Chapter 5: Cindy’s Birthday

July 15th was Cindy’s birthday, her sixteenth birthday, the BIG birthday, the one that would allow her to begin dating. And Henry was scared shitless for two reasons. Make that three.

The first was the gift. What could he get her that would not set her parents off but at the same time shows that he cares for her,

The second was meeting her parents. What was he going to say to them? You should be really proud of your daughter, she gives a mean handjob? Would they know that he had fondled her breasts, and brought her to an orgasm?

The third, and the scariest, would be going to Cindy’s and meeting her parents would she now want meet his and come clean about having a girlfriend? And how would his Mother react, she’s almost postal now! How would she be if she found out that her little boy wasn’t all that little anymore?

Well, all he could do was worry about one thing at a time, so this first thing on his list was a gift. He racked his brain, searched through catalogs, walked through the mall, and came up empty. Everything he found was either too personal or not personal enough. Jewelry was out, set the wrong mood, the tone would be all-wrong. Forget clothing, WAY to personal.

It was on his twenty-third trip through the mall that he found the perfect non sexual, young girl, more than friend, birthday gift, a stuffed animal. Not just any animal, but a puppy, a beagle puppy, with his little red tongue hanging out the side of his mouth and a dog tag that said Happy Birthday! It was a sure hit!

Henry woke Saturday to a slightly cool and cloudy day. With the exception of the major butterflies making themselves home within his stomach, things were pretty calm when He was able to get out of the house without being seen with Cindy’s gift. But no amount of self-control could stop him from shaking as he walked up the steps leading to Cindy’s front door.

Henry had given no thought to going to Cindy’s birthday party at her home since accepting the invitation, is seemed to him that by putting it out of his mind he would have nothing to worry about until that day. Which was a good plan, unfortunately today was that day.

With shaking hand Henry rang the doorbell, and waited for what seemed like hours for someone to open the door. Finally the door opened revealing a young girl standing with one hand on the door the other on her hip, giving Henry the once over, who just stood there waiting for her to finish.

“Well?” she asked.

Taken aback Henry asked “What?”

Rolling her eyes she said, quiet annoyed, “Well, as in what can I do for you.”

Feeling VERY stupid he replied, “Oh, uhm sorry. Kinda, you know, caught me off guard and I uhm, Jessica? Right?”

“Yes, Jessica. Are you here for the party?”

“Uhm, well, yes I am. Here for Cindy’s birthday party. Right? That’s here? I am in the right-”

She turned and walked away yelling, “Cindy! Some boy is here for your party.”

Henry looked inside for someone other than Jessica, not exactly sure if he should walk in or wait for someone to greet him. Crap!

He took a step inside and looked around. Seeing no one he turned and closed the door, hoping he was doing the right thing.

“Hi, you must be Henry?” asked an older woman coming around the corner.

“Uhm, yes, I’m Henry” he said softly with a shaky voice. He coughed, and with more conviction, “Excuse me, I’m Henry.”

She smiled and said, “Well Henry, it’s nice to meet you, I am Cindy’s mother.”

He could see the resemblance easily, the facial structure was the same, it was her eyes that were different, less defined.

He extended his hand and said “Nice to meet you Mrs. Oswald.”

She took it and replied, “Me too Henry.”

She turned and pointed to a closed door and said, “She’s downstairs.”

“Uhm, Thank you.” and made his way and opened the door which led downstairs to what he guessed was the basement. But before he took a step he stopped at the top of the stairs, well stopped wouldn’t be the right word, maybe frozen in terror would be a better description, as a wall of sound containing the loud voices and squeals of laughter of teenage girls hit him. What the heck did he get himself into?

“My sentiments as well” said a deep voice from behind him.

Turning his head he was faced with a tall man with slightly gray hair.

“I wouldn’t go down there unless my life depended on it. I am Cindy’s Father. And you are?” he asked as he extended his hand.

