A SEMI- QUARENTINE BIRTHDAY
October 18th, 2020
Zombie-like. Simply walking around without any real strong emotions to anything. That's how Stan was feeling on the eve of his eleventh birthday. The only noise that he had been hearing the past few days was the sound of his parents arguing. Of course he was used to it, even more so the past few years so in a way he was kind of numb to the static. But it was still a little frustrating to hear. No one wanted to hear their mother and father argue as often as his were. Stan wasn't one to eavesdrop but it was kind of hard not to pick up on their 'conversations' since they took place in all parts of the farmhouse. Apparently the night when Stan had gone back home after his break-down at Build-A-Bear in South Park his mom had snuck in a joint of his dad's Pandemic Special weed and in doing so had grown a mustache, as did everyone else that had tried the weed. It had taken a lot for Randy to get Sharon to admit that is what she had done but she finally retaliated back by saying it was all the stress that Randy was causing the family in the first place by being on the stupid farm that caused her to have a break-down of her own. Sharon tried explaining things and apologizing to the kids about going against their backs like that but Stan found himself not feeling too upset about this. Maybe last year he would have been pissed off his mom tried weed. He thought it was his sister, mother, and himself against his father. But Stan could only shrug at this news now.
"Not surprised. We've all reached that point by now. It was only a matter of time that you did too," Stan told his mother. Not that he was okay with it. His mother never smoked in the past so to finally go against her own words like that did make him a little upset. But this was just how things were. The way things occurred in this family. Minds and opinions changed quickly. He knew he was angry with her when she did not come running to his aide at the hospital after he had been shot last year; especially since she had spent so much effort worrying that something like that would happen in the first place. But he forgave her soon enough. He knew his mother loved him no matter what and would always have his back at the end of the day. Sometimes it just took something outrageous for it to happen. And now this thing… he knew his mother wouldn't continue to smoke weed, it was just a moment of weakness. And so things did have to continue the way it had been.
Which was the source of the fights. Randy of course wanted to continue to try out 'a few more specials' but Sharon argued back that everyone was sick and tired of it and the best thing at this point for the family was to move back to South Park. But Randy being the immature adult he was continually pointed out to his wife that she secretly wanted things to stay the same simply because she had reached her own breaking point of sorts. Sharon argued that she should be allowed this free pass considering all the other ridiculous things Randy had done over the years. And on and on it went.
8 P.M. Stan was currently flipping the channels on the TV, bored out of his mind as usual. For once his dad was sitting in the living room, although using his laptop and writing things down for 'work'. At that moment Sharon poked her head into the living room.
"If you're going to cook your own 'edibles' do you mind at least cleaning your own damn pots and pans?" Sharon snapped at her husband.
"Hey! Hey! You said you wouldn't mind if I made my own shit two hours ago!"
"Because I thought you would be responsible enough to clean your own dishes! It's like talking to a child with you Randy!" Sharon paused and closed her eyes. "No, forget I said that. Because our own ten-year-old child is more responsible than you, I'm not going to insult him."
"Oh give me a break Shar-on," Randy rolled his eyes. "We are all allowed to make mistakes aren't we? Give me a little credit, fuck."
"You want to talk about giving you credit? When I finally slip up the first thing your sorry ass can do is throw it in my face. Instead of trying to hear me out you decide your own selfish ass is what's most important. As usual!" Sharon yelled back.
And soon enough yet another shouting match had taken place. Sighing, Stan threw the remote onto the couch and made his way slowly upstairs. He stepped into his bedroom and looked around for a few seconds, deciding what he wanted to do until he went to bed. The best form of self-medicating he had lately, his notebook and guitar. He changed into some lounge pants, threw his jacket to the floor, and hopped on his bed, a pen, paper, and guitar in hand. He did this for a half hour before there was a knock on his door. He glanced up to see that Shelley was standing there. As always, she never waited for him to answer the door before opening it herself.
"What?" Stan asked dully.
"Mom and Dad fighting again?"
"No shit," Stan rolled his eyes.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Guitar," Stan shrugged.
"Hmm. Not surprised at all you picked that shit up stupid turd. Of all things to get from Dad's side I guess that's the best one to have," Shelley commented.
Stan looked up before looking back down again and began to strum again.
Shelley frowned, it looked as if she was fighting against something internally that was pretty painful.
"Look, turd-breath… do you…want to maybe watch something together on Netflix or Hulu or whatever?"
Stan raised a brow. "What? Why?"
Shelley rolled her eyes. "C'mon, I'm trying here Stan. Obviously you're falling into those familiar demons of yours lately and we all know nothing good comes from that. C'mon, let's do something semi-normal that other brothers and sisters do. Besides, it is your birthday tomorrow, isn't it?"
Stan had to grin slightly at this. "True. Okay, we can watch something."
Shelley turned on her TV and grabbed some blankets and such to get comfortable on the floor and they picked something out. Stan chose the drama series Bates Motel. The show had ended a few years ago but he was just now getting into it and so far, he was hooked. He ended up watching the last three episodes of season two with his sister, neither saying much the entire time although the two both sat there munching on a big bag of M&Ms. It was after 11:30 when they decided to call it a night. When Stan opened his sister's bedroom door he looked down the hall to see the lights were all off. He stopped at the landing of the stairs to see a faint glowing of the light from the hall nightlight downstairs. He didn't know if anyone was still down there. He looked over to see the light was on in his parents' bedroom. Again, who was in there he didn't know. He just changed into pajamas and brushed his teeth before climbing into bed. He couldn't help it; even though he was tired he forced himself to stay up a little while more. Ten minutes. In ten minutes it would be his birthday. He had never stayed up until midnight for his birthday before. He was too little in the past. But now that he was turning eleven he felt he was old enough to do so at this point. Stan watched a couple videos on YouTube before he looked over at the time again.
12:01 A.M. October 19, 2020 his phone glowed back. It felt a little odd in a way to see that exact time staring back at him. It's not as if as soon as midnight hit he immediately felt one year older. He didn't feel it or look it yet, that was for sure. He had only grown one inch over the year and his face still looked the same too. Maybe it wouldn't have been a big deal years ago but at this point Stan was really starting to compare himself to Kyle. Kyle had grown a good three inches over him, the biggest gap between their heights since they were four. If this was the trend of both boys from here on out Stan knew he was really going to look different from Kyle this time next year. Stan knew he was going to be the ultimate dork in his teen years- what with pimples from his father's genes and braces from his mother's side. Might as well declare Kyle the 'cutest boy in class' next year! Shaking his head now and letting out a big yawn, Stan was about to turn off his phone before it lit up again.
Kyle: Hey dude! Happy 11th birthday! (Followed by several party-themed emojis)
Stan beamed as his heart beat slightly faster.
Stan: Thanks a lot dude!
Before he knew it he was invited to a group chat where Cartman and Butters joined in.
Butters: Happy BIG 1-1 Stan! Hope you have a fun day!
Cartman: The stupid Jew forced me to text you on your stupid day… happy 11th and shit dude.
Stan was smiling wider than he had in a few days now.
Stan: Wow, thank-you so much you guys. It means a lot, really
His phone lit up as a few more people joined in.
Token: Hey dude, happy birthday!
Stan: Thanks! How's your arm feeling btw after you got shot?
Token: Better, thanks. It was near my shoulder blade so I still have use of my arm and hand overall
Stan: Cool. When I was shot last year I remember my arm still being tender for at least 3 weeks. Maybe cuz it was on my lower arm.
Token: Hope that isn't the case with me. But any tips on recovery from getting shot in the arm is appreciated- LOL
Stan: HA! It's only happened to me twice now so I indeed have tips!
Token: lol!
Clyde: Hey Stan. Happy birthday man!
Jimmy: Happy 11th Stan! Wish we could all celebrate.
Stan was laying on his stomach now, blanket pulled up over himself as he texted away.
Stan: Yeah, wish so too. Honestly not sure how today's gonna go. We aren't in an official quarantine like we were months ago but things are still closed and there's still rules and shit.
Cartman: Well I have a feeling things might be pretty sweet for you today dude. :-)
Kyle: Shut the hell up fatass! (angry emoji)
Stan laughed. It felt so satisfying to be able to talk with his friends right before he went to bed. He didn't think any of them would still be up at this time but the fact that they all were, just to send him birthday wishes, already gave Stan good vibes for whatever might take place later on in the day. He texted with everyone for ten more minutes before they all decided to get to bed themselves. Stan unstuck himself from his blankets and curled in a ball on his left side, a small smile on his face.
