Murphy
"Owen, that is a super cool spaceship you are building," I encouraged, handing the child more blocks.
The boy smiled brightly, his eyes alight with excitement. "Can I have more juice?" he asked.
"Of course! Here you go," I said, handing him his favorite. Owen took a few sips and went back to building his spaceship. He seemed so proud of his creation that I knew he must be a budding engineer. I watched as he put the pieces together, quietly marveling at the intense concentration he had shown.
After a few more minutes, he finally stood back and beamed. "I'm finished!" he declared proudly.
"It looks amazing," I praised him. Then, the door unlocked. "I think that's your mom, kiddo!"
"Mommy!" Owen jumped with excitement. Natalie appeared in the doorway, her face lighting up when she saw her son's creation. "Wow, Owen! That looks amazing! What is it?"
"It's a spaceship," he said proudly. "I built it with Murphy."
"Wow! He let you have a turn with the blocks?" Natalie inquired. "He won't even let me do that!"
"I really would say I was more of an assistant," I joked.
"That sounds about right. Thank you so much for watching him, Murphy. It really helped me out."
"Anytime," I responded. "You know Owen's my pal!" I started lacing up my shoes, as Natalie returned with her checkbook. "There's really no need," I begged.
"I insist," Natalie responded. "It's your last night as a 17-year-old, and you're spending it here."
I reluctantly accepted her offer and gave Owen a big hug goodbye. "You be good, okay? I'll see you soon." "Bye, Murphy! Thanks for playing!" he said before running off to his bedroom.
"Are you doing anything for your birthday, tomorrow?" Natalie asked.
"I'm really not sure," I admitted. "I'm spending tonight at my grandparents, and then Jay keeps telling me that he wants to take me to buy a lottery ticket."
Natalie laughed and nodded, "As long as you don't purchase tobacco products, I support you."
"Oh- do you think Will will let me do that?" I joked. "It pays to have a doctor in the family."
"Can't argue with that", Nat said proudly.
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The train ride to my grandparents' house in Oak Park was silent. I'd been running around all day and was exhausted.
When I arrived, my grandpa greeted me with a big hug and led me to the kitchen. Everywhere I looked, I saw proof that they were preparing for my birthday celebration. My birthday was always a bigger deal to my grandparents than it was to me.
"I'm so glad you could make it!" Mimzy said with a wide grin.
"Me too. I'm so grateful for all of this, but you know I have to get back to Jay's early tomorrow morning."
Mimzy waved her hand dismissively. "Tomorrow morning we'll have you back to Jay's and ready to have a good day, alright?"
I was too tired to argue, so I just smiled and nodded. It was like this every year – my grandparents pampered me and made me feel extra special, as if it were still my tenth birthday and not my eighteenth. I followed Grandpa to the living room and took a seat on the couch, content with the idea of an early night. We celebrated until late, talking, playing games, and reminiscing about all the parties that had been held in this house over the years.
Before I knew it, it was time to catch the train back to Jay's place. As I hugged them goodbye, they both wished me a happy birthday and expressed how proud they were of me.
"I love you so much," I whispered, tears in my eyes.
"We love you too, Murphy," Mimzy said, stroking my hair softly. I took one last wave goodbye, and then I was off. As I stepped onto the train, my heart swelled. My eighteenth year was off to a great start.
