Please let this day end soon.
…
But the torture had really only begun when, after being sneezed on, hit in the face by a two-year-old who didn’t like the tongue depressor in his mouth, and dropping a container of cotton swabs after she tried to reverse direction when she spied Dr. Seeley again, she arrived at her parents’ home for her celebratory birthday dinner.
Not just any birthday, but the big 3-0.
She was officially old.
She walked into the kitchen where her mom and her sister, Daisy, were finishing preparations over the stove, and Kate, her sister-in-law, grated cheese. Kate was as helpless in the kitchen as Benny and was doing the task that Benny usually got stuck with. Arriving late had its benefits.
At seeing her daughter’s arrival, her mom wiped her hands on a towel and rushed over. “Feliz cumpleaños! Happy birthday,” she exclaimed, a sentiment echoed by Daisy and Kate before her mom kissed her and wrapped her small arms around her, squeezing tightly. “How’s my doctor daughter?” her mom asked and stepped back, beaming at her.
Benny flushed at the phrase, but she knew it was only because her mother was so proud that she used it whenever she talked to someone about her. Her friends, her dentist, their priest, and the clerk at the grocery store. “Good, Mama. A little tired thanks to the Hugh Hefner wannabe next door.”
Kate looked up from her task. “Uh-oh. Did your neighbor throw another party?” Kate had actually been over on one of the nights when Benny’s walls felt like they’d fall in from the music next door.
“Of course.” Benny slid onto the bar stool next to Kate and stuffed some of the cheese into her mouth. “He has no consideration for anyone but himself. I even had the luxury of meeting him last night.” In short order, she described the previous night’s events that led to her graceful exit. She didn’t share how she’d stewed another hour over the horrible jerk and kicked herself for not at least throwing on a robe or running a brush through her coarse, frizzy hair—particularly after she’d caught a glimpse of herself in the bathroom mirror.
Daisy laughed then covered her mouth quickly. “Sorry, Ben, I just wish I’d been there to see you march through the party in that getup.” She tossed her long, silky black hair over a shoulder, a vision as always in a white tank top and skinny jeans that clung to a slim figure—despite giving birth to three beautiful children. Daisy had always been a tough act to follow growing up. Especially when Benny had been the chubby tomboy without any of the style, grace, or prettiness of her older sister.
“Have you complained to the home owners’ association yet?” Kate asked. “I imagine there must be something in the CCR about noise control.”
“CCR?” Daisy asked.
“Covenants, codes, and restrictions,” Kate clarified. Benny’s sister-in-law also happened to be an attorney, something that had come in handy recently when Daisy was filing for divorce. “It’s basically a set of rules that all tenants or owners have to abide by, and violating those could end up in a fine.”
“I already called the board this morning,” Benny said and sighed as she remembered the woman’s indulgent tones when she mentioned Henry Ellison’s name. “I got the distinct impression they were just humoring me. He probably has them all wrapped around his well-manicured finger.”
“If you want, I can help you draw something up. Make them listen to you.”
Benny considered the offer. Kate had already done enough by helping Daisy, and Benny hated to take up any more of her time. “I just met him last night, and for now, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and hope things improve. But if not, I’ll give you a call. Thanks, Kate.” It was time to change subjects. Henry Ellison had already plagued too much of her time. “Has anyone heard from Cruz and Payton lately?” she asked, referring to her older brother and his new bride who were still on their honeymoon in Mexico.
It was like an epidemic, the way both of her brothers, single for so long, suddenly found the women of their dreams and married them in quick fashion. She wasn’t jealous. Not really. How could she be when the women they married were so freaking fantastic and her brothers were so happy? She didn’t want to throw herself off a bridge at all, even if it was going on six months since her last relationship tanked.
“I heard from Payton yesterday,” Kate volunteered. Payton, coincidentally, was Kate’s best friend and had been her maid of honor when she married Benny’s other brother, Dominic, last spring in Puerto Vallarta. The maid of honor and best man had ended up traveling by car across Mexico and had somehow managed to fall in love and get married—not necessarily in that order. “They’re heading to Guadalajara tomorrow and are expecting to be gone another week.”
The sliding door to the deck opened, and Benny’s dad, a tall, blond figure despite his approaching seventieth birthday stepped inside. Dominic, who had their mom’s dark hair and complexion and their father’s height and eye color, followed, carrying an oval platter filled with a large, seasoned flank steak that already had her mouth watering.
Her dad’s usually stoic face broke into a smile when he saw her. “Happy birthday,” he said, before lifting her off the floor in a warm hug.
“I’d say let’s have a game after dinner,” Dominic said, “but I’m afraid that now that you’ve hit the big three-oh, you could break a hip or something. They say it’s all downhill from here.”
“You would know, dear brother. Isn’t that gray? Right there?” she asked, touching just above her ears, hinting that his own dark hair had already started turning, which it hadn’t.
“Aunt Benny!” two high-pitched voices called out at once, storming up the stairs from the basement. Her two nieces, recently turned ten Jenna and eight-year-old Natalie, reached her first, hugging her tightly.
Their younger brother, Paul, came last, his enthusiasm barely readable. “Hey, Aunt Benny.”
“What’s wrong with you, bud?” she asked, tousling his hair.
“Please don’t start, Paul,” Daisy interrupted. “I have gone over this a dozen times already. We are not getting a dog. I have a hard enough time keeping track of you three—I’m not throwing a pup into the mix.”
Her older sister was finally getting back on her feet after her divorce, with a new promotion as assistant manager at a trendy neighborhood café and bakery as well as moving into Kate’s old house with the kids. Benny couldn’t blame her for not wanting any more chaos thrown into the mix.
“Why don’t you come and take the tortillas to the table, Paul,” their grandma said. “And girls, maybe you can set the table for us, please.”
Jenna walked around the table setting plates down in front of each chair. “Since Uncle Cruz and Aunt Payton aren’t here, can we sit with you guys tonight? Please?”