The alarm from Stan's phone went off at 8:30 that morning. He lay in bed for a few minutes, debating if he should go downstairs or stay put. Ever since he could remember his parents had come into his bedroom to wish him a happy birthday. His dad hadn't bothered last year but his mother still made it a point to do so. Now… well it was the first birthday in his life in which Stan woke up on his own without his mom standing over him. Yes he felt slightly hurt but sighed and sat up anyway. It was fine, really. He was eleven now. He was growing up. Time for new traditions. If anything he did wonder if he was going to have any school lessons today. While the mayor announced all schools will remain open with the original teachers November 2nd, lessons were still required. This meant that parents were back to homeschooling their kids with weekly lesson plans so that the actual teachers could spend the time setting up for the rest of the school year. But back to birthday traditions… Stan did wonder if a particular one was still literally 'on the table'. Ever since he was three he had asked his mom to make him an extra special French toast for breakfast. Well, only one way to find out. Stan stretched and ruffled his hair under his hat for a moment before placing his bare feet on the cold floor and going downstairs.
Stan poked his head into the kitchen. His mother had her back to him at the stove. He didn't say anything but did take a seat at the breakfast table next to his sister.
Sharon must have heard the scrape of his chair for she turned around and smiled.
"Happy birthday sweetie!" she went over and gave him a hug and kissed his cheek.
"Thanks."
Shelley sighed heavily. "Happy birthday…dumb turd."
Stan grinned. "Thanks dude." He then instinctively flinched.
"What the hell is your problem?"
Stan gave her a look. "It's my birthday… you aren't going to, you know, carry out your 'tradition' on me?"
Every year since he had turned three Shelley had wished him a 'happy birthday' by socking him in the arm however many years he was turning.
Shelley glared. "If you want me to I will. Dumb turd."
Stan rubbed his left arm, frowning. "Um, I'd kind of like you to no- aaoww!"
Shelley had given him a single hard blow to his arm. Stan gasped, clutching it, tears in his eyes. If she had broken his arm right then he wouldn't be surprised. He looked up to see his sister smirking.
"Kids, c'mon now… let's behave," Sharon scolded. A couple minutes later she presented breakfast. "I decided to make you a bananas foster French toast this year Stan. I found a recipe online the other night."
"That sounds awesome! Thanks," Stan grimaced, still rubbing his sore arm. He looked down at his plate in awe. He hungrily dug into the toast and his glass of chocolate milk. So far things were going about normally as far as his birthday was concerned.
Sharon took up a chair a few minutes later and began her own plate of French toast. "Oh, and Stanley sweetie, I hope you aren't too upset I wasn't there to wish you happy birthday this morning. I had a few things to do. Plus I'm sure you feel you've outgrown that. I want to respect your choices as you explore turning eleven."
"Huh? Oh, it's fine. Really. You're right. I guess it's time to grow up and whatnot."
At that moment Randy slowly made his way into the kitchen. He looked around, rubbing his neck before reaching Stan.
"Happy birthday son," he said, tapping his shoulder before moving to the kitchen for some food. He spotted a couple slices of French toast leftover. "Aww heck Sharon. Really? You save the shitty-looking pieces for me?"
Sharon ignored this. "I don't want to rush you Stan but you do have school today, okay? So I want you to be ready and downstairs in the dining room at 9:15, understand?"
School on his birthday? Stan always hated when his birthday landed on a school day but it didn't make a difference this year. If he did still have school lessons today he was okay with it. That just meant that today was going to start off as a normal day, something he was actually kind of hoping for. Over a week ago his mother asked him what he wanted for his birthday and he told her the only thing he cared about was having as normal a day as possible. It's not as if he could go out and do something big with his friends. Yes, some businesses in South Park were open and he could still see his friends as long as everyone wore a mask and whatnot but he hadn't done any of that yet. Again, he was sure he would have been hanging with Kyle and everyone more often if he lived closer than an hour from town. But the fact remained, he did live nearly an hour away from South Park and of course his parents nor Kyle's wanted to drive back and forth just so the boys could see each other.
But since Stan confessed his true feelings to his mom after his break-down at Build-A-Bear he had been in a slightly better mood. One of the main reasons was what happened a few days ago when he had to go back to town to the dentist to get a couple cavities filled. This time he was able to talk about football and baseball with Dr. Steels. To be able to talk about one of his passions with an adult again felt so good. His own dad was too preoccupied with the usual weed business that Stan hadn't been able to go over stats and games and such with him as he usually had. Sure, Stan would talk about sports with his friends over the phone but to have a heated twenty-minute conversation about baseball postseason and the start of the Broncos football season with a man that loved the game just as much as he did was, well, cool. And since the noted prize wall in the office was no longer up for obvious reasons, Stan was given something even cooler- a gift bag of goodies catered to him since his birthday was coming up; one of the gifts was a flashy spiral Broncos notebook that he felt would be perfect for him to jot down his latest song lyrics and guitar notes. It was a slice of normality that he was so craving up to this point. Stan sincerely hoped it would continue.
After breakfast, Stan went upstairs to 'get ready for school.' This did mean that he had to leave his phone upstairs so as not to be distracted. He sat down at the dining room table, notebook and pencil box out, ready for school.
"Good morning Stanley. I figured it would be good to start the day off with a writing assignment that I will then have you read to the class, okay?"
Stan looked around. "What class?"
"Don't worry about that now," Sharon passed off. "Now your assignment is to write about this prompt: What do you think your greatest strength is? What about your greatest weakness? You will be given the next twenty minutes to write your response. After, I will grade you on your paper so make sure you try and spell correctly and write legibly. Understand?"
"Um, sure."
With a nod, Sharon set the timer and Stan began to write his paper. Or tried to at least. It did take him a couple minutes to figure out what he felt his strengths and weaknesses were. But once he came up with them it was fairly easy to write. He didn't look up at the timer at all until it finally buzzed, twenty minutes later. He was then instructed to get up and face 'everyone' at the dining room table. Sharon then called into the living room where his father and sister were. They both looked annoyed when they were told to head into the dining room.
"I don't want any part is the turd's stupid lessons today," Shelley spoke as took up a seat at the table along with Randy.
"Really Sharon, this is as sad and lame as you can get for our own son's birthday," Randy commented.
"You already agreed to it. You're doing it. Hold on a sec…" Sharon typed in something in her laptop before facing it towards Stan as well. Suddenly several faces appeared on the screen, via yet another Zoom call. Kyle, Cartman, Butters, Token, Wendy, Clyde, and Jimmy stared back.
"What the-? Aw shit," Stan frowned, realizing what was going on now.
Sharon took up a seat next to her laptop. "Whenever you are ready Stanley."
Stan sighed as he lowered his hands that held his paper. "Really Mom, thanks but this is a little"-
"You are not getting out of this assignment mister. This is your writing prompt; you were instructed to read it aloud to the class. Now do so or I will write your name on the board," Sharon instructed, not smiling.
Stan looked at her. She wasn't kidding, was she? Stan cleared his throat as he brought his paper back up.
"What I think my greatest strength is and my greatest weakness is," Stan read off. He was a little nervous as anyone would be to read something they wrote in front of several pairs of eyes. But he quickly shook this off. This was his class- well, some of it anyway. They had heard him present papers and projects many times before. The other people were just his parents and sister. He already knew how they would react to his paper too. Stan drew in a breath and began to read. "What I think my greatest strength is is that I am passionate." He glanced up to see everyone still looking at him. "I am passionate because I care a lot about things. Not only do I care about stuff but I am good at that stuff too. One of the things I am passionate about is football. I know a lot about the game and can play pretty good too. I am always up to talk about football with someone because there is always something to say about it. I also love other sports too. I'm really good at baseball and soccer too. I know how to play basketball but I am not as good at it so I am not as passionate about it." Once again Stan looked up. His mother was smiling, as were most of his classmates. His sister and father looked bored however. "Another thing I am passionate about lately is music. I began playing guitar and writing songs when I was ten and I have picked up on it quickly. It's a good way to release stress, anger, and sadness so I think I am passionate about that too. Other stuff I am passionate about is board games and animals. Overall, I put a lot of effort and care into the things I love and that's why I think that is my greatest strength."
He cleared his throat as he looked up at everyone again.
"Okay, good job so far sweetie. Now continue," his mother prompted.
Stan nodded "My passion leads me into what I think my weakness is. I can be…emotional," he said heavily.
"Ha! Ha-hahaha! What a dork!" Cartman called suddenly, cracking up on screen.
"Shut the fuck up Fatass! It's Stan's assignment, let him finish!" Kyle spat.
Stan frowned. "Um, Mo- I mean, Mrs. Marsh, do I have to continue?"
"Yes Stanley. It's part of your grade," Sharon spoke.
Rolling his eyes, Stan continued. "I think being emotional is a weakness for me because nothing good comes from it. My friends sometimes make fun," he glared at Cartman's direction. "Or they say they understand when really they don't." He glanced over at Kyle now who looked away at that exact moment. "When I get sad about something I really let it affect me and I end up feeling sad for days at a time. I get angry about things too but a lot of the time that stuff turns to sadness or even depression." He swallowed before continuing. "Being emotional is seen as a negative if you're a dude. So I try to act strong, like stuff doesn't bother me. But I have doubts, fears, and worries like everyone else. And sometimes I can't help but let those things take over. And it annoys my friends. And dad," Stan stole a look from his dad at that moment.
