Birthday Card

Jon’s day had been going smooth until he checked the mail. There it was: a letter for Logan. He had been semi-expecting it. He was hoping the bitch forgot. Obviously, she didn’t. He had to get her out of his mind at-the-moment and deal with the task at-hand before Logan’s bus arrived.

He searched for the stainless steel kettle. He hadn’t seen it in more than a year. He now used a Keurig for coffee and tea. That damn thing was useless for steaming a letter open. He was running around the kitchen, slamming pots and pans around trying to spot where the kettle was. There in the corner, bottom shelf; it was hidden out of the way. As he pulled it, a fry skillet and lid fell on the floor. He didn’t bother to pick it up. He had to get the kettle on the stove. He filled it halfway with water and turned the stove on high.

Logan’s eleventh birthday is Sunday. Wouldn’t you know she’d send a letter two days before? Jon knew he had to quit fretting over her latest move and do what he had to do. The whistle began to blow as the steam escaped. He put the letter over the water vapor and let it do its magic. Voila!

The letter opened easily. It had a two-page handwritten letter inside with a birthday card. There was no gift card nor money. He threw the letter on the kitchen counter. Then took out his wallet and placed a twenty-dollar bill inside the card and resealed the envelope. Then he took a paper towel to wipe off the tiny amount of excess water.

Now what to do with the two-pages of gibberish? Should he read it? Nah. He had enough of her bullshit and wasn’t about the subject Logan to it. He took the garbage papers to the shredder and put it in the slot. In five-seconds, it was gone.

Jon went back into the kitchen and spotted the skillet and lid on the floor. Before he bent down to pick them up, he wondered, “Whether or not he should rebury the kettle?” She hadn’t communicated with Logan in over two years, but she was a binger. He halfway expected another letter tomorrow and every day for the next couple of weeks. No, he would leave the kettle out.

Logan opened the kitchen entry door as Jon was putting away the skillet and lid. “Dad, can I have a snack?” asked Logan. “Sure Sport” replied Jon still bent over under the counter. “How about an apple and a cheese stick?” Logan said, “Dad, can I use a paring knife to peel the apple?”  “Ok,” said Jon. “Just be careful; its sharper than your Swiss Army knife.” “I will, Dad.” said Logan with a little frustration huff slipping out of his mouth.

Jon heard the huff and chose to ignore it. However, it made him think. My ten-year old will soon be a teenager. Will he rebel and talk back then? He hoped not.  Jon had done his best not to use profanities and kept his temper under wraps around Logan. Still, he lost all control when it came to Cathy.

Cathy had been the love of his life. When she left, it hurt. His pain turned to anger. The anger was magnified by a hundred times when he thought about the way she could go off and leave Logan. Like it or not, Jon had to admit to himself, Logan had been exposed to his rage. Yes, Logan’s teenage years would be difficult.

Jon’s mind went back to Cathy’s letter; boy, was he glad that he shredded it. Jon blamed Cathy. This was all Cathy’s fault. Poor Logan only had half a chance with only one parent.

“Logan, do you have weekend homework?” asked Jon. “No but we only have two weeks to do my science project,” answered Logan. “Have you decided what it will be?” questioned Jon. “I think I want to purify water,” said Logan. “Do you know the method in which you want to accomplish this?” asked Jon. “Charcoal and food coloring” replied Logan. Jon thought what a smart boy and he smiled for the first time after he came home today. “Sounds like you have it under control Logan but let’s wait until next weekend to do project. I know someone has a birthday this weekend,” said Jon. Logan was now smiling too.

Birthdays for Logan usually consisted of Grandma, Grandpa, and Dad. Of course, there would be cake, ice cream, and presents. Grandma made the best chocolate cake with chocolate icing. They would put vanilla ice cream on it. It tasted yummy. Jon looked forward to the cake as much as Logan.

Jon had already purchased Logan’s present: a new bicycle. It was a trick bike with the extra pegs to do stunts. He just hoped Logan wouldn’t get hurt. The helmet and all the knee and elbow pads in the world couldn’t protect him one hundred percent. Grandpa and Grandma had bought Logan a baseball glove and bat.

The presents were securely hidden away at the grandparents. Now Jon second guessed himself as to whether the presents would be enough to take the boy’s mind off his mother, once he opened her card. Logan hadn’t mentioned Cathy in a while.

Usually, they’d make Logan open the birthday cards first because if they did the presents first, the cards wouldn’t get any attention. “Now there is an ideal,” thought Jon but he was a better man. His son was too young to read and understand (if anyone could understand) her letter. However, he felt that Logan should know that his mom did send a card with money in it, even if he did put the twenty in. Yep, they would do his birthday the traditional way: cake first, cards second, and presents last.

Jon had an urge to go back to the toy store and buy something else for Logan. His thoughts were the more he could give Logan, the less likely Logan would fixate on his mom. No. He wasn’t going to let Cathy teach his son that materialism could cover up pain. Poor little Logan would have to find a way to acknowledge his mom’s card.

Jon felt he did everything he could do to ensure that Logan’s birthday went well. However, in his rush to get rid of the letter and add the twenty, he forgot to read the card. Oh, he did read her writing, where it said, “Love, Mom.” He just assumed she had bought an appropriate card.

Sunday morning church came and went. For Sunday’s lunch they went to Cracker Barrel with the grandparents. And finally, back to their house for the birthday celebration. They were still full from lunch, so they agreed the birthday boy just needed to blow out the candles. They could eat it later. They sang, “Happy Birthday” and Logan blew out the candles. They asked what he wished for? Logan shrugged. Either he was too caught up in the moment to make a wish or he didn’t know what he wanted.

Next, he opened the cards. Grandma and Grandpa’s card was just a grandson birthday card. Dad’s card had a big eleven on it. Then, Jon said Logan you received a card from your mother. Logan’s eyes lit up. He smiled big. He tore open the card. It had a big ten on it and inside she had written “Love, Mom.” Logan burst into tears and sobbed, “I’m eleven!” Logan ran into the bedroom and jumped on the bed and buried his head into the pillow as he cried.

“The stupid bitch had lost a year of his son’s life,” thought Jon. He was more furious than ever.

After crying himself to sleep, Logan woke up. He was still hurting. He listened as the adults talked from the kitchen. He was listening for them to talk about his mother. Grandpa was talking about the Braves’ baseball team with Dad. This peaked Logan’s interests. He came out of the bedroom and joined the family. Grandma said, “Logan would you like to open presents now?” Logan smiled with excitement and said, “Yes.”