Not Our First Rodeo

We’ve traveled together before, the four of us. Three years ago, we flew to Las Vegas to celebrate a chronological milestone for Laura. Since Laura and I share a birth year, they tacked me on as a celebrant. Neither Laura nor I seem to care much for being feted, but we like parties and people so can handle the price of puffing out a few candles. I inherited my aversion to the spotlight from my mother — I recall a surprise birthday party at Olive Garden her church friends threw. She entered an event room packed with people yelling, “Surprise!” Flustered, she immediately declared it a shared party for all, pointing to others and announcing their birthdays. She spread that moment over an entire year before the first round of breadsticks arrived.