"What? What?" Randy looked around, surprised.
Stan cleared his throat one last time. "It kind of sucks that my strength is a pathway to my weakness. Caring can be tough. That is why I think being emotional is my weakness. Um, that's all," he shrugged, looking at everyone now.
There was some scattered applause now. Sharon thanked the classmates on the Zoom meeting before shutting her laptop.
"Can I go now?" Shelley asked, already getting up from her chair.
"Okay Stanley, hand over your paper and I'll go over it for you. While I do that I would like you to study up on your spelling words for this week. We will have the practice test today and the actual test on Friday, understand?"
"Uhh, sure."
Stan was given a list of this week's spelling words while his mother graded his paper. He frowned, looking at them. The words looked pretty tough so he took his time looking them over and the practice sentence that was next to them so he could put the word into context. Fifteen minutes later his mom went over to his seat at the dining room table, paper in hand.
"Overall good job sweetie. I gave you a ninety percent."
Ninety? Sweet! That was an A!
"I did dock a few points for misspelled words and the structure of your sentences. You used the word 'stuff' a little too much Stan. But good job overall," Sharon explained.
"Thanks."
"Now, do you feel ready for your practice spelling test?"
Stan huffed but nodded, handing over the list of words. He took out new paper and his pencil again. Sharon took up a spot at the head of the dining room table again.
"Okay Stan, this week's words are -il sounding words, which means they end in either an –al or -il. Understand?"
Stan nodded, ready.
Okay, first word is 'council'. The council met at the mayor's office to discuss their ideas. Council."
Frowning, Stan wrote down c-o-n-s-s-i-l.
"Next word is bacterial. The doctor told the man that he had a bacterial infection. Bacterial."
Stan bit his lip, thinking hard now. That was one of the words with a lot of letters in it. He tapped his pencil for a couple seconds before writing down b-a-c-k-t-e-r-e-a-l. And on it went for eight more words, ending with 'neutral' which Stan wrote as n-e-w-t-u-a-l. He tapped his pencil in nerves while his mother graded his work. He ended up misspelling five of the ten words.
"Aww man," he sighed heavily, looking at the red marks over the words.
"Make sure you study up on this list this week Stan. I know you tend to add in extra letters to words if you are unsure of how to spell them. Remember, oftentimes our first instincts are correct. So try to pay attention to what your brain is telling you about these words," Sharon was explaining. "Also, don't be afraid to sound out the words and break them up if you have to. Bac-ter-i-al. Not back-te-re-al. okay?"
Stan nodded, hand holding his chin up as he continued to tap away with his pencil. He never would admit it but sometimes the things his mom said when it came to home-schooling made sense and her way of explaining hit more than what Mr. Garrison and Mrs. Nelson said. Of course as his mother she knew everything about him and had five years' worth of school work and parent-teacher-conferences to look back on so she knew what his exact strong and weak points were. Still, he couldn't wait to get back to regular school again. After spelling they went over double-digit multiplication problems which were fairly easy. Stan had a feeling his mom wanted to give him something he already knew about so she didn't have to teach him new math he, and most likely she, wouldn't fully understand. After this was a short history lesson; Stan had to watch a ten minute video on 'the history of birthdays' and write down five things he learned from the video. By this point in the morning Stan was starting to feel a little hungry.
"Can I have an early lunch today?" Stan asked his mom as he watched her type something on her laptop again.
"What's that honey? Sorry, not today."
"Why not? It is my birthday, remember? I know I'm stuck in school but it is my birthday," Stan reminded her, a little angry.
"I have something special planned for lunch. Let's see…it's 11:10 now. I have your lunch scheduled for 1/1:30 today. You can have a snack until then."
Stan ended up not being upset after all when he saw what his snack was- a custom milkshake in which he got to choose what he wanted to go in it. After looking into the fridge, freezer, and pantry, he rested on Neapolitan for the ice cream base and Oreos, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, a banana, and topped it with chocolate sprinkles. It sounded insane but ended up being delicious. He felt like a fat glutton like Cartman as he enjoyed his treat but he wasn't too worried; he didn't gain weight that quickly and one milkshake wasn't going to have him put on ten pounds. When he was almost done with his milkshake his mother walked into the kitchen again.
"Okay Stanley, I want you to get ready for your next assignment soon. In ten minutes there is going to be a class-wide Show-and-Tell and you are going to participate. Understand?" Sharon instructed.
"Really?" Stan choked out.
"Yes. You and your classmates are to find something to show to each other that you are very proud of. I want you in the dining room in ten minutes." Sharon left the room.
Stan gulped down the last bits of milkshake before racing to his bedroom, searching for something he was proud of. He looked around, trying to find inspiration. What was he proud of? Some classroom project or assignment he received a good grade on in the past? The two baseballs he owned that he caught in his glove at Rockies' Baseball games? His Denver Broncos jersey? His guitar was something to be proud of. It represented his love and talent in music and how that had been his escapism since living on the farm. Or maybe his board game collection? It was a pretty cool collection. But why was he proud of it? Maybe he would get a bad grade if he didn't follow the actual requirement for this Show-and-Tell. He looked between his guitar and his thirty-something board games before grabbing the guitar and hurrying down the stairs.
Another Zoom meeting was up on his mom's laptop screen again, where all his classmates were present. Did his mom really talk to each of them to help set up a 'normal' school experience? Stan didn't have time to think on that, Wendy was the first to present her item for Show-and-Tell.
"My item I wanted to show that I am most proud of is this"- she held up what looked to be a school paper. "This is the paper I wrote titled 'What I Want to Be When I Grow Up'. I wrote about how I want to be a judge because I think it would be very rewarding to help acquit people that have been falsely imprisoned"-
"Bor-ing," Cartman groaned, rolling his eyes.
Wendy glared in his direction. "-and I can help sentence those that need imprisonment." She composed herself again. "Anyway, I received a 100 percent on the paper and our teacher at the time showed it to Principal Victoria. She showed it to the mayor. The mayor replied back to my paper, saying that she was very impressed with my paper and after reading my paper said I would make a great career in politics or the judicial system one day."
Cartman snorted in response.
"And that is what I'm most proud of- this letter by the mayor. If I ever have doubts about my career when I get older I will always have this to look back on. Thank-you."
Up next was Token, who presented his elaborate $600 microscope that he got for Christmas last year. He went on to say he loved science and how said microscope was a lot better than the 'cheap $300 one he had before'. Kenny was more than excited to show to the class his most treasured item- his bed, which was just a twin-sized mattress on the floor with a single blanket.
"I know it's nothing too exciting but I'm proud of it," Kenny pointed out as Cartman laughed. "This is the first mattress I've owned that doesn't have any holes or weird stains. I found it by the dumpster near my house six months ago and dragged it home first thing. Owning an actual comfortable bed is something I'm proud of."
Kyle had showcased a school project he had received an A+ on, while Cartman showed off a pair of expensive Nike shoes that looked almost-new.
"How the hell is that an item you're most proud of?" Kyle demanded.
"Because, I begged my mom for them," Cartman answered in an obvious way.
"You dumbass! That doesn't make sense!"
"If you would let me finish," Cartman rolled his eyes. "It took a full three days of begging on my part before my mom finally gave in. It has never taken three whole days for me to get anything I wanted. So you see, these shoes represent perseverance. To show that if I am patient enough, God will open a door and give me what I want."
"That's retarded, you missed the purpose of"-
"Kyle not now," Stan bit back. "You know Cartman doesn't give a fuck what you say. Let it go."
Kyle growled but sank back down, arms crossed. And on and on it went until finally it was Stan's turn. He got to his feet and adjusted himself so his guitar was in frame.
"Um, hey. This is my proudest item I have- my guitar. I didn't know what I wanted to share, this or my board game collection but I went with this. My games are more of a 'cool' thing for Show-and-Tell." Stan cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'm proud of my guitar because it's been kind of an extension of me lately. I spend a lot of free time playing it and writing songs which I am proud of 'cause I used to not do that kind of thing. My guitar gives me something to focus on and I can give all my energy to. It allows me to be creative and expressive. I've been spending most of my time in quarantine learning new things when it comes to guitars and overall singing and song-writing. So even though board games are really sweet, my guitar represents me at the moment. I guess," Stan explained as he fiddled with the strings of the instrument.
A minute later Sharon walked into the room to shut down the Zoom meeting.
"Okay Stanley, it's 12:15 now… we should get ready to head out now," she spoke, a blank expression on her face.
"Head out to where?"
"For lunch. I want you to make sure you are dressed and ready to go. I assume your phone is charged? If not you can charge it on the car ride there."
