May in Seattle, of course, brought rain, like the rest of the year. It didn't damper anyone's mood however, except Aunt Cindy.

"Rain always makes my knees hurt," she grimaced. "I broke 'em when I fell off a my cycle workin' at Jam Pony back 'bout twenty years ago. Now they hurt when it rains, practically every day thank ya very much."

It was a common complaint streaming out of her mouth. Aunt Cindy would even walk with a limp purposely just to prove her point if need be.

With June at our backs and finals creeping up, school was a living hell now. Teachers screamed at us when a task wasn't completed in an orderly fashion, homework piled up, review sessions filled our schedules and between all that, my swim team and track meets almost every day and sessions with Doctor Barnaby three times a week, I was lucky to get home before nine o'clock. Luckily I had Gina with me in five out of eight classes or I might not have survived. We sat together and passed notes, making side comments and jokes about the teacher's lesson. We were on the swim team together and sometimes we did homework together at either her penthouse or mine.

One day I came home after an exhausting swim meet around seven-thirty and collapsed on the couch. The coach was in a bad mood today and made us swim lap after lap after lap. Every muscle in my body was throbbing. Daddy wheeled over and looked down at me.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"Ugh, please…no food," I grimaced. "My stomach is all knotted."

"Did you eat anything today?"

"I had a small lunch," I admitted.

"Well, come on then. Up and at 'em. You can't have dessert if you don't eat dinner."

"Dessert?" I sat up, mildly interested.

"Oh, for that you get up?" Daddy laughed. "C'mon. You know you want to. You always love my cooking." He tugged on my sweatshirt sleeve and I stood up off the couch and followed him into the kitchen. "I made a roast chicken."

My stomach growled, Please feed me!

So I sat and Daddy served me, "What's the dessert?" I asked. "Aunt Cindy get a cake?"

"It's not food," he said.

"Then why is it dessert?"

"Because it's a treat that comes at the end of the meal. Eat up or wait till tomorrow."

"But—"

"No more questions," Daddy smiled. "Eat."

"Three more," I begged.

Daddy relented, "Fine. Only three, yes-or-no answer."

"Is it bigger than a breadbox?"

"No."

"Can I wear it on my head?"

"Maybe…if you practiced real hard."

I stabbed a piece of chicken with my fork and thought of a third question. "Does it have to do with Mom?"

"I'm not answering that," Daddy gave a tight-lipped smile.

"It does! I can tell!" I laughed. "What is it?"

"Eat," Daddy insisted. "Or you will never know and I'll just keep it locked up…"

"Daddy, quit teasing!"

"Clean your plate and I will."

I ate fast enough without choking myself. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I actually took a bite.

"And you didn't want to eat," Daddy smirked playfully.

"What I wanted was to find out what you found!" I could barely stand it. "Tell me, c'mon!"

Daddy pretended to ignore me and wheeled himself into his bedroom and came out with an ancient VHS tape in his lap. "This thing still works. I tried it when you were at school." He handed it to me.

I read the label on the tape and grinned widely. "'Max's 21st," I read out loud.

"It's a home movie of your mom's first birthday party. I found it in a box in the closet. I thought you would enjoy it."

I hugged Daddy hard and kissed his cheek over and over again in thanks. After all I'd put him through these past few months he was still willing to discuss it!

"How do I put it in?" I asked. I handed the tape back to Daddy who wheeled over to our television and pressed a few buttons and popped in the tape.

"Now just press play here…" Daddy muttered. "Okay. Take a seat, show's on."

I sat on the couch and propped my head up in my hands and kept my eyes on the screen.

The video began with Mom blowing out the candles in the living room of the penthouse and people singing happy birthday. I recognized Bling and Aunt Cindy there but no one else had a familiar face.

"Happy birthday, boo," Aunt Cindy hugged Mom while everyone clapped. While no one was talking, Daddy narrated, pointing out things I might not have recognized.

"Your mom never knew her real birth date and everyone thought she should have one. Everyone who knew where she was from, anyway," Daddy recalled. "So she picked April twenty-seventh because she said spring was her favorite season and April was the month spring usually was in swing. And from then on that was her birthday."

