A Very Crampy Birthday

“Shhhhh”
“Get off my foot”
“Was that a car door?”
“Quite”
The whispers stopped and the room was engulfed by silence once more, just as Lauren B. Anthony had left it that morning before going to work. Lauren was charming, funny, outgoing, had good karma, and to top it all off was quite good looking. She was not the type of person who deserves people lurking in the shadows of her living room. Unless those people were her friends who, unknowingly to Lauren, were stifling their laughter at images of her face when she came home. Friends who, as she turned the key, were waiting to pounce, much like a cat does when it spots an unlucky gecko or beetle. Friends who screamed “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” as soon as she was inside the door to her one bed, two bath apartment, scaring Lauren half to death, which she probably didn’t deserve.

After recovering from shock, she joined the party, laughing, drinking, and even playing a round or two of pin the tail on the donkey which someone thought funny to set up. The cutting of the cake came and went, the hours passed and people began to leave with one last wish of “happy birthday” or “getting old are we?” till only a few of her closest friends were left lounging on the couch or eating their third round of cake.
“Phew, some party eh?” the speaker was Mario, one of Laurens long time friends.
“Defiantly. thanks guys” Lauren had come in handing a plate of cake to Will who was sprawled out on the floor.
“it was really all Mary’s idea” he said between mouthfuls.
“Yeah but Mario invited all the people” Mary replied trying not to blush.
“True but Will baked the cake”
“We all got the decorations so it was a……a….. group effort”
“Yeah a group effort, but that reminds me, let’s get these banners and stuff down”
“That’s ok Mario, keep them up I can’t stop smiling when I see them”
“Whys that?”
“Oh, well, just a small detail really, but…. I’m thirty-six’
The trio responsible for the party looked up to see the banner they had put up earlier that day “HAPPY 40th”, the room was quiet except for the bursts of laughter from the birthday girl, Lauren B. Anthony.


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