Chapter 89: Birthday and Planning

Sunday, April 21, 1985

Claire and I awoke together, not quite ‘bright and early’ but close enough. We had enough basic toiletries stocked here that we were clean and presentable, but we were still doing the ‘walk of shame.’

That said, it wasn’t that bad. When we got to the basement door, a little sign had been taped up saying, “Birthday breakfast upstairs. All invited!”

Claire giggled and blushed.

“I guess that means me,” she said.

“Most likely so!” I said.

We headed upstairs, going in the back door. As we came into the kitchen, six voices shouted ‘Happy Birthday!’

Katy had, indeed, stayed the night, too. She had a silly look on her face, one that probably matched Claire’s. Not quite sure about being here, but happy to be included all the same.

Everyone hugged me — and everyone kissed me, too, though Katy kept hers to my cheek. On the other hand, Cammie, Mel, and Angie all kissed me on the lips. I wasn’t sure what message any of that sent, but it was interesting, anyway.

They had (of course) stolen our idea and made birthday pancakes. It might become a tradition.

I drove Claire back to Mosher after breakfast. She could’ve walked, but that hardly seemed very ‘date-worthy.’

During the drive, she said, “I really liked last night.”

“Me, too!” I said.

“And,” she said, giggling, “I’m not even as sore as I thought I would be! Oh, I can definitely feel it! But it’s fine. I’m good.”

“I’m glad,” I said, reaching over to squeeze her leg lightly. “It was very special, and a most surprising birthday present.”

She giggled a bit more, blushing.

“Kay’s going to flip!”

I raised an eyebrow and said, “You’ll be telling her?”

“I’m a girl! We talk about everything!” she said, grinning. “I thought you knew that!”

“It’s funny,” I said. “I did, but that one still surprised me.”

“Everything means everything,” she said.

“One of the things that is definitely fair for the gander, but not for the goose.”

She had to think about that for a minute, then nodded firmly.

“I hadn’t thought of it that way, but it’s true! It’s fine for me — well, I mean, I think it’s fine! — to tell Kay, and to tell you I’m telling Kay. If you were to share it with ... um ... fuck! I’m not even sure who to mention, ‘cuz most of the guys you hang out with are gay!”

“Probably Marshall or maybe Gene or Amit.”

“None of who are at A&M,” she said.

“Matt?”

“Pshaw!” she said, waving her hand. “Not him. And you’re hardly close friends with Paul. I guess he’ll do, though.”

“Anyway, that’s sidetracked us,” I said.

She definitely had a point, but I’d long since gotten used to the majority of my inner-circle friends being girls. Michael was the biggest exception, really, but Claire didn’t know Michael and there was no reason to bring him up right now.

“So, Paul, for the purpose of argument. Yeah, if you said you were going to share it with Paul, I’d probably slap you, and you definitely would be on super-thin ice for a repeat! Which, I’ll be the first to admit, is totally unfair.”

I bit my lip a second, thinking.

“What’s on your mind?” she said.

“That this might be a good discussion topic for Dr. Huffines,” I said.

“Not when I’m...” she said, then stopped. “Wait! It doesn’t have to be specific to anyone. Duh! Sure, I can see that!”

“It’s not like this is news. I’ve known this for years. The guys I hung out with had a perfect, hard-core vow of silence about what actually happened between them and the girls they were with. Gene and Sue live with each other, and Amit and Sheila do, too, and I have zero knowledge of whether they’ve actually slept with each other.”

“And, if I were to ask about Sue and Sheila?” she said, grinning. “With respect to you?”

“I’d tell you to ask Jas, ‘cuz you’re getting nothing out of me,” I said.

She giggled.

“Good answer! Again!”

“Anyway, it’s not news, it’s just interesting. It’s easy to say that guys want a ‘reputation’ and girls don’t want a ‘reputation,’ but I think that’s almost beside the point of why it’s okay for girls to talk but not okay for guys to talk.”