Intimidated beyond belief, Henry found the strength to say, ‘Henry, Henry Mason. One of Cindy’s friends.” He quickly extended his hand and took Mr. Oswald’s hand, it was a solid grip that did surprise Henry.

“So, Henry, you are the one dating my daughter?”

“Uhm no sir. We are friends.”

“So, does your life depend on it?”

Sphincter control was almost lost, his heart was racing, as sweat began to appear on his forehead, but no words came out of his mouth, but a sound did escape, a soft groan.

“Going downstairs. Does your life depended on It.” he said with a laugh.

Henry laughed nervously and, “uhm, well-”

“Listen Henry, man to man, I love my daughter, you know, and if anything were to happen to her, I mean ANYTHING, well I just don’t know what I would do. You know what I mean? Henry?”

“Uhm, well-”

“Yeah, I think you do” he said with a wink of the eye. “Nice meeting you Henry, be safe.”

Oh fuck, he knows! Oh my god, he is going to kill me. He is going to find me walking to school and kill me! No, he is going to sneak into my house while I’m asleep and kill me. Kill my parents too! And burn the house down to cover-up his-

“Aren’t you going downstairs?”

Taken back into reality by the terse words, he turned his head to the left to see Jessica. Caught between a rock and a hard place he replied “Uhm, yes” and began heading down.

The noise was barely tolerable as he made his way down the stairs, what the heck did he get himself into? As he stepped off the last step he surveyed the room, which was your typical finished basement, light colored wood paneling covered the walls, with a low suspended ceiling.

“Henry! Thank God you’re here. Man I was going freakin crazy here with all these girls” Alex screamed over the crowd.

Henry went over to him and said, “I had a nightmare that started out just like this. At least I’m wearing clothes.”

Alex laughed “So, meet the In-Laws yet.”

Henry blanched at the thought, not about Cindy, but about her Dad. A new nightmare to add to his collection. “Man is her Dad scary.”

“Thank God I’m not you!” laughed Alex.

“Yeah, lucky me.”

“Henry! When did you get here” screamed Cindy.

“Just now. Met your family” a shiver went through his body as he remembered her father’s words. Well, threat. “Your Sister, Mom, and Dad.”

“All accept my older brother, Ryan. He will be here later.”

Great, an older brother. “Is he a body builder or something equally large and menacing?” asked Henry.

Giving him a cockeyed look she said, “Why would you ask that?”

“Uhm, well, no reason” other than being threatened by your Dad, that might have something to do with it he thought.

Cindy took his arm and began the introductions, which, for him, was kinda stupid, he knew everyone, but, it was her birthday, so whatever, because, you know, he had bigger concerns, like getting out of here without running into her Dad. Or her Brother.

At least he had Alex to lean on.

If you could strip away the loud high pitch screaming of the girls, it was just like any other party he had been to. He watched the girls as the deftly maneuvered their conversations from one to another without a miss step, which seemed to him to be vaguely familiar. And in the maelstrom of sound and energy he found a moment of clarity, borne upon a single truth, which he finally understood why people called him Hen. It was the cackling of the girls that reminded him of himself.

He sat back and asked himself, was I really that bad? Looking back on it, all those one-sided conversations, the people walking away, the snickering, all of it was him. But he never got that from Cindy.

He looked at her, she was always the shy one, but here, right now, she was thriving in this atmosphere. And in that moment he saw her differently, as a light, bright and shining casting her glow onto others, encapsulating warmth that bathed those around her. It sent a chill through him. And the more he looked at her, the more his feelings for her began to become more defined, more realized, and the feelings of companionship, of lust, became secondary, taken over by a new feeling, one that he had been keeping in the back of his mind, love.

After the singing of happy birthday and cake came the opening of the presents. Most were of the standard fare, music, movie, books, clothes and the like, but every one of those presents elicited an excited shout of happiness. Finally it was time for Henry’s gift, purposely left for last by Cindy and was highly anticipated by the girls.