Chapter 8 - The Birthday Party
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Ja-ake! Happy birthday to you!"
"Oh my! Thanks Ma! Thanks Dad!"
"Don't mention it. OK, you can mention it, I don't mind." said Jack.
"OK, I will as soon as I get to school" Jake winked.
"So? Dig in!" said an eager Janet. "I'm hungry!"
"Oh, and thank you for letting me have any dinner I want! Pizza was perfect. It was good, and I could afford it!"
"Well, you're fourteen and I know that you want your independence, so, buying us dinner was a great idea! Especially because it was mine..." Jack said.
"So? Where are my presents?"
"Oh, I'll go get them, Jacob," said Janet
"Yeah! For a second, I thought you forgot about me!" Jake pretended to cry.
"You've been working on that, haven't you?" said Jack
"You noticed?"
"Yeah, you're doing good! Maybe you can be an actor when you grow up!"
"Nah, I think I want to be a chef, like you!"
"Aww, thanks, Jake."
Jake smiled
"Here you go, Jacob!" Janet said when she came back downstairs.
"Wow! I don't think I've been this happy since I got my braces off!"
"Jacob, that was last year!"
"Well, I was happy..." Jake opened his first gift. "Wow! A Bop-It! Cool!"
Jack snatched the Bop-It from Jake. "Jan-et! I told you not to get that because it will give us a headache!"
"Oh, I've been through worse than a headache! Besides, Jacob wanted it, so I bought it for him! I don't think there's anything wrong with that..."
"Yeah, but, Jan-et... He didn't even get anything for us!"
"Hey! I got the pizza, didn't I?" Jake piped in
"Well, yeah, so, I guess... happy birthday!" Jack said, giving the Bop-It back to Jake.
"Yeah! Thank you, Ma! So, Dad, where's your gift for me?"
"Here..." Jack gave Jake a very small envelope.
"Dad, it's so small! I hope it's good..."
"Well, if you don't like it, it's the thought that counts..."
Jake opened up the envelope. "Are these what I think these are?"
"I sure hope so..." Jack said
"Two tickets to tonight's Creed concert?"
"WHAT?" Janet shrieked. She snatched the tickets out of Jake's hands.
"Man, you old people have a problem with sharing!" said Jake
"H-h-h-h-h-how did you get these?" asked Janet
"Ticketmaster.com! Everyone goes there for tickets! Hey, how long have you been in that time capsule of yours?"
Janet stared at Jack.
"Hey, more importantly, why are there two tickets? Shouldn't there be only one?" Jake asked
"Well, you sure as heck aren't going alone! So, I'm coming with you! Unless, of course, you want to go with your Mom, here."
"Oh no! I'm going with you!" Jake said, smiling. "Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"You're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome!" said Jack.
"Well, I'm thinking of going to sleep early, anyway, so, you won't miss anything here!" Janet said.
"Well, Jakey-boy, get dressed and let's go!"
"OK!"
"Janet, I'm really sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you I bought them, I'm sorry that I only bought two. I just thought that Jake didn't feel comfortable with you, and he would ignore you, anyway."
"But, why does he ignore me? I'm supposed to be likeable! He liked me when he was four!"
"Janet, that was ten years ago! It's the age! I read it on the internet." Jack kissed Janet and he went upstairs to help Jake pick out his clothes. Janet knew that he would be back quickly because Jake didn't like to be treated like a child. And, he especially didn't like his clothes picked out.
"I knew you would be back, Jack. It's the age!"
"Nice one, Janet. I promise. I will be with you when we get back. I'll tuck Jake in and then I'll change his diaper. And then, I will start spinning his mobile so that he'll go to sleep. Then, I promise, I'll be right next to you." He winked at Janet and he left with Jake. Janet waved and the car went out of the driveway.
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Ja-ake! Happy birthday to you!"
"Oh my! Thanks Ma! Thanks Dad!"
"Don't mention it. OK, you can mention it, I don't mind." said Jack.
"OK, I will as soon as I get to school" Jake winked.
"So? Dig in!" said an eager Janet. "I'm hungry!"
"Oh, and thank you for letting me have any dinner I want! Pizza was perfect. It was good, and I could afford it!"
"Well, you're fourteen and I know that you want your independence, so, buying us dinner was a great idea! Especially because it was mine..." Jack said.
"So? Where are my presents?"
"Oh, I'll go get them, Jacob," said Janet
"Yeah! For a second, I thought you forgot about me!" Jake pretended to cry.
"You've been working on that, haven't you?" said Jack
"You noticed?"
"Yeah, you're doing good! Maybe you can be an actor when you grow up!"
"Nah, I think I want to be a chef, like you!"
"Aww, thanks, Jake."
Jake smiled
"Here you go, Jacob!" Janet said when she came back downstairs.
"Wow! I don't think I've been this happy since I got my braces off!"
"Jacob, that was last year!"
"Well, I was happy..." Jake opened his first gift. "Wow! A Bop-It! Cool!"
Jack snatched the Bop-It from Jake. "Jan-et! I told you not to get that because it will give us a headache!"
"Oh, I've been through worse than a headache! Besides, Jacob wanted it, so I bought it for him! I don't think there's anything wrong with that..."
"Yeah, but, Jan-et... He didn't even get anything for us!"
"Hey! I got the pizza, didn't I?" Jake piped in
"Well, yeah, so, I guess... happy birthday!" Jack said, giving the Bop-It back to Jake.
"Yeah! Thank you, Ma! So, Dad, where's your gift for me?"
"Here..." Jack gave Jake a very small envelope.
"Dad, it's so small! I hope it's good..."
"Well, if you don't like it, it's the thought that counts..."
Jake opened up the envelope. "Are these what I think these are?"
"I sure hope so..." Jack said
"Two tickets to tonight's Creed concert?"
"WHAT?" Janet shrieked. She snatched the tickets out of Jake's hands.
"Man, you old people have a problem with sharing!" said Jake
"H-h-h-h-h-how did you get these?" asked Janet
"Ticketmaster.com! Everyone goes there for tickets! Hey, how long have you been in that time capsule of yours?"
Janet stared at Jack.
"Hey, more importantly, why are there two tickets? Shouldn't there be only one?" Jake asked
"Well, you sure as heck aren't going alone! So, I'm coming with you! Unless, of course, you want to go with your Mom, here."
"Oh no! I'm going with you!" Jake said, smiling. "Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"You're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome!" said Jack.
"Well, I'm thinking of going to sleep early, anyway, so, you won't miss anything here!" Janet said.
"Well, Jakey-boy, get dressed and let's go!"
"OK!"
"Janet, I'm really sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you I bought them, I'm sorry that I only bought two. I just thought that Jake didn't feel comfortable with you, and he would ignore you, anyway."
"But, why does he ignore me? I'm supposed to be likeable! He liked me when he was four!"
"Janet, that was ten years ago! It's the age! I read it on the internet." Jack kissed Janet and he went upstairs to help Jake pick out his clothes. Janet knew that he would be back quickly because Jake didn't like to be treated like a child. And, he especially didn't like his clothes picked out.
"I knew you would be back, Jack. It's the age!"
"Nice one, Janet. I promise. I will be with you when we get back. I'll tuck Jake in and then I'll change his diaper. And then, I will start spinning his mobile so that he'll go to sleep. Then, I promise, I'll be right next to you." He winked at Janet and he left with Jake. Janet waved and the car went out of the driveway.