Chapter 10

Tale of Two 7-Year-Old Birthdays

Year: 1967 for Hyde

1968 for Jackie

Sweet

She was the princess of Point Place, Wisconsin.

The little girl was the prettiest princess in the land or so her father told her. She had the most beautiful party

dress it came all the way from a store in Chicago called Neiman Marcus. It was full of pink taffeta and ruffles. She

got matching pink Mary Jane shoes and had ruffled pink socks. Her mother didn't bake a cake, they SPECIAL

ORDRED a cake, it was heart shaped with her name spelled on it in purple icing. It was BIG! FOR THE BIG PARTY

AT BURKHART MANOR!

There were little unicorn cupcakes in a circle for her friends from school; they used their finest china. She was

going to receive lots of presents, talking dolls, a music box with a dancing ballerina inside, and everything she

could ask for.

It was going to be the best birthday party.

Sour

The little boy was finally able to cry after his mother left the house in a huff. Everything was all his fault. The rest

of the crooked from a mix cake that wasn't shoved in his face was in pieces all over the already grimy floor. His

bottom and legs hurt from his father's belt that his mother used because he was a worthless piece of shit. All he

wanted was a party like his friends. They had cake. They ate cake it wasn't shoved in their faces because he

had a fresh mouth. They had presents, not some used probably stolen toy cars that were thrown into the toilet

and he was ordered to clean up the bathroom when the toilet overflowed. Well, it wouldn't flush if you put toy

cars in there.

Better the rats play with them than the little boy. He'd never ask for another birthday party ever again.

It was a tale of two seven-year-old birthdays in two years in Point Place, Wisconsin.

Hyde – 1967

He just couldn't help himself. He was stubborn. He was jealous of Forman's birthday party. Mrs. Forman went all

out, the decorations were colorful, they hired a puppeteer, Mr. Forman put hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill

and they were able to have their lunch outside because the weather was nice. Mr. Kelso wanted to pick him up,

but he couldn't accept a ride, he didn't want Kelso and his father to see where and how he lived. He found his

best blue shirt and jeans. He didn't have enough money to buy Forman a gift; he couldn't be the only one there

who didn't bring a present. Laurie would tease him. She called him a Ragamuffin. Edna was passed

out on the sofa with a trail of beer bottles on the floor and Bud wasn't there, so it was easy, he just walked out

the front door. Forman liked comic books, he knew he'd get caught stealing in the mall, so he decided to go to

the newsstand and when the clerk's back was turned helping an actual paying customer, he would steal 2 comic

books for Forman, sneak into his house, find something to wrap them in, and then go out to the back porch. It

was easy. So God fucking forbid that he want a birthday party of his own. Edna made a cake, it was lopsided

and for a brief moment he thought it could be a nice day. At least what a good day would be like in the Hyde

house. He had a cake; he didn't think he'd get one. What Steven Hyde received on his 7-year-old

birthday was a hard slap across the face.

And he was stubborn, he wouldn't cower down, he'd give her the fight, "What was that for?"

Edna had on her prettiest dress from the discount store. It was brown and had small pink flowers on it, her

husband was supposed to take her out for dinner, but she was baking that stupid cake for her stupid son, and

he stormed out of the house saying he was going to the local dive bar.

"You," she scooped him up and Hyde wished for the day that he was bigger and stronger, he knew he was

going to get the belt, it's not like Edna was going to pick him up for hugs and kisses and have a sweet laugh like

Mrs. Forman, "ruin everything! My career! My life! Everything! You are a worthless piece of shit…" He wouldn't

cry, he wouldn't give her any satisfaction, how sweet for 7th, he received 7 swift and hard lashes, "you're never

going to amount to anything, Steven."

She pushed him off her and he fell into the cabinets, "I just wanted a birthday party like my friends."

But he doubted very highly that Kelso and Eric had their mothers shove a huge wad of cake in their face and

have their Hot Wheels unsuccessfully flushed in the toilet.

Edna mumbled about him cleaning the bathroom and kitchen as she ran into the living room to make a frantic

call for a taxi to see if she could find Bud and salvage the evening.

He thought of killing himself somehow, but decided against it.

When Edna left he could finally curl up into a ball on the dirty kitchen floor and cry.

He'd never ask for another birthday party ever again.

Jackie – 1968

The Burkhart backyard was like a mini amusement park she didn't know where the pony came from or the small

merry-go-round but it was all so beautiful like one of her fairy tale books. The Funland Princess was even there.

Jackie got her picture taken with the Mayor and her picture was going to be in next week's Sunday edition of the

Chronicle in the Living Section. They were famous! She sat on the bench she didn't want to get her pink ruffled

dress all dirty and she didn't like the clown. The staff set up a buffet table and all of her friends were there from

school. Her Mother bought these clear pink gift bags and she was able to write her friends names on them with

special marker. Because they had to show their appreciation they each received a small thin box of crayons,

magic wand for the boys, magic star wand for the girls, and a box of candy hearts.

"Kitten," Her Daddy picked her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Let's get a picture of you on the

merry-go-round for the newspaper."

But she was starting to get tired. She wanted to eat her cake and open her presents. Daddy and Mommy

always acted like this. But they were rich. Everyone in town loved the Burkhart's of Point Place.

"Do I have to, Daddy?"

"Yes," Her Mom said taking her out of her Daddy's arms, she did smell nice, so she trusted her, "Think of how

jealous all of your friends…and their parents will be! You're better than everyone else…you're a Burkhart!" Pam

fixed the pink bow that she wore in her hair and placed her on the merry-go-round for show.

They took about a million, zillion pictures for the paper, Jackie had to pretend to open the gifts and make the

right faces. Her mother put her two index fingers up by the sides of her mouth to indicate to little Jackie to

SMILE!FOR!THE!CAMERA!

Pretend to cut the cake.

Pretend to eat the cake.

Pretend to jump rope with the Mayor's daughter.

Pretend to hug the Funland Princess.

Don't get your dress dirty.

IT CAME FROM NEIMAN MARCUS!

DOESN'T SHE LOOK BEAUTIFUL!

Don't have fun.

When the cameras stopped long enough the most beautiful special spoiled princess in Point Place, Wisconsin,

Jacqueline Beulah Burkhart ran into the house, past the maids, and into her PINK bedroom so she could cry on

her bed.

When she heard a bunch of adult feet come up the stairs she pretended to be asleep, she even grabbed her

teddy bear from Harrods in England to hide her tears.

"Oh, Jack, this is perfect! Does Marty have his camera ready…?"

Caption of the last photo from Jackie Burkhart's 7-year-old-Birthday party:

The Little Princess of Point Place: All Tuckered Out.

Author's Note: Instead of doing their current birthday's where they miss and pine for each other, I thought

I'd do my own flashbacks on what their 7-year-old birthdays would have been like for Jackie and Hyde.

Thanks to Marla's Lost for being my Beta for this chapter. :)

Underline update: The traditional way of highlighting the word and clicking on the "U" isn't working for me,

but I got the underlines to work by clicking on the HTML pop-up window (on the far right side) and adding

the code for underline manually.