"It's Beth's birthday next week", Max announced, coming through the doors of the diner alone.
"Where is Caroline?"
"She's getting something for the shop and dropping Beth off at school on the way. It's her birthday next week".
"Caroline told us", Oleg informed her.
(Why wasn't she surprised? The girl announced everything. Refilling the napkin dispensers was a holiday for her.)
"We are having party for Beth!" Han said brightly.
"Huh?"
"For Beth's birthday!"
"Huh?"
Maybe it was the fact that she hadn't celebrated her birthday as a kid (although her mother had begged to differ, did she not get to drive on her sweet sixteenth? And as Max had said at the time, the emergency room didn't count). Perhaps it was the fact that even now she didn't celebrate her birthday, but she had a kid. She had to make the day special for her.
"Aw, guys!" Caroline cooed, coming in the door just in time to hear Han's last comment. "She'll love it".
"She'll have a good time", Max said in agreement, nodding.
"Happy birthday kid", Max said softly from the doorway, at a few minutes past midnight. Beth was curled in a ball clutching her bear, her breathing deep and even. "Seven years ago I thought I could push a watermelon out of my vagina without any drugs and it was the best thing I've ever done".
"That's sweet", Caroline said from behind her. "Be sure to tell her that, okay? I'm sure she'll appreciate that story".
"I will".
"How the hell did you do that without any drugs?" Caroline said after a beat. "You, Max Black".
"Yes".
"Pushed a human out of your vagina without any drugs".
"Yes".
Caroline shook her head, hauling the bed down from the wall. "I will never understand you".
"Sleep in my bed", Max instructed. "I'm making cupcakes for Beth".
"Why didn't you make them at the shop?"
"Because she's taking them to school and I didn't want to have to detour past the shop".
"I will never understand you", Caroline groaned, crawling into the bed.
"Good morning birthday girl!" Max said brightly, as Beth shuffled sleepily out of her bedroom.
"Can I have cupcakes for breakfast?" Beth said immediately, and Max frowned slightly.
(It was her birthday and all, but did she really want to get the kid all hopped up on sugar before the day even started?)
(Candy Andy was there making pancakes and had delivered a huge ass sack of candy for the mother daughter pair; of course she wanted to get all hopped up on candy before breakfast.)
"Eat a pancake first", she said finally, "And then we can have cupcakes".
Max had thought that, being surrounded by cupcakes virtually twenty four seven, the little girl would be sick of them. But she wasn't. And that was why Max had spent the night frosting twenty four chocolate cupcakes as best as she could, for the children in her class.
"And we're gonna have dinner at the diner tonight?"
Max nodded.
(What was so special about the Williamsburg Diner? Beth loved it, and Max had no idea why. None of them did.)
"Oleg's making you a special birthday burger and fries", Caroline told her, before frowning. "I don't know what he's going to do…"
"I don't want to know what he's going to do".
"And I'm gonna have cupcakes at school?"
Max nodded.
"And it's Friday!"
(That was probably the highlight for the newly turned seven year old. Because it was the start of the weekend, and for a kid, any time that she wasn't at school was the best.)
"This is gonna be the best day", Beth said with a smile.
"Can Candy Andy come to my birthday party?" Beth said, and Max set down her coffee cup.
"Party?"
"At the diner. When we all have dinner? Oleg told me".
"Oh! Sure".
"And Sophie".
"Sophie will be there, yes". Max nodded.
"What about Oleg and Han and Earl?"
"They're always at the diner, they'll be there", Caroline laughed, coming through the door just in time to hear Beth's latest request. "Andy says happy birthday Beth, he'll see you tonight. He's got a present for you".
"Hope its candy".
"God she's like you". Caroline shook her head slightly, fighting the grin on her face.
"What the hell is this?" Max demanded as she pushed open the door to the diner.
So they'd told Beth that Han decorated for every occasion. And he was going all out for Beth's birthday.
"It was my idea", Earl said with a grin, and Max smiled at him. He was the closest thing that Beth had to a grandfather, and he was more than happy to play that role in her life.
A big ass banner was stretched above the ordering window, and Han, Oleg and Earl were all wearing party hats. Balloons decorated every booth and streamers hung down from the doorway to the bathrooms.
"Oh Earl!"
And Max flung her arms around him, catching the old man by surprise.
"Hey Max?" Beth said, as they walked hand in hand to the diner.
"Yeah?"