"But she knew how old she was, right?" I asked, watching my mother's face glow as brightly as the candles on that cake as she opened her gifts and laughed. I had never seen my mother in moving pictures or hear her voice.

"Yeah, so on her twenty-first, she chose a birthday for herself," Daddy said, moving some stray curls away from my face.

I smiled at Daddy and watched the video. Aunt Cindy was behind the camera now, filming Daddy and Mom on the couch surrounded by balloons and remains of gift wrap. Mom had her head in Daddy's lap, using it like a pillow.

"So," Aunt Cindy's voice said. "Max finally has a birthday. Tell me, what's it like to be another year older an' still yet another year wiser?"

"Tiring?" Mom laughed.

"You get used to that," Daddy on video sighed. "Welcome to the depressing world of birthday parties. Another wonderful way to remind you how old you're getting."

"Shut up, Logan," Mom smacked Daddy lightly on the arm.

"Now that ya got b-day, boo, when's y'all gonna get married?" Aunt Cindy asked.

"Sometime in the next millennium," Mom said sarcastically. "I don't think marriage is the Manticore thing to do."

"You ain't there no more," Aunt Cindy reminded her. "Logan get yo' sorry ass on the floor down on one knee and propose to my boo."

I had to laugh. Aunt Cindy really hadn't changed.

"Not today, Cindy," Daddy slid off the couch and stood up. It was humbling to see him at his full height. He must have been wearing those bionic legs—the exoskeleton—he had been talking about. "Give me the camera."

"No, I ain't done yet! I still gotta talk about what y'all gonna name the kids!" Aunt Cindy laughed. The camera's view went kind of crazy and then turned off.

"I practically had to wrestle with Cindy for that thing," Daddy laughed.

"Is that it?" I asked sadly.

"No," Daddy said. "I think there's some more on here…I used this tape for tons of things." His tone sounded sly, like there was a surprise at the end.

The camera turned on again and focused on my mother. She waved into the camera and said, "I hope this thing's on. Is it running, Logan?" She looked up at supposedly Daddy. I recognized the setting as Daddy's bedroom.

"Yeah, it's on. Go ahead, Max," Daddy's voice from behind the camera.

"You sure?" Mom looked skeptical. "The little light thing isn't on…"

"Max, it says 'recording.' I'm watching the screen. I'm not that blind."

"Sure you're not. Okay, if it's all running smoothly, you can leave," Mom insisted. "I kind of want to do this myself, okay?"

"Huh? Okay…close the door?"

"Yeah, just set the thing on the dresser or tripod or whatever."

"Whatever," I heard Daddy mutter. Then he walked out and close the door. Mom sat on the bed and took a deep breath.

"Okay," she said. "This is going to be my…little video message to you, my baby." She stood and turned so she could show her profile. She was wearing a black turtle neck shirt and gray sweatpants and clearly was eight or nine months pregnant. "So far you don't have an official name yet because your dad and I chose not to know if you were a boy or girl but if you are a girl your name is Eva and if you are a boy you'll be Zack." She sat down again. "God, now that Logan's gone I really don't know what else to say. But I will say this: if you're ever in need of a job, don't work at Jam Pony." She burst out laughing. "No, no, I'm kidding…I actually just wanted to let you know that you're going to be born into a world that I never had. One full of family and love and endless care. I doubt you'll ever go hungry either because your dad is one of the best cooks I've ever encountered…and I haven't encountered a whole lot. Someday when you're old enough I'll tell you what I really mean. I didn't really have…the world's best childhood and I'm hoping you will.

"Even though by the time you see this you'll be a big kid, I want you to realize no matter what you do I'm always going to love you and I hope that you will love me back. You're very special to me even when you're right here," she pressed her hands to her stomach and then wiped away some tears. "Before you got here I had two other babies inside me that died before they were even born…and you're due in about a week and I can't wait for you to come." Mom wiped her eyes again and stood up and turned the camera off. The tape ended there. Daddy wheeled over to the television set and pressed stop. I didn't realize I was crying until I touched my cheek and felt that they were wet.

"Thank you, Daddy," I said. "That was the best dessert I've ever had a taste of."