It was morning of my birthday and I didn't want to get up, didn't want to open my eyes so they'd know I was awake. My kids made a deal of my birthday every year since they could both walk and talk – a total of three years. I didn't want to suffer through it again, even though I should be happy that they're recognizing my birthday and doing something about it. It makes me feel so old, though.
"Daddy, is she awake?" I heard my son ask from beside the bed. I groaned, rolling into my husband. "Is she, Daddy? Is she?"
"Give her a minute, Parker. Go get your sister, okay?"
There was a pause – I assume he nodded – and scampered off to get his twin sister. "I feel old, Herbie. Couldn't you just tell them I don't want to celebrate this year?"
"Rosie, it's not gonna hurt you to celebrate with them one more year. This time next year, they'll be in school and we won't have to put up with them all day. Look forward to it."
"I'm looking forward to this fall when I won't have to put up with them all day."
"It's not that much longer, Rose. Not much longer."
A minute later, the twins came back in and climbed onto the bed. I felt a pair of hands on me shaking me and heard Nancy's voice say, "Mommy, Mommy wake up! It's your birthday. Wake up."
"Honey, make it stop," I whined, my right hand balling into a fist on his chest. "Make it stop."
"You can't put it off all day. Kids, give Mommy some room. She needs to get up."
The kids reluctantly got off the bed, but I knew they were standing there waiting for me to get up. I sighed, sitting up. "I hate you."
"Momma, that's not nice," Nancy said. "You aren't supposed to hate Daddy."
"Nancy, I was only joking," I laughed, getting my robe off of the bedpost and wrapping it around me as I stood. "Now, shoo. You'll see me plenty today. Shoo!"
"Rose, you're a monster!" Herbie said as he sat next to me after the kids had scampered out.
"No I'm not. I'm old. We were lucky the twins weren't a miscarriage."
"Yes, we were, but they weren't, were they? But be proud that we were blessed with two kids instead of just one."
"One would have been just fine with me, but I guess I went past that with June, didn't I?"
"Don't talk about it, Rose. The kids can't know."
I glared at him. "Shut up."