"Coz it's my birthday-"
"Are you going to use that excuse all day?" Max interrupted (God she was like Caroline). "I'm going to limit you like I do to Caroline".
"Maybe". Her eyes sparkled cheekily, the spitting image of Max, and she chuckled. "Can I stay at the diner with you? I don't want to go home with Sophie and her town car and I don't want to stay home with Norah. And I bet Andy will be there! Please, Max? It's Friday!"
"I guess that'll be okay", Max said, squeezing her hand gently. "Let's go, let get to the diner".
"Wow!"
Beth's eyes shone as she looked around the Williamsburg Diner in absolute enchantment.
"You did all this for me?"
"Of course we did!" Oleg said, sounding surprised. "It's your birthday".
"Thank you!" and she ran around hugging them all, grinning when she reached Han. "You know what Han? Candy Andy said that now I'm seven I'm taller and I'm AS TALL AS YOU!"
"No you're not", Han defended himself.
"Yeah she is", Max said from behind the counter, tying on her apron.
Han glared, as Beth hugged him, giggling the whole time, before running off to greet Earl.
"Make a wish princess!" Caroline told her, carrying the tray of cupcakes out of the shop, seven candles stuck into the frosting. Beth's eyes shone, as Max pulled a lighter out of her apron.
"Ready?" Max checked, looking around, and Sophie nodded. As Max lit the candles and the sparklers, they started to sing.
"Happy bir-"
"Whoa!" Max cut Caroline off. "No, white Mariah! No!"
Beth burst into giggles, Earl chuckling at the newly turned seven year old.
"We're just singing, white Mariah!" Max reprimanded. "Oh my God!"
"Fine, fine". Caroline sighed heavily.
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Beth, happy birthday to you!" they sang loudly and off key (except Caroline), grinning the whole time. And Beth blew out the seven candles, squeezing her eyes tight.
"What did you wish for?" Sophie questioned. "No, don't tell!"
"Don't tell, Beth, or your wish won't come true", Andy warned.
"My wish already came true", she said simply, and Earl beamed.
"Right you are, darling, right you are".
"Hey Max?" Beth said, climbing up onto the counter and swinging her legs gently (despite Han's disapproving look and the fact that he'd mentioned to her a little less than a thousand times that he didn't want her sitting there). "Know what?"
"What?" Max said, somewhat absently, as she wiped down the parts of the counter that her kid wasn't occupying.
"I'm glad I met you". And she spontaneously threw her arms around her neck, catching Max by surprise. "I really miss my mummy and daddy but I've got you".
Max felt like a fool when tears pricked the back of her eyes, and she blinked them away furiously (because Max Black didn't cry. And Max Black especially didn't cry in public).
By nine o'clock, despite the excitement and the sugar she consumed, Beth had passed out in her booth, her feet hanging off the end of the seat. Max, chuckling softly, picked up her coat and moved towards the little girl, sliding her along the seat so she didn't fall.
"Look at you", Earl said softly, as Max tried to remove the party hat from her daughter's head without waking her up. "I am impressed with how far you've come".
"What, I didn't wake her?" Max guessed (because she'd cursed out loud the first time she'd tried to move Beth from the booth to settle her, and the little girl had blinked blearily), setting the party hat aside and wrapping her coat around Beth.
"Not just that, Max. When I think of the girl who first came in here, just trying to get by… and check out you now. I must say, I am very proud".
"Oh Earl! Why can't everyone be you?" she spontaneously hugged him and Earl grinned.
"She is the best granddaughter any man could have", Earl told her seriously.
Han let them all off early that night, and they rode home in Sophie's town car (Beth sleeping in Caroline's lap the entire ride). And when they got to the apartment, Max eased off her boots and coat and lay her down in the bed.
"Good night Beth", Max said gently, pulling the blankets up higher over Beth's shoulders. "Sleep well kid". She kissed the side of her head gently, before creeping back towards the door.
"Remember when I asked if you would be worried that you would give away your best egg, when we were going to donate our eggs?" Caroline said, as Max quietly closed the door on the sleeping little girl.
"Yeah?"
"I think Beth's your best egg".
"I think so too". Max nodded, grinning a little. "I think so too".
This is the end! :( but I will be continuing this, hopefully in the very near future (i'll post a short author's note when I do upload it, for those not following me on twitter). Who caught the references in this chapter?
Thank you so much for all your support for this little story! It means so much to me.
Hopefully i'll hear from you soon!
Rhyleigh xxx