Chapter 2: The Birthday Dinner

The overload of sensory input from individuals not expected to be standing in front of him stuns Tony into silence for a few moments. At first it doesn’t register, but then as he scans the room the look of shock and surprise on his face turns into a wide smile, then his first thought is to turn to Trisha.

“Good, one. There really wasn’t a kitchen fire, was there?”

“Of course not,” she replies as she leans in and kisses him on the cheek. “Happy birthday!”

Tony gives Trisha a brief hug and then begins to start a loop around the room greeting each guest in turn. His first stop is at a congregation of his math professor colleagues. First to speak is Edward Glazer, standing next to his very pregnant wife.

“Happy birthday, chap,” Edward says as he claps Tony on the shoulder. He had started adopting a British vernacular in an attempt to sound more cultured.

“This is my wife, Veronica,” and pointing to her belly, “and this is Edward junior.”

Veronica extends her hand and says, “Happy birthday, Tony. I’ve heard so much about you, but please, don’t dawdle with us, go say hello to your family!”

The other two professor’s extend similar birthday wishes as Tony proceeds to a group of singles that found each other.

“Hey big brother, you’ve reached the apex. It’s all downhill from here.” Tony’s younger brother by two years, Bradley, is all smiles as he kids his older sibling. He split from his wife almost ten years ago, and while he enjoys the single life, he is now looking for a more serious relationship.

“Happy birthday,” says Cindy Malone, Trisha’s best friend. They were roommates their first year of college and have stayed close ever since.

Standing next to Cindy is Allison Benson. She, along with her parents, live next door to Trisha and Tony.

“Tony, haven’t seen you ages – since this morning?” She smiles at her own weak joke.

Tony dutifully chuckles at Allison’s line and chats with the trio for a few minutes before continuing his pass through the well-wishers.

Waiting patiently at the back of the room are Trisha’s parents, Denise and Ronald Baker. Trisha has joined them and is standing between her mom and dad. Denise is wearing a formal gown with plenty of jewelry around her neck, wrists, and fingers, and she will the first to tell you that it is all real. Ronald is in a muted three piece suit with a boutonniere.

“Tony,” drawls Ronald in his baritone voice, “I sincerely wish you the most joyous birthday, and many more to come.”

“Yes, dear, do enjoy your party. I have never been to a mystery dinner theater and am quite excited,” chimes in Denise. With Trisha there to continue the conversation about the dinner Tony is able quickly break away from the Bakers.

“Bill, Wendy, glad to see you,” says Tony as he rotates away from the Bakers. “I just saw Allison. Glad to see she was able to make it.” The neighbor’s daughter has struggled recently, but with the help of her psychologist she now seems to have more good days than bad.

“Of course,” says Wendy, “thanks for inviting us.”

Bill extends his hand and says, “Happy birthday, welcome to the middle-age club!”

Their chat is suddenly interrupted as Tony is grabbed from behind.

“Dude, you made it to 40! Happy, happy, day my man,” says Rodney as his bear hug lifts Tony a few inches off the ground.

Tony met Rodney in his last year of undergrad. While Rodney decided not to go onto graduate school the two had a memorable year together and have stayed in contact even though Rodney and his wife now live in Chicago.

Rodney is still holding Tony a few inches off the ground as he continues with the rib-crushing hug. Laughing, Tony says, “OK, OK, great to see you, too.”

Rodney puts Tony down and throws an arm over his shoulder. He has clearly enjoyed the fruits of the evening’s open bar. Renee, also very pregnant, chides Rodney’s exuberance and leans into Tony the best she can around her extended mid-section.