The Boys of Winter (Miracle)

A Pheasant Fiasco

"Happy Birthday, Billy!" He called out, entering the Burnsville apartment complex's function room with his girlfriend in tow. 

"Hey, what about me?" Neal Broten piped up  with mock-anger, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"Happy Birthday to you too, Brots. How old are you turning, fourteen?" 

"Thirteen, actually," Robby McClanahan chimed in from a seat at the large table the boys had set up for the gathering. 

"If I'm thirteen, then how come I can drink beer and drive a car and....." Neal squeaked, his voice trailing off. 

Setting his present over at the table, he assumed now would be the ideal time to introduce everyone to his girlfriend from back home. 

"Hey guys, this is my girlfriend," He beamed, motioning to her. 

"When's the wedding?" Jack O'Callahan smirked, striking his beer glass with a fork. 

"Somebody cut him off, he's drunk before midnight!" 

Walking over to the table currently filled to capacity with pheasants and turkey, he sat down next to Robby and Steve Christoff, while his girlfriend went to mingle with the other plus one's. Despite the fact that they were from Minnesota, he still was able to get along with them. In fact, he was able to get along with just about anyone from anywhere. That, he assumed, was the trait which earned him the vote for team captain. 

"So you guys actually hunted these things?" He mused, staring at the already half-eaten pheasant in front of him. 

"Billy and Buzz did. I wouldn't engage in such inhumane acts," Rob quipped, shaking his head.

"Oh, but you'll eat them?" Steve countered, pointed his fork at Robby. "You're supporting hunting by eating the game you know." 

Rolling his eyes, Rob remarked, "No, It's a part of the food chain, along with Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest. Afterall, I am the fittest, and I'm surviving, by eating this pheasant."

"Yeah, okay..." 

Zoning out of the Minnesotans's conversation, he took a sip of the punch concocted by OC and Jack Huges, and immediately spit it out. "Hey, OC, what's in this punch? Super or unleaded?" 

"Very funny," Jack Hughes yelled from across the room. "It's beer and cranberry!" 

Many hours and many beers later, the soiree began to unravel. 

With music blasting and people everywhere, he almost missed the pheasant bone that flew across the room, hitting Dave Christian's cheek. As a result, Dave picked up a piece of turkey from his plate and flung it at Neal. In a chain reaction, pheasant was flying all over the room in a food fightish fashion. 

Then, there was cake. It was indeterminate, who threw the first slice, but it hit Robby straight in the face. In retailation, Rob thrusted his beer towards Eric Strobel, who smushed his cake onto Ken Morrow's head. Buzz's wife, Gayle, and a few other dates, even got in on the action. 

Bobby Suter, whose ankle was newly broken, poured his beer over someone's head, and Mark Pavelich joined him. Moments later, the victim, soaked in beer and cake, had had enough. His favorite disco shirt was a mess, and his hair was completely drenched to the point where his bald spot was visible. 

"Geez, I've never him this angry," Billy chuckled, picking the pheasant scraps off of his sweater.

"Rizzo, calm down! It's just party!" Buzz called out, barely able to keep a straight face.

"I don't need this aggravation!" Storming towards the exit, Mike Eruzione grabbed his girlfriend by the arm.

 "C'mon, we're outta here, Donnah!"