"There where?" Stan was slightly intrigued now.
"You will find out soon. Oh, and be sure to take along your bike and maybe your skateboard."
"My bike and skateboard?" Stan's heart fluttered. Were they going to a park?
"Yes, grab your bike things and meet me at the car in five minutes. Understand?"
Stan nodded, confused and watched his mother go to the basement. He hurried upstairs to grab his wallet, just in case, before going to the garage to grab his bike and skateboard as instructed, although he felt a little weirded out when Shelley gave him a genuine smile when he passed her at the front steps of the house.
"Where are we going?" Stan asked his mother as soon as she started up the car.
"We'll see. In the meantime sit back, relax. I'll let you to play whatever music you want."
Grinning, Stan shuffled through the artists on his phone before choosing Of Mice and Men. His mom never allowed him to play the heavier rock and metal music he was into in the car. A half hour had passed. Stan looked out the windows.
"Are we eating somewhere in Middle Creek?" If they were going to Middle Creek it meant maybe he'd be able to see his grandmother that lived there. He hadn't been to Grandma's House since February. He had only been able to keep in contact via phone calls and iChat. However Sharon informed Stan they were not seeing Grandma today, which he wasn't too surprised about, although he was a little upset. But seeing as seniors were at a higher risk for catching COVID and possibly dying, he didn't want to risk going over. Another thing that Stan had been thinking about for a little while now too was the lack of presents so far today. Again, he didn't want to appear ungrateful. He knew money had been a little tight this year even though his dad had been able to keep the farm afloat. But it was his birthday and even though Stan did tell his mother he didn't want anything days ago he kind of hoped that she wouldn't follow through. But Stan kept his mouth shut. So far he had gotten exactly what he did ask for and was happy about that. Suddenly they passed by a bridge that was in town that was the indicator they were traveling further along to the next town. Stan's eyes lit up now.
"Are we going somewhere in town?" he beamed.
Sharon only smiled back.
"We are huh?" Stan was feeling very excited now. He was finally going to be able to do something in South Park! He didn't have to wait much longer to find out where they were going. His mother turned right on West Cherry Street and he knew where they were headed. A familiar icon of a red and white bucket and an old man with a mustache loomed over. They were getting KFC!
Stan tapped his feet together in excitement as they waited in the drive-thru. Again, the last time he sat in a drive-thru was back in March. He knew what was going to make this a special lunch now; his mom was ordering KFC and they were going to eat it at the park where he would get a chance to ride his bike after. Just like old times. He could hardly wait.
Sure enough Sharon pulled up to Paulser Pines Skate Park, the skate park that had been recently added to South Park several months ago, and parked the car.
"We're allowed to eat at the park?" Stan asked.
"Yes. As long as we bring our own blanket and mask up. We aren't allowed to sit at the benches but you are allowed to bike and skate. I'll take hold of the food. Why don't you go into the back seat and grab the blanket, okay sweetie?"
Stan put on his mask, got out the front seat and went to the back. He pulled out the large red blanket that was usually reserved for beach or park trips and went to follow his mother. He stopped in his tracks when he saw someone standing next to her on the grass. A very familiar orange-hooded someone.
"Kenny?!" Stan ran over. "Dude! What are you doing here?"
"Having lunch dude. Your mom told me she was getting KFC so I had to say yes," Kenny explained.
Stan shook his head, not knowing if this was a dream or not. He didn't think he'd be able to see any of his friends any time soon. Yet here was Kenny standing in front of him now. Sharon took hold of the red blanket, set it out, and had the boys come over. Stan slowly took up a chicken leg as he looked between his mom and Kenny.
"But- but this is allowed? I can…interact with someone outside of family?" Stan asked.
Sharon nodded. "We need to follow social distancing and mask rules but we can still enjoy some fried chicken at the park. I'm sorry that we can't eat inside the restaurant yet but I hope this is okay," Sharon frowned.
"What? This is better than that Mom. Thanks." After Stan and Kenny had their fill of fried chicken, biscuits, and mashed potatoes, they were allowed to ride around on Stan's bike and skateboard. It felt great to be able to ride around outside in fresh air that didn't smell like weed and Kenny was the perfect person to do this with. He was of course the most daring when it came to doing 'dangerous' stunts on a bike or skateboard, however he was being slightly more careful only because this was Stan's bike and board he was using, not his own. Stan himself was a little careful too as he went around the park, as tempting as the ramps and stairs looked. He had attempted a trick with his bike, and failed, months ago resulting in him breaking a tooth. All in all though Stan had a good time with Kenny at the park for the next hour. At this time however his mother had called him over.
"Okay Stanley, we should wrap up here. We have another appointment to get to today," Sharon explained, folding up the red blanket.
"Oh, uh, okay." Stan waved at Kenny. "See you then dude. Thanks for hanging and whatnot."
"Yeah, no prob. Happy birthday," Kenny waved back.
A minute later everything was loaded into the car and Sharon drove off again.
"Where are we going now?" Stan asked.
"Oh, you'll see." Sharon looked at the time on the car radio. "We do need to hurry though; we don't want to be late."
Stan raised a brow now. Where on earth would they be going that would require an appointment? He went over possible places in his head for the next ten minutes before his mom pulled into the Parkside Peaks Outdoor Shopping Mall. Stan looked out the window as she went to park in the parking garage.
"Okay, we're here. Got your mask?"
Wordlessly, Stan put on his mask and stepped out of the car, allowing his mom to lead the way to- wherever. They passed several shops, a few were appointment-only establishments, others were set up in a capacity-based setting where people could freely walk in and out of but only a select number was allowed inside at any time. Stan then spotted a familiar blond-headed boy up ahead.
"Butters?" Stan yelled, running forward.
Butters turned and waved. "Well hey there Stan! Happy birthday!"
"Dude, what's going on?"
"Well uh, I'm here to give you your birthday present. Surprise!" Butters presented the storefront they were standing in front of: Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Stan looked at Butters, then at his mother. Even though she had on a mask Stan was sure she was smiling.
"You boys have fun, okay? I'll be walking around. Text me when you're done okay?"
Stan watched her leave before turning back to Butters.
"But- but I don't understand"-
"Well uhh, I wanted to do something nice for you Stan," Butters spoke, rubbing his hands together as he often did. "You went all out for me a couple weeks ago, wanting to get me to Build-A-Bear."
Stan sighed. "Butters, dude, you do know I uh, had ulterior motives, right? I- I was so desperate to do something fun and normal I just used you to get what I wanted. I broke down."
"I know that. But at the end of the day, you still did a lot to make me happy. Or tried to at least. No one else has tried to get me to do anything fun since quarantine. And yeah, nothin' really came of it. Neither of us got to Build-A-Bear that day." Butters frowned, looking at his hands before looking back up. "When the news came out days ago that your dad, um, was a part of-of things, and they opened some stores back up… my parents said I could finally build my own bear. But then I got to thinking, and thought of you. I decided you need it more than me right now Stan."
Stan was grinning, feeling his heart warm at these words. He shook his head. "But Butters, it's your bear. You deserve it. It wouldn't be right to take it from you."
Butters waved a hand at this. "Honestly Stan, I'm kinda used to others usin' me. And the reason you did it was 'cause you were feeling just as upset about things as I was. Maybe more so. Anyway, enough talking, we have an appointment! Let's go build you a bear, birthday boy!"
They stepped inside where they were met with an employee by the name of Cindy. Butters informed the kind-faced woman that they had a booking at 3 P.M. that day.
"Okay you two, which one of you is the lucky one who gets to build his own bear? Or are you both creating a special friend today?" she asked.
Butters patted Stan's shoulder. "My good friend Stan here is building a bear. You see, today is his birthday so I want him to have a really special one."
"Ohh! Happy birthday then Stan! How old are you turning?" Cindy asked, smiling. Well, Stan couldn't see it but no doubt she was.
"Eleven."
"That's wonderful! Let's take you over to our selection of bear skins Stan. Is there a specific bear you were looking to build today?"
"Um, I'm not too sure. It's been a while since I've been here." Again, Stan had built two bears previously. The one he created when he was five was a polar bear in a Santa outfit. His second bear he made when he was nine was the Everlasting Teddy and dressed in a Denver Broncos t-shirt. At this point in his life Stan wasn't sure if it was considered immature to have stuffed animals. Sure, it had been months since he had actively played with any of the ones he still owned but that didn't mean any he did receive from here on out had to be for that purpose only. Sometimes it simply felt good to squeeze a stuffed toy. And after this particularly stressful year Stan really wanted to properly Build-A-Bear. And so he looked up and down the shelves of the stuffed animals available, thinking.
"Which one are you thinking Stan? The koala? Oh look! They have a special birthday bear! Look, he's so cute," Butters pointed to a stuffed bear with the words 'happy birthday' etched into its feet. "Oh wow! Look! This one is really cool," Butters pointed to a Halloween-themed bear, orange with a pattern of black bats on its feet.
