This time of year was always my favorite. After all, who doesn't get excited when their birthday came?

Of course, most normal people don't get to have their birthday on a national holiday.

I had spent the week leading up to the Fourth of July traveling across the country, watching people prepare for the big celebration. Fireworks were prepared, orchestras were practicing, and my citizens were looking forward to the big day.

Every year, I go to a different celebration. After all, I should try to celebrate with all of my citizens! And this year, I was celebrating in Boston.

I stood by the Charles River, watching the firework barges for a moment, before checking my watch. Already six. I had to get moving if I wanted to get a spot on the Harvard Bridge.

I whistled as I walked. The lunchbox I'd packed with snacks swung lightly at my side. All around me, people were walking quickly and talking happily. There were families with young kids swinging off of their parent's arms, couples walking hand-in-hand, old, young, everyone, all excited for the show.

When I reached the bridge, I saw that there were already some people there, though not so many that I couldn't see the smoot measurements on the ground.

When I got halfway across the bridge, I saw a familiar face and grinned widely. "Ca – Mattie!" I yelled, remembering at the last second to use his human name. I ran the last few feet toward my brother.

Mattie turned as I came up beside him. "Hey, Al. Happy birthday."

I grinned and yanked him into a hug. "Thanks for coming! This show is going to be so great!"

"A-Al! Let go! I can't breathe!" Mattie said.

I laughed and let him go. Mattie tried to stay annoyed, but soon he was laughing as well. "So when do these fireworks start?" he asked.

"10:30," I replied. "So we've got a few hours to kill."

Mattie nodded. "Who else is coming, by the way?"

"Just Arthur and Kiku," I said. I had had a larger party earlier in the week with everyone, but tonight was just for my closest friends. After all, we couldn't just cram the entire world onto this bridge.

"Isn't that Kiku now?" Mattie asked, peering around me. I turned to look and saw the small Japanese man. I waved excitedly as he made his way over to us.

Kiku bowed slightly when he reached us. "Hello Alfred, Matthew."

"Hey, Kiku!" I said. "You find your way here alright?"

He nodded. "I have been here before," he reminded me.

"Right, right," I said, leaning back against the wall of the bridge. "But this is the first time you've seen the fireworks here. And let me tell you, they're awesome."

"They better be if I had to fight my way through all those bloody crowds just to get here," came a familiar voice.

My grin widened. "Artie! You made it!" To be completely honest, I had been worried that Arthur wouldn't show up. I knew that he always got sick at this time of year, and I thought he might have used it as an excuse to not show up.

Arthur crossed his arms. "Of course I made it. And don't call me Artie, git. It's not my name."

I just laughed. "Well, now that we're all here, let's get this party started!"

Of course, there wasn't really much we could do on the bridge, and we couldn't leave if we wanted to keep our spot. So we just hung out together and talked. And it was perfect. I didn't need a huge party today. Everything was fine with just the four of us.

About two hours into the wait, Arthur brought out a birthday cake that was decorated to look like an American flag. I immediately recoiled away. "Dude, you didn't make that, did you?"

"I bought it," Arthur snapped. Behind him, I could see Mattie trying to hold in his laughter as Arthur placed the cake on the blanket we'd been sitting on for the past few hours.

Arthur lit the candles, and he, Kiku, and Mattie began to sing Happy Birthday. Some of the people sitting around us even joined in, and I couldn't keep from smiling as they finished the song. I paused as I thought of a wish, then blew out the candles with one breath.

The rest of the time passed quickly. Soon, it was dark, and then it was almost time for the fireworks to start. Arthur, Mattie, Kiku, and I leaned against the side of the bridge, watching the barges out in the water. Around us on the bridge, people were doing the same. The river was dotted with boats owned by those lucky few who owned one. Everything had gotten quiet as everyone waited in anticipation.

Then the first firework went off.

There were cheers from the people as the show started, and I cheered right along with them. Each display of fireworks was better than the last, and I was glad that I could share this with my friends. Right now, I couldn't think of anywhere I'd rather be, and hopefully I would be able to do this again next year and the next year and every year for as long as I lived. Which brought me back to my birthday wish.

I wish that I can spend every year with my friends like this.

**Note: The smoot was a prank by some MIT students where they took a student named Oliver R. Smoot and used his body to measure the entire length of the Harvard Bridge, proving once again that MIT students have too much time on their hands.