She nodded slowly.

“I’m not even sure it is okay, morally speaking. It just is. Girls will talk, and girls will resent it if they catch guys talking.”

“Which puts me in an interesting position,” I said.

“Because the most likely people you’d tell are girls, and girls might hear anyway,” she said, nodding.

“Pretty much that. Jas gets to hear, if she asks, though mostly she doesn’t, but then you’re okay with her hearing anyway.”

“Seems only fair, considering there would be nothing to talk about without her permission.”

“Makes sense, but something that could turn bad for me fast if I just assumed.”

“You know what they say about ‘assume,’” she said, giggling.

“I do, indeed!”

I parked at Mosher and walked her up to her room. We exchanged one of our lighter good-bye kisses (which still would have made principals chastise me back in high school), and then she headed in.

Kay gave me a wink and a quick wave. I waved back, smiling.

April 21st is a major Aggie holiday, though not one that’s big for current students. Even were this a weekday, it wouldn’t be a holiday in terms of classes. It’s the traditional date of Aggie Muster. A&M uses the term ‘former students’ instead of ‘alumni’ or the various other terms many schools use. For Aggie Muster, former students, wherever they might be, are encouraged to meet up with other Aggies and spend some time sharing a meal and stories of A&M. That’s the original tradition, at least, stemming from A&M having San Jacinto Day (also April 21st) as a holiday ‘back in the day.’

Early in the 20th century, former student organizations added to Muster the tradition of reading the names of those who had passed away during the previous year. During World War I, when Aggies gathered in many small towns near the battlefields, it evolved further, turning into a combination memorial and celebration of life.

It gained still more significance during World War II, when a group of Aggies rather famously held Muster during the Japanese siege of Corregidor. For that Muster, they honestly didn’t know who was still alive, and the reading of the list of names might hold celebration or mourning with each name and a ‘here’ — or a lack thereof. From that grew a tradition of someone (often a close friend) saying ‘here’ in honor of those who had fallen.

It really wasn’t for us yet, but we still made note of it. It was part of who we were becoming, after all, and was worth thinking about.

I mused about whether some of those who had passed on might also be ‘here’ somewhere (and somewhen) else. I’m sure the others did, too.

I spent a while on the phone with Mom and Dad. They were sad to miss this birthday, but it wasn’t even the first they’d missed, and at least we could talk on the phone. They were both doing well, still feeling great about our visit last week, and looking forward to seeing us over the summer.

They didn’t announce any presents, nor did I expect them to. The presents they’d given me over the past few years had been related to treating me ‘like a grown-up.’ Now, I was a grown-up, and they continued to treat me that way. ‘Things’ weren’t such a big deal anymore. A card (which they’d sent) and a call were perfectly appropriate presents.

Unfortunately, the other news they had to share was unhappy. Expected, but unhappy. Uncle Tim and Uncle Ryan were increasingly convinced that Grandma needed to move to the memory care unit. None of them were happy about it, but felt it was necessary.

Since it was April, they would wait until Mom came up in June or July. The assisted-living facility was taking good care of her, and she would almost certainly be just fine until early July. The biggest difference was security. Anyone in a regular unit could just come and go as they pleased. Memory units were locked, and leaving required a trusted companion. It wasn’t quite being committed, but it was close.

I suspected Grandma wouldn’t even really notice or remember. That was sad, but as long as she was happy ... well, what else can you do?

I called Darla after talking to Mom and Dad. She remembered it was my birthday and wished me a happy one. I would have to do something for her birthday next fall. I doubted she even knew I remembered it, but I did.

She again said Claire was ‘a hoot,’ and added that Katy was ‘really cool.’ I gathered she’d heard plenty of stories from each of them. That was fair, as far as I was concerned. Whatever they wanted to share was fine.

We made no specific plans but promised to get together ‘soon,’ and definitely before the end of the semester.