Stan rubbed his chin, looking around, although his eyes kept going back to the same bear. Finally he gave in to the one calling to him. He smiled and pointed. "I want him," he indicated a fuzzy black bear with brown paws.
"Good choice, okay, let's grab the skin," Cindy nodded, looking through a bin for the right bear.
"Wow, he's a cute one Stan. He'll look just like you when we're all done," Butters commented.
Cindy led the two boys over to the stuffing station next. She took up a chair near the machine and Stan and Butters stood six feet back.
"Okay Stan, how stuffed would you like your bear to be? Really soft? Firm?"
"Um, pretty soft. But not flimsy, ya know?"
Cindy nodded and proceeded to use the foot pedal to stuff the bear. Stan looked on, amazed. It seemed so easy when she did it, why did he have so much trouble when he attempted to do it two weeks ago? A minute later the lady was done and handed his bear back to him.
"How does he feel sweetie?"
Stan gave the bear a squeeze. He smiled. "He feels good."
"Wonderful! Okay Stan sweetie, what heart would you like your bear to have? The red one or the pink one?" Cindy pointed to a bin where many little plastic hearts sat.
"The red one."
Cindy passed along the heart to the boy.
"Okay sweetie, I'm going to give you some very special instructions to help bring your bear to life, okay?"
"Ohh boy! This is the best part," Butters exclaimed happily.
"First off, I want you to rub the heart in your hands, to wake it up. Rub rub rub!"
Stan squeezed the little heart as hard as he could in his hands.
"Next, press the heart to your knee to make your bear feel needed."
Stan smiled and did so.
"Great! Next I want you to press the heart to your tummy and think of your favorite Halloween treat," Cindy said happily.
Stan closed his eyes and thought for a second. "Chocolate. Probably Twix bars…"
"Mmm, those are yummy aren't they? Okay, now I want you to press the heart to your elbow so your bear always has a sense of humor," Cindy went on.
Stan did so.
"And for the most important step of all- press the heart to your own heart and make a special wish!"
Stan frowned, thinking hard now. The obvious thing to wish for was for him to have his old life back. But he didn't know if that was the best thing considering he wanted the same thing days after he turned ten and it ended up disastrous. Plus he obviously wasn't the only person having a difficult time with quarantine or anything associated with this year at all. Finally he had his wish. I just want myself, family, and friends to be happy and healthy. Simple, honest, and to the point. He looked over to Cindy, the Build-A-Bear lady.
"Have your wish? Wonderful. Now put your heart into your bear…"
Stan slipped the little heart in the opening in the back.
"Now before I stitch him close, did you want to add in anything special? Any scents, voice chips, or a special heartbeat?"
Stan glanced at Butters.
"Well uh, go ahead Stan. It's your birthday," Butters encouraged.
"Um, what scents are there?"
Cindy gave him a list of scents he could slip into his bear. He chose the birthday cake scent. Cindy handed over a little bear-shaped disk with said scent and he placed the disk inside, near the front of his bear. After the added extras Cindy finally stitched the bear closed and handed him back to Stan.
"Okay sweetie. He's all good to go! You can head over to the computers over there and make up his birth certificate, okay? Happy birthday!"
"Thanks."
Butters had a hand on Stan's back now. "C'mon Stan, let's go pick out a name for him!"
The two boys went over to the birth certificate station for the next step.
"What are you going to name him?" Butters asked.
Stan raised a brow. "I'm not sure…" It was tempting to go with a Halloween-themed name, given the holiday was two weeks away and Stan did want to dress the bear in a Halloween outfit. But he didn't feel that kind of name suited said bear. He remembered he had named his polar bear he made when he was five 'Cupcake' and the football bear he made two years ago was 'Elway'. He had to give this bear a cool and strong name now. He looked into the fuzzy black face of the animal. He smiled and typed into the system. "His name is Bruce Wayne."
"Ohh, that's a real cool name Stan."
After the certification process Stan went over to perhaps the best part- picking out an outfit for his bear, and now that it was Halloween there were several cool costumes set up. Thankfully Butters was the perfect friend to have for this process and the blond boy wasted no time holding up outfits to Bruce Wayne the bear.
"The vampire is a classic, the cape looks really cool. But the skeleton is neat-o too. I like the little heart they have on it. Do you want him to have shoes? The shoes are really cute."
Stan liked the simplicity of a little orange t-shirt that said 'Happy Halloween' on it but he kept going back to one outfit- a black suit with jazzy blue strip and tie. It wasn't very Halloween-y but if he was going to be Bruce Wayne the bear he had to have a cool outfit to go with it. Although Stan did top the bear with a hat that had a pumpkin design as well as give him a pumpkin candy bucket. Finally the Build-A-Bear process was complete, and Stan walked out the store happily, his new fuzzy friend in a special bear carrier.
As soon as they were away from the shop Stan texted his mother to tell her they were done.
"Can I hold him?" Butters asked.
"Yeah dude," Stan handed the bear over.
Butters looked at the stuffed animal and gave him a squeeze. He then smelled his tummy. "Wow, he really does smell like birthday cake. Cool."
A couple minutes later Sharon appeared.
"Well? Did you have a good time boys?" Sharon asked.
"Yeah. Look at the bear I made," Stan couldn't help but feel excited as he passed along the bear to his mom.
"He smells like birthday cake," Butters pointed out.
"Ohh, look at his outfit. How sweet. What did you name him?"
"Bruce Wayne," Stan answered.
"What a perfect name." Sharon handed the bear back to her son. "Okay Stanley, I think we should head off to your next appointment."
"Okay." Stan turned to Butters. "Butters, dude, thanks again. This was really cool. You didn't have to do this."
"Nonsense Stan. I honestly had more fun just now than when you tried to make me one two weeks ago. Happy birthday!"
Stan waved at him before following after his mother back to the car. Stan wondered where they could possibly be going now. His mom began driving into the heart of town again, down all the familiar streets of South Park. Stan felt his heart ache slightly as he took in all the sights of home. Although it was a little eerie, seeing a handful of businesses closed and not very many cars on the road or people walking on the sidewalks. Suddenly Sharon pulled into Bonanza Circle and Stan felt his blood run cold for a second- this cul-de-sac and street was where their old house was. But it was also where another particular person's house was. Sure enough Sharon parked in front of a very familiar green house. The Cartman's.
"What?" Stan looked confused.
Sharon checked the time again. "Let's see… it is 3:45 now. I will pick you up at…six, okay sweetie?"
Stan looked at the house and at his mother. "I'm confused."
"Well I'm not going to go up to the front of the house; we want to lessen exposure as much as possible. But I already spoke with Ms. Cartman and apparently Eric can't wait to see you."
"O-okay…"
"Oh! Just a moment, I almost forgot…" Sharon got out of the car and dug in the trunk. She passed along two wrapped gifts to her son. "You might want these when you see Eric. Have a good time sweetie!"
"What? But- but I always open my gifts in front of you"-
"There are a few things you can open at home later. Now hurry along, go on," Sharon urged before getting back into the car.
Still extremely confused but feeling happy now at finally receiving a couple presents, Stan put on his mask, took hold of the boxes, and walked up to the front door and knocked. The door opened to reveal Liane Cartman, who had a mask over her face.
"Hello Stanley. Happy birthday," she greeted.
"Thanks."
"Come into the living room. Eric can't wait to see you."
Stan doubted this but still went into the house anyway. Cartman was sitting at the TV, remote in hand and surprisingly, a mask over his face too. Why would Cartman wear one in his own house if he didn't need to? Stan was feeling weirded out and confused at this point.
"Dude, what the hell is going on?" He asked, setting his gifts down.
Cartman looked over as if just now noticing Stan was there.
"Oh, hey dude."
"Really Cartman, what the hell is going on? Why are you wearing a mask around me? In your own living room? Why did my mom give me presents to open here? What the hell do you have planned?" Stan glared at the fat boy now.
Cartman gave the boy in the poofball hat a hard look now. "Pfff, fuck you you ungrateful hippie. I don't have to fucking do any of this shit for you but I was forced. I have better things to do on my time away from skewl. But then your mom has the brilliant idea of contacting mine to set up some fucking playdate like we're five again."
Stan raised a brow. "I still don't really understand."
Cartman looked annoyed now. "Dumbass, you're here to celebrate your birthday. Or whatever the hell. I don't care."
"O-kay…"
Carman growled, ham-like fists curled in. "You assholes didn't do anything for my eleventh birthday. Noooo, it's too dangerous. We're in a pandeeeemmmic. Why the hell would I want to waste my precious afternoon doing something for your birthday then Stan? Huh? I don't give a shit."
