face hologramed on the mirror. Everyone laughed.
"I'll take that as a 'thanks Ryan'..."
After all of the gifts where open and the rest of the guest were leaving, he decided to talk to Paula.
"Simon," she started, "I'm sorry about not getting you a gift...I barely made it to the party. I only found out about this yesterday, and I was sick and-" He silenced her with his lips.
"Paula, I have a question. I guess you could say it regards your gift..." he smiled.
"What Simon?" she smiled, hoping this was a good thing.
"Paula Julie Abdul," he took a deep breath, hoping he was doing the right thing, "will you marry me?"
Paula's jaw dropped, seeing the ring in his hands. "Yes! I love you Simon!" She ran into his arms.
He kissed her, knowing he had gotten the best birthday gift anyone could have asked for.