I got the same feeling Jas had mentioned. If anything, I felt it even more. Claire was a good thing in Darla’s eyes. It gave her a good reason to engage with me slowly, while also proving she (or girls other than Jasmine, at least) could still get involved with me ‘that way.’ Darla wanted to move at her own pace, and I supported that. This fall would be fine.

But, if we hadn’t started reconnecting now, this fall would have turned into next spring, most likely. And that, in turn, might have turned into ‘never.’

Most of the rest of Sunday was full of studies. What else would we do with exams next week?

Birthday dinner was an exception. We decided to eat out again, this time at a mid-level Mexican restaurant. It wasn’t Jose’s, but the prices weren’t Jose’s prices either, and it was more than good enough.

We all had margaritas, even the underage Angie and Paige. Just one each, but that had the girls a tiny bit giggly. These margaritas were the real deal, plenty strong enough for lightweights.

Jas gave me my present when we got home. Two, actually! The first present was useless without the second, though.

The first present was the double CD version of the ‘Chess’ concept album. I’d loved my first-edition copy of it in my first life, and this was truly special. Not just because of the music, but that I had a girlfriend to share it with this time? A girlfriend who was just as into it as I was? Magic!

The second gift, naturally, was a CD player. It was pricey, but it was also a present for everyone, not just me. I’d had my eye on CD players for a while but hadn’t done anything about it. Now, I wouldn’t have to. It would join the living room audio system, and I foresaw a fairly rapid switch to CDs for music purchases, with us making cassettes of favorites to take with us.

The first Discman was already on the market, but it was expensive and a bit gimmicky, requiring a bulky external power source. It would be a while before we would shift to CDs for portable music, particularly since CD writers were themselves still not that viable for home use.

I was eager for MP3 players, but the first decent ones were likely a decade or more away. Even then, the market wouldn’t really mature until Apple produced the first iPod.

That is, if this universe was the same. Heck, maybe a runaway Dell would beat Apple to the market! I truly doubted it (and wasn’t at all sure it would be a good thing, either), but never say never!

In any case, it was a great present.

Unsurprisingly, there was another present, but it was one for both of us, and one we’d often enjoyed. And would, we hoped, spend a lifetime enjoying.

Monday, April 22, 1985

After class, Claire shared Kay’s thoughts on my birthday present, which were a combination of ‘I never thought you’d do it!’ and ‘See, I told you you’d like it!’ Mentioning that would probably just have embarrassed Claire and reminded her that she’d spilled a few beans about Kay, though, so I kept my mouth shut.

Not that I had any designs on Kay. I liked her, but it would likely be a pretty awkward relationship even after Claire and I were done. Besides, while Kay had flirted, I was pretty sure it was just flirting.

Mind you, I’m not always the best at reading that, so ... who knows?

Kay, most likely.

We checked with Meg and Steffie after classes. It wasn’t as good as our year, but they’d done well. Jaya was State runner-up in LD (again!) and therefore off to Nationals. Natasha and Penny (Harrison) were also runners-up (in CX), joining Jaya. The big news there was that all three were juniors. They could potentially repeat next year!

On the Drama front, Ben and Penny (Welles) had won State in Duo, Sierra was second in Humorous, and Sandy was second in Dramatic. That gave Memorial six people at Nationals. If not for our huge year last year, that would have been the best in school history.

Not only that, but, on the Debate side, Lori had lost in semis in LD, and both Stacey and Jaya had been in Extemp finals. On the Drama side, Sam, Carla, Kelly and Breanna had all been in finals, too. None of them were going to Nationals, but all of them would be back next year.

As it was, both Meg and Steffie were thrilled, both for this year and for the future. Sometimes it’s hard replacing a standout group of people, because everyone else thinks ‘Well, that was them. We’ll never be that good.’ Now there was proof that Memorial could keep on kicking ass. That was great for recruiting, which had already shown signs of improvement thanks to the new grade point policy.