Stan looked over at the fat boy as he sat there with his arms crossed on the sofa, not looking at him. Stan knew he was lying. Cartman was indeed a complete asshole most of the time but he also knew there was something buried deep inside him. Oftentimes he and Cartman did have fun together when it was just the two of them. Sometimes with Kenny in the picture. There wasn't a lot of fighting and arguing when Kyle wasn't there for their latest 'thing'. Stan knew when to ignore things Cartman said and did but he also knew that sometimes Cartman deserved to have his ideas heard. Sometimes he did have something cool up his sleeve. Sometimes he was funny. Sometimes Cartman…cared. After all he did listen to Stan as he broke down at Build-A-Bear two weeks ago. He wouldn't have done so if there was a part of that blubber of his that cared. Even a little. And just as usual, Stan knew this wasn't worth investigating further, or risk lighting yet another match under Fatass.
"Okay. So here I am I guess. What do you have planned?"
Cartman looked over, no hint of anger in his face now. He rubbed his chin. "Well there is something I've been dying to do for months now…"
At the same moment both Stan and Cartman rang in with, "Board games!"
Stan was beaming. "Dude, you have no idea how much I miss playing board games. It sucks not doing it with you or Butters or even Kyle. My dad's too focused on his weed bullshit so doesn't play long before doing his thing. I tried playing a few with my mom but she doesn't 'get them', ya know? I spend more time explaining the rules and pieces to her than actually playing the game. And Shelley, ha, no fucking way."
"Same man, same. My mom is shit to play games with too," Cartman added.
Suddenly Stan felt his phone vibrate. It was his mom.
Sharon: Did you open your gifts yet?
Stan: No
Sharon: Do so ASAP.
"What's up?" Cartman looked over.
"My mom wants me to open my gifts." Stan looked at the two boxes wrapped in a fun sloth patterned wrapping paper.
"Well do it dumbass, it's your birthday. If you don't I will!"
Stan took hold of the first one and unwrapped it to find a board game- Isle of Cats.
"Oh wow! No way!" Stan exclaimed, examining the box.
"Sweet dude! Did you see the video on BGG? This game looks awesome. You put together puzzle pieces shaped like cats and get treasure and everything," Cartman ripped the game out of Stan's hands.
Excited from the rush of a brand-new game after not getting one in months, Stan opened the other gift. It was the game Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition.
"No way. No fucking way," Cartman's mouth was open now. (Over his mask that is).
"Oh my god… she didn't. Oh my god! Yes! Yes!" Stan jumped up and whooped, hugging the game to him for a moment.
"You fucking lucky hippie!"
Stan shook his head as he tried to calm himself down. This was the game at the top of his list of board games he wanted. Now he finally had it, and the Ultimate Edition to top it off! But that's when Stan frowned; he knew how expensive this game was and a part of him figured he wouldn't ever get it because of the price. The regular edition of the game was already one hundred bucks online and this expanded edition was double that. On top of that his mom didn't have her normal job working at Tom's Rhinoplasty right now. Stan always made it a point to show his parents how thankful he was with each new game since this was indeed a very expensive hobby to have. With numb fingers Stan took out his phone again.
Stan: OMG THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH (followed by happy emojis)
Sharon: You're welcome sweetie. It is the ones you asked for, right?
Stan: It's better than that. You didn't have to get me the Ultimate Edition of Mage Knight though. But thank-you!
Sharon: I know but I also know you'd be asking for the expanded parts and whatnot soon enough so might as well buy it all at once.
Stan: Ya but it's over $200 on Amazon. Can you really afford it?
Sharon: Don't worry about it Stan. I know how hard this year has been for you. You deserve it. It is your birthday. Consider this your traditional 'big gift' you get each birthday.
Stan: Okay. But seriously Mom, thank-you so so so so much. I am so happy right now.
Sharon: (smiley)
Stan sent off a heart in reply before going back to his gifts.
"Which one should we get to first?" Cartman asked, already setting up the dining room table with snacks and drinks.
Stan brought over both games to the table. He looked back and forth before pushing Isle of Cats forward.
"Let's start off with Isle of Cats. As excited as I am to have Mage Knight I'm sure it's going to take forever to set up and figure out how to play. And I'm not staying over tonight so we won't have a lot of time."
"Fine," Cartman shrugged.
Stan ran his hand over the box of Mage Knight. "Let's just open it though- see what it looks like."
The two boys spent the next half hour opening everything for Mage Knight and examining its contents before putting it aside and getting Isle of Cats set up. And the two had fun for the next two hours playing that as well as Cartman's copy of Zombiecide, the entire time munching on candy and drinking soda. At 5:53 Stan received a text from his mother telling him she was on his way to pick him up. Stan gathered up his games and thanked Ms. Cartman for having him over.
"Thanks for the sweet board game night," Stan waved to Cartman as he walked out the door.
"It was pretty sweet. Happy birthday Stan man," Cartman gave a simple thumbs up. Again, Stan knew the fat boy was smiling behind his mask. Stan hurried along to his mother's car parked at the front of the house.
"Did you have a good time?" Sharon asked after he buckled himself up.
"Yeah, it was so satisfying to play board games again," Stan answered, taking his mask off. "Mom, seriously, thank-you again for the games. Cartman and I really need to set up a night to get really into Mage Knight. We will be able to soon, right?"
Sharon thought. "I think we can make it happen. Of course I don't want you to get used to anything you've been able to do today but yes, we should be able to make it happen soon."
Stan looked out at the quickly-darkening sky. "Where are we going to now? What's for dinner? Did you make something?"
Sharon glanced at him before starting up the car and driving out of Bonanza Circle.
"Mom?" Stan asked a minute later.
Sharon said nothing as she drove down a couple streets. Stan only knew this route like the back of his hand and he was crossing his fingers now in his lap. Sure enough they stopped in front of his second-favorite house in the world (outside of his old turquoise one in South Park). A grayish green home- the Broflovski residence.
"What are we going to do here?" Stan immediately asked after his mother put the car in park. Was he perhaps going to have a special birthday dinner with his best friend?
"The last stop on your little birthday trip for today. Now I'm not going to go in, the less people inside the better. But Mrs. Broflovski is expecting you at the front door in two minutes. But before then let me give you your last birthday gift for tonight…"
Stan followed his mom to the back of the car where she popped open the trunk. She reached into the back and passed along a duffle bag to him. Stan was very confused.
"You're sleeping the night over sweetie," Sharon smiled.
Stan's eyes went wide. "I- what?"
"Yes. I packed a bag for you last night. You have your toothbrush, clothes, phone charger. A couple smaller games of yours. Everything you need for a good old-fashioned sleepover."
Stan felt his eyes fill with tears. He rushed over and gave his mom a hug, surprised at how overwhelmed with emotion he was at this point. Sharon squeezed back before forcing him to let go.
"You have a good time Stanley. I'll be back tomorrow sometime, okay? Happy birthday sweetheart."
"Thank-you! Thank-you!" Stan called out as he hurried to the front door, mask over his face yet again. He knocked.
The door opened to reveal Sheila Broflkovki, mask over her face and a small device in hand.
"Hello Stanley bubbe. Happy birthday."
"Thanks."
"Oh! Before you step in I do want to take your temperature, just for peace of mind. Your mother told me you weren't feeling ill but I still want to check."
Stan stood at the front door as the round lady held a thermometer to his forehead.
"Hmm, 99.1…"
"I feel completely fine Mrs. Broflovski. Really," Stan frowned.
"C'mon Mom, if Stan says he feels fine, let him in," Kyle suddenly appeared around his mother. "Hey dude."
"Hey."
"Mom, remember when I read a 99.2 just two days ago? Not every healthy person out there has a perfect temperature of 98 degrees at all times."
"True… okay, come in. Oh, and kick your shoes off to the side on this tarp here, thank-you," Mrs. Broflovski instructed.
Stan did so as Kyle closed the door behind him. He frowned when he took a good look inside the house he hadn't seen in many months. There was a tarp by the front and back doors, Lysol spray in every room, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes on every table and counter as well as boxes of disposable gloves. Of course Mr. Broflovski and even Ike had on masks as well.
"Whoa dude…" was all Stan could say.
"Forgive us Stanley but it has been so long since we've allowed someone into our home. We want to be extra safe," Mrs. Broflovski stated.
"No, no it's fine. I understand. Thanks for allowing me over at all."
Kyle led Stan over to the entrance of the dining room and Stan gasped; a large banner hung over the entrance reading: HAPPY BIRTHDAY STAN!
"You guys…"
"Your mother told me the one thing you wanted for your birthday was to have as normal a day as possible so we did all we could to make that happen," Mrs. Broflovski explained.
"But I don't- I don't understand how any of this happened," Stan looked around.
"It just…kind of did," Kyle shrugged. "After your mom called mine and Cartman's and everyone we all thought about what each of us could do to give you your birthday wish. Things are still open somewhat. It was just about coming in contact with as little people as we could to pull it off. And of course making sure we were all negative for COVID."
