Birthday Blessings

[WP] Two neighbors share the same birthday. Thus, they celebrate their birthdays together. Every year, they somehow manage to find another person that shares their birthday, so they can afford to gradually make their parties more grandiose.

*****

It first started when we were in High School. We had been neighbors since elementary, but hadn't become friends until Sophomore Year when we were placed next to each other in the same homeroom. Until then, I never thought we'd mesh as people. I was the classic "nerd," playing video games with my small friend group, reading books in my free time, not too fond of physical activity save for street games here and there. Meanwhile he was a typical jock, played two sports, hung out with other athletes at lunch from all sports, talked movies and local gossip.

Not that either of those were bad, mind you. In high school, no one really cared who you were or what you liked to do, but there was just little interaction between "communities." So when he saw me struggling with my math homework in homeroom, he offered to help and give me the answers in exchange for help with Biology. In any other world, that might've been where it ended, trade answers and move on with our lives.

Besides that initial interaction, I can't remember any specific point in time where we agreed to be buddies. It just like he blended seamlessly into my life from that point on and, one day, it just kinda clicked that we're friends.

Our first birthday party was 4 months after trading answers, in June. It couldn't have been a more perfect time: School was over, sports were on state-mandated hiatus, kids were in town. These factors didn't really matter in the beginning since that first party was small, but all our friends were able to come.

But it mattered for next years party, Junior year, when we met Jane. She was quiet, but cold. When we first met in Junior Chemistry, I thought she was intimidating. She was blunt with her thoughts, telling you what you did wrong and how to fix things. She wasn't mean, but it was just a personality that I didn't have experience handling. But with Jane, I do remember the exact moment in time we became friends. It was after class, she got up and walked alongside me in the hallway as our next classes were in the same direction.

"You're friends with Christian. Where do you go for lunch?" She asked.

"Under the tree on the lawn." I replied quickly.

"See you then."

Over time and many lunches, she opened up to Christian and I. Turns out, we all have a lot in common, including birthdays. So we floated the idea of her joining our joint birthday party once school ends and she was all for it.

With the combined finances of three families, we threw a bit of a bigger party that year, with nice food for our families to cook, a white bouncy house (colors are for children), and small fireworks to end the night.

This process seemed to repeat itself every year: Christian, Jane, or Myself would make new friends, one of those friends would share a birthday and they'd join in our collaborative birthday party. Even when Christian went off to college, Jane got a nice-paying job and I went to trade school, we'd come back home for the summers with a larger group than last time.

10 years after sophomore year, When Christian was working as a lawyer, Jane was a car lot owner, I was a mechanic working for my uncle's shop, Daniel was working for Target, Kiera was in the military, Coach (his nickname) was a college softball assistant coach, etc...We combined our incomes to throw a party at an event center 30 minutes from our high school. It was wild. Lots of vendors, lots of food, lots of drinks, a bouncy house (with color, for the kids).

20 years after Sophomore Year, when Christian was almost a partner at his law firm, Jane was a Construction manager, I was owner of my Uncle's old car shop, Daniel was a University staff member, Kiera was still in the military, Coach was a Softball Head coach, Liam was a high school teacher, Lisa was working from home as a salesperson, Manny was a pharmacist in Germany, Kyle was a state employee for Montana, Miles was a social worker for New York State, Giselle was a tenured professor and researcher, etc.... we had enough money and donations to rent out 8 acres of land in Colorado to throw a large festival. We had a concert stage for some small artists from around the country to play music, tons of food vendors, tons of rides for kids and adults, and more.

40 years after Sophomore Year, this festival only grew bigger and bigger with each new addition. But at some point, I stopped learning the names of the rest of the people in our "club." There were so many people I didn't know. There was so much going on that I missed the days where it was small.

44 years after Sophomore year, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, terminal. I didn't have much time left on this planet. At most, 5 months. Our festival was in 3 months.

The day before the festival, I invited Christian and Jane to my house. They brought their families with them. We spent the day drinking, eating nice food that we cooked for our kids, and watching them play in a white bouncy house before us three took our turns.

We spent the night sitting around a fire and talking, drinking, and laughing all the way til sunrise. Jane, Christian and their families boarded flights later in the morning bound for the festival in Colorado.

I didn't go to the festival. I didn't need to.

*****

THE END.