Birthday Wish
This choir recital seemed like any other on the outside; beautiful angelic voices floating out the hall into the entrance as they were completing their last rehearsal before the event started, and James closed his eyes and enjoyed the harmonics as he leaned against the fence post, and despite the stares of contempt, he submerged his whole being into the music.
As a really successful advertising executive, his date was anticipating accompanying him to a far more splashy event to celebrate his birthday … he smiled to himself as he pictured the eye rolls that always coincided with that deep sigh of exasperation.
He didn’t rightly know why he had invited her in the first place; it’s not that he even really liked her that way, sure, she was attractive and all, but if he was really honest with himself he would admit that he should have headed for the hills after that first blind date Jerry set up …
In fact, knowing Jerry’s penchant for gold-digging honey’s he should have not even gone on that first date, but people have a way of wearing you down and Jerry was like a giant block of coarse sandpaper, and he did owe him one; so he had gone on the date to shut him up and had been on his best behavior.
She was such high maintenance with that girly girl nasal giggle and that princessy attitude, her beautiful first impression shattered to his feet as soon as she opened her mouth. Now he cringed in anticipation for what would fall out of her mouth as soon as she opened it.
He was actually kicking himself for bringing her now as she exhaled her second deep sigh … he knew what he was wishing for this year, he would even go buy candles for a birthday cake if it would help - she was fast making him a believer in having a birthday wish …
He was desperate; so to be fair, he would wish for a handsome knight on a white horse to come and carry her off to her happily ever after … kicking and screaming if needs be … he snickered to himself at that vision as she loudly took her third and loudest sigh this far.
James opened one eye a crack to see her tapping her heel impatiently, “Is something wrong?” and he instantly regretted asking at the assault of whiney grumbles ruining his blissful melodic euphoria that he had enjoyed just moments before, “why here James” she whined, “I thought we were going to go dancing … look, see I got all dressed up … Jerry said this was going to be a fun night out” she sulked out loud crossing her arms in a huff.
“Well you don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” James said, trying to give her a way out, and, really hoping she would take it, he tried to sweeten the deal, “You know, Jerry is going dancing so if you want, I can give him a call and he can fetch you here before I go in?”
She mulled that over for a while, her face looking so cute in contemplation, that you would notice if you’d never met her, “I can’t do that” she pouted, “it's your birthday”. “Oh no, don’t worry about me,” James retorted considerately, “I’ll manage … here, I’m calling him now” with that, he dropped Jerry a message.
Within fifteen minutes, Jerry pulled in the drive; in his convertible, already with some party girls in the back. “Hey baby” he called, “let's ditch this dork and go dancing” he smiled his million-dollar smile at her as he opened the passenger door from the inside. As she climbed inside he looked over at James giving him a conspiratorial wink. ‘Thanks, Jerry’ James messaged ‘You owe me one’ he replied.
James turned back to the hall with a smile on his face, picking up the faint cacophony on the breeze wafting out the entrance as people jostled into the hall as the orchestra did some final tweaks.
Seating himself in his center seat James looked over at the empty chair beside him. He smiled to himself as the lights dimmed and the music began to play. Birthday wishes do come true after all.
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