"But I thought a lot of people had it. I mean, my dad was the one tampering with his weed that everyone was trying and a wave of mustaches went around and"-
"True, but it was just that Stan, the weed. Your father tampered with it and yes, we developed mustaches. But they've gone now and we aren't sick. The actual COVID strain going around, we don't actually have," Gerald explained.
"But that doesn't mean we are taking things lightly. As I told you, this is the first time we've had someone over in months," Sheila said.
Stan smiled. "Thanks a lot then you guys." He turned to Kyle. "Dude, I feel bad, we didn't do anything exciting for you when you turned eleven. Or anyone really. Cartman bitched at me about it earlier."
Kyle waved a hand. "I don't really care about that dude. That was months ago, when the pandemic just started. All I can hope for is a good twelfth birthday next year."
"Enough chit-chat. I'm going to get dinner set up. If you want to take your things upstairs you can," Sheila spoke, nodding to Stan's bag.
Stan and Kyle hurried up the stairs, happy as any two boys could be at that moment.
"So what all did you today?" Kyle asked.
"Besides 'school'? I ate KFC and rode bikes with Kenny, went to Build-A-Bear with Butters, then played board games with Cartman."
"That's pretty cool dude. What kind of bear did you make?"
Stan took out his phone to show his friend a picture. "I wanted him to be kind of Halloweeny since it's probably the only Halloween fun I'll get to do this year. I named him Bruce Wayne."
"Haa! That's perfect dude."
The two played catch up for the next ten minutes before they were called down to dinner. Something sure smelled delicious as Stan walked into the dining room. He sat down and was presented a plate of chicken enchiladas.
"Oh awesome!" he exclaimed.
"When going over things with your mother I asked her about what you might like. Apparently it's been a while since you had chicken enchiladas," Sheila spoke.
"Thank-you so much. This is perfect."
The dinner ended up being very good and Stan didn't even realize he was craving enchiladas until he saw them. Although dinner itself was rather different than any he had with the Broflovskis before; everyone including himself was required to eat with gloves on and of course any time they weren't eating or drinking they had to have their mask on. But it was a small sacrifice to make if it meant Stan could be around his best friend again. Once dinner was over the boys ran back upstairs to start the official sleepover.
"Dude, Stan, before we do anything I just wanted to give you a little something…" Kyle reached over to his desk and passed along a wrapped gift.
"Aw dude, you didn't have to get me anything," Stan said, smiling all the same.
"Well you gave me something for my birthday, even if it had to go through a lengthy screening process at the post office."
Smiling, Stan tore into the football wrapping paper and found himself holding a box containing a dinosaur action figure.
"You still like dinosaurs, right?"
"Yeah man. And this is the exact one I wanted," Stan added, holding up the green dino that had a cool red streak on its face and down its side. An Albertosaurous figure from the Jurassic World franchise.
"I wanted to give you something cooler but well, with the pandemic and whatnot," Kyle shrugged.
"This is great Kyle, really. Hey, you still have that one Godzilla figure don't you? Let's try and create an epic showdown between the two," Stan excitedly suggested.
"That would be killer. Yeah, let me go find him… Ike may have borrowed him recently…" The two boys played a bit with their action figures before having a grand sword fight that Ike later joined in all. An hour of this and the boys were all called downstairs for dessert.
"Go on Stan," Kyle pushed his friend ahead of him as they made their way downstairs.
Stan adjusted his mask over his face (no doubt it had slipped a few times during the past hour) and went over to the dining room again- to find the lights out and a glowing at the head of the table. Gerald was holding his phone up to an illuminated cake with a digital image of a candle.
"Obviously you blowing out real candles is a hazard," Gerald stated.
Stan stood at the front of the table as he was sung 'Happy Birthday' but his best friend and his family. It was certainly odd to not have his own parents around this time around. He knew his mother loved getting as many pictures as she could when it came to birthdays. When it came to wish time Stan hesitated. He didn't want to wish for the same thing that he did when he went to Build-A-Bear.
I wish for more nights like this again soon, Stan found himself thinking. He pretended to blow out the candle on Mr. Broflovski's phone before the lights went back on. He was presented a slice of cake; a funfetti style with rainbow sprinkles on top and ice cream- his favorite, cookies n' cream. Once dessert was finished Stan went back upstairs to Kyle's room- Sheila did not want him lingering around in the main living area for obvious reasons. Once Stan and Kyle arrived upstairs again Stan decided to see what games his mom packed inside his duffle bag.
"Oh cool, Exploding Kittens and Uno Dare," Stan smiled.
"Not fair dude, you always win at Exploding Kittens," Kyle pointed out.
"You just gotta pay attention, it's all about the luck of the card," Stan shrugged.
The boys spent the rest of the night playing games and before they knew it, it was ten o'clock. Sheila came knocking on the door at this time.
"Okay boys, it's the usual bed time. You can stay up if you want but do not make a mess and no rough-housing, got it?"
"Sure thing Mom/Mrs. Broflovski," Kyle and Stan rang in.
Frowning, Sheila shut the door. Stan and Kyle changed into their pajamas and decided to watch a movie on Kyle's TV. It was still Stan's birthday so he got to pick: Tim Burton's Sleepy Hallow. He had almost forgotten it was October since the normal Halloween activities were currently on hold. This was the only scary movie he was going to see so far. The only downside of sleeping over at Kyle's was the fact that snacks and drinks weren't allowed upstairs. If they were over at his own place Stan and Kyle would be munching on popcorn or candy or something. Snacks were a part of the movie-watching experience, but of course for safety reasons they weren't allowed to watch the movie downstairs. It was fine, really. An hour into the movie Stan was beginning to feel tired. As well as his throat tingling. But he had to watch to the end of the movie. He loved this movie; it was equally creepy as well as humorous in that classic Tim Burton style. Finally around midnight it was over. Stan immediately got to his feet and stretched, yawning and rubbing his eyes.
"I think I'm gonna brush my teeth and whatnot," he informed Kyle.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, go ahead. I'll come in after you," Kyle stated, yawning too. Well, it was hard to tell with a mask on but he was sure that's what happened.
As Stan stood in front of the sink those few minutes he felt his body ache ever-so-slightly. He rubbed his shoulders and neck and splashed water on his face. He felt so drained all of a sudden. Maybe it was because it was now midnight and he didn't stay up that late often, especially not two days in a row. If he was indeed coming down with something- COVID or not, Mrs. Broflovski would throw him out right then and there. He jumped suddenly when he heard a knock on the door.
"Stan? Dude? Are you almost done in there or what?" Kyle called on the other side.
"Oh crap," Stan cursed and fumbled around to brush his teeth- only to realize he didn't even bring his toothbrush with him. He opened the door.
"I think you forgot this," Kyle passed along Stan's toothbrush to him.
"Thanks. Um, I'll be out in two minutes, promise."
Stan quickly brushed his teeth and stepped out the bathroom. Kyle gave him a curious look before going in next. Stan took that time to unfurl his sleeping bag on the floor and fluffing the pillow Mrs. Broflovski gave him. (It was covered in a plastic disposable cover). He also went to plug in his phone to charge for the night. Kyle returned five minutes later.
"I don't know about you but I am beat," Kyle told Stan.
"Yeah, I get you."
"Well, 'night Stan. Happy birthday again, hope it was okay overall."
"It was perfect, really."
Kyle turned off the light. Stan tossed and turned throughout the night, his body aching and the tingle in his throat turning to a scratch that was slowly traveling up towards his right ear. He was of course very happy he was at his best friend's house, yet he really hoped his mom would come by to pick him up first thing in the morning. He must have fallen asleep however since the next thing he knew he was being woken up by Kyle's phone alarm at 8:30 A.M. Stan's entire body felt like lead now. He rubbed his eyes and groaning, slowly lifted himself up. He looked up to Kyle's bed to see that he was still asleep. That alarm was getting on his nerves though so he had to shut it off. Stan got to his feet painfully and turned off the alarm. He looked to Kyle and shook his shoulder.
"Kyle," he rasped. He tried to clear his throat but to no avail. "Kyle, your alarm went off."
Kyle stirred, letting out a low moan. He rubbed his eyes and cautiously sat up. He took off his hat for a moment to run a hand in his hair. He looked to Stan, and Stan stared back. Both boys thought the other looked like total crap.
"Know when… your mom's picking you up?" Kyle asked quietly.
Stan shrugged, feeling it best not to speak. They sat in silence for a few minutes. There was a knock on the door that caused them to jump.
"Boys? Boys, get up, breakfast will be on soon. Make sure you gather your things Stanley, I'll leave a plastic bag outside the door to put everything in," Sheila spoke before leaving.
Kyle sighed. "Man, I really don't feel up for breakfast right now."
Stan nodded. "Same."
Kyle rubbed his eyes again. "My mom's going to bitch if I don't eat though. She'll think I'm sick."
"Yeah. Last thing that needs to happen now," Stan barely got out.
"Huh?" Kyle turned to him.
"I- never mind."
Kyle swung his feet over his bed now to give Stan a look. "I could barely understand you just now dude."
Stan glared. "I can say the same for you," he said forcefully and at that same time both boys let out a cough. They looked at each other- eyes wide. Again, neither said anything for several seconds. Kyle got out of bed and kneeled next to his friend and placed a hand on his forehead. "Hey! What the fuck?" Stan scooted back.
"I knew it! You're sick! Oh my god, my mom is going to kill you," Kyle declared.
Stan pointed an accusing finger his friend's way. "What about you? It looks like you just ran a fucking marathon assface."
Kyle curled his hands in his fists as he stared down at Stan. Finally he had to let his guard down and he slowly sat back on his bed. "Dude, we're both sick. How?"
Stan shrugged and coughed, wincing as it pained his throat. "Now what?"
Kyle quickly pulled up COVID symptoms on his phone. He and Stan looked at the list to see if their symptoms pertained to that of the illness going around. It wasn't too helpful since it stated not all symptoms presented themselves in each case. Stan shook his head in an almost amused sort of way. Kyle took notice.
"Just what about this is funny Stan?! We're fucking sick!" Kyle hissed.
"Dude, this is just the icing on the cake," Stan explained, even though it pained him to talk. "I wanted a normal day for my birthday. I had school, saw my friends yesterday. And now I'm sick. Just like any other day. It's so…normal."
Kyle opened his mouth then frowned. "I guess you're right. It is a taste of normality again, isn't it? Honestly I haven't gotten sick much this year. Being cooped up all day."
"Right? It sucks but at the same time… it's normal."
Kyle had to smile back. Stan had a point. And now they both had to figure out how to tell their mothers. They both opted to text them. Kyle told his mom not to come into his bedroom since both he and Stan felt sick. Stan texted his own mother and told her to pick him up right away since he now felt ill. Sheila reacted just how Kyle knew she would. She forbade Stan to walk down normally when Sharon arrived to pick him up. Gerald set out a trail from Kyle's bedroom door all the way to the front door in a tarp for Stan to walk on, as well as the usual mask and disposable gloves. Sheila also told Kyle to get dressed, she was going to take the entire family out again to get tested for COVID. Sharon arrived forty minutes later. Stan still made it a point to thank the Broflovskis for having him over before getting into his mom's car.
"What the-?" when Stan opened the passenger's door he saw that the seat had plastic wrap over it and his mom had on her mask and gloves. He buckled himself in.
"Sorry Stan but I have to take precautions."
"Right."
"We are going over to Dr. Davies' clinic right now. You are going to be tested for COVID, understand?"
"Y-yeah. I do," Stan said heavily. He really hoped it was just a cold he was coming down with. Otherwise he was probably forbidden to see his friends or even step one toe out of the house ever again. Ten minutes later they arrived at Dr. Davies' pediatric clinic. Sharon phoned the office from her car to inform them they were there. The office then e-mailed an electronic form for her to fill out on her son which Sharon filled out and sent back. Not even a minute later a nurse walked out and met them, dressed in a full garb, she almost looked like she was about to go deep-sea fishing. The nurse told Stan to follow her to the back where they had a special room dedicated to looking over possible COVID patients. Sharon was about to follow but was told she had to wait in the car. If her son happened to be a little younger she'd be allowed to come in but since Stan was now eleven, he was deemed old enough to get examined without her presence- at least for the time being.
Stan had his vitals checked, was swabbed up his nose, and given an all-over exam by the same nurse and Dr. Davies. When this was complete he was led back out by the nurse to Sharon's car.
"Results should take 24 hours. We will call you as soon as they come in," the nurse explained to Sharon. "In the meantime, here are a couple prescriptions Dr. Davies wrote for your son. One is a nasal spray, the other is to combat his aches and pains."
Sharon thanked the nurse and after Stan got back in the car, went off to the nearby Walgreens before finally heading home. Sharon had her son go straight up to his bedroom where she promised she would be up to give him his medicine soon.
"Something up?" Randy asked, taking note of his wife as she went about the kitchen gathering a few things.
Sharon sighed as she set aside the juice pouch in her hand. "Stanley came down with something while staying at the Broflovskis."
"What do you mean 'came down with something'? Does he, well, what's wrong with him?" Randy looked a little uncomfortable now.
"I'm not sure. But I took him to the pediatrician where he was tested. I won't know for another twenty-four hours. Until then, Dr. Davies wrote a couple prescriptions so we will go with that until we know for sure. Apparently Kyle was feeling sick this morning as well."
"Stan's sick? Gross! I share a bathroom with that stupid turd!" Shelley suddenly raged, stepping into the kitchen.
"I'll give it a good scrub down. But I have to attend to your brother now since I am the mother. Excuse me…"
Sharon stepped inside Stan's bedroom five minutes later with some things. Stan was already in bed, under his covers.
"Sweetie, you have to get up. You need to take your medicine and I want to take your temperature."
Stan sighed but sat up, shivering as the cold air hit his body. His mother placed the probe of the ear thermometer into his ear.
"Hmm, 100.2. What are your symptoms exactly sweetie?"
Stan told his mom that he had a sore throat, chills, and aches and pains. He also had a slight cough. She asked him how his breathing was and he told her it was fine for now. She also asked him if he felt he needed the humidifier on in the room which he also said no to. Sharon then gave him the nasal spray and cold n' flu remedy before leaving. All in all it was a normal sick-in-bed kind of day. Stan spent it sleeping or using his phone. It was a little more difficult to fall asleep this night however since his throat hurt more and he was now coughing. Yet somehow he fell asleep for the next thing he knew his mom was looking down at him. He glanced over at his alarm clock- it was already 9:45.
"Ugghh… wha-?"
"Sorry to wake you honey, I know the medicine makes you sleepy. But I just got off the phone with Dr. Davies.'"
"Mmm…" Stan nodded and coughed.
"It's good news- your test came back negative!"
Stan sat up now- even though it made his head hurt. "R-really?"
Sharon nodded, smiling. "Yes, he thinks it is just a normal cough and cold. However we still have to play it safe and you are to take your acetaminophen as prescribed. If you do feel out-of-breath you can use your inhaler. If that doesn't work, or you get new concerning symptoms then we can go back to get checked out again. Okay Stan?"
Stan nodded, relief spreading through him.
"I'm going to bring you up something light for breakfast. I don't want you going downstairs until you feel better. Is there anything you want until then?"
Stan frowned, looking around. "Mom, where's Bruce Wayne?"
Sharon left and arrived a minute later with the bear in her hands. Stan took hold of it and hugged him close. He had forgotten all about his bear after feeling sick the day before. His mom left his room after. Stan hurriedly took up his phone to text Kyle.
Stan: Hey dude. Good news- I tested negative for COVID!
Kyle: Awesome! Same with me and the rest of my family.
Stan: My doctor thinks it's just a normal cold. Thanks for giving me something normal again dude!
Kyle: Hey, it still sucks to be sick, weird-o. But you're welcome. I guess you really did get everything you wanted for your birthday huh?
Stan: Guess so.
Kyle: Well I'm going back to bed. Get better soon.
Stan: You too.
Stan shut off his phone and set it aside, a content smile on his face as his mom came into his room ten minutes later to tend to him. She fluffed his pillow, gave him a cool washcloth for his forehead, and a smoothie to sip on. Today was a Wednesday which technically meant school but of course he'd be exempt from it now. Just like any other day of the year he was sick and couldn't go to school. It really was a great way to top off his semi-quarantined birthday. Yes, next year had to be better but for how he was drinking in the extra attention and comfort that came from being sick in bed. And knowing his best friend was thinking this same exact thing right now as well made Stan fall asleep with a slight grin, one arm loosely wrapped around Bruce Wayne the bear.
It was a little difficult thinking of how Stan could have a 'normal day' birthday wish while still following the rules set in place. Then I figured that things are still able to function semi-normally enough as long as people are careful, mask up, sanitize. So Stan was still able to do what he wanted as long as the only people he came in contact with were his closest friends. Stan's board game love is cute and he seems to like all kinds of games. Looking up games on the Board Game Geek website I saw Mage: Knight and it looks like something he would want. Ya'll know how I feel about Randy atm so not going to touch on why he didn't do anything for his own son's birthday. The Build-A-Bear experience looks so cute and fun, I haven't done it yet but I want to, and I'm 32! I also thought it would be kind of funny if Stan and Kyle both got sick at the exact same time, a way to 'top off' Stan's wish for normalization. I have the next story in my head. Hint: I was inspired by the episode Stanley's Cup.
Stay safe! Mask up!
Lots of love: Rose, January 30th, 2021
