Most Memorable Birthday Party of All the Kids: David's Crazy 8

David was about to turn eight in a few days. It was April of 1976. Bicentennial everything was the word that year. But all David cared about was that finally it was his turn to be in the spotlight. In less than a year's time, he & his brother had been ring bearers at their mom's wedding, he'd been uprooted from the town he grew up in and had to leave his old friends and half his toys back in Indiana. He'd adjusted to a new dad, started in a new school, watched his new brother being born a month ago, saw his big brother turn ten, and Jimmy just kept growing bigger.

David was always the smallest kid in his class. Mom said she was too when she was a kid, but it's different for a boy. David knew he was one of the best readers in his class, and he liked being smart, but most of the kids knew each other before David moved to Newport News. One thing good about being small, he was the best hider in Hide & Seek. And he was so flexible and strong for his size, he could do gymnastics and twist his legs behind his head. The best thing about moving to Virginia was their new apt complex. It had a big pool with a diving board, so David got to swim every day last summer. He got great at diving. He could hold his breath under water so long it freaked out the grown ups. That was extremely cool! But now it was his turn to be the important kid in the neighborhood. Everybody loved birthday parties!

The problem was Mom had to stay in bed a lot after she had baby Aaron. Dad said she bled too much, so she was kind of weak. The new baby was really pretty neat. David liked to let Aaron hold his finger. And when David & Jimmy made funny faces and silly noises, already Aaron would make crooked little smiles at them, and he'd get excited with his whole body. But Mom told David he'd have to have a small party this year. Maybe a big one when he turned nine. That wasn't fair, because before Aaron was born, Jimmy had a bigger party in January. But both Mom and Dad seemed tired so much, David was afraid his party would be boring.

Since this was his first birthday party in their new home, the last thing David wanted was for kids to think he had boring parties. Back in IND. he had tons of friends. He missed them. So David figured a great party was the best way to make new friends. Jimmy always had lots of friends, but David had to work a little harder at it. A week before David's eighth birthday, Mom made out the invitations. They had a Bicentennial design. The whole country was having a birthday this year, and it seemed like it was every day. He counted the invitations and sighed when he saw that he had to choose only 8 kids.

That day, David walked around Camelot Apt. complex and handed out the 8 invitations. But he kept thinking of other kids he'd like to invite. And most of them had brothers or sisters who'd like to come. The more kids, the more presents he'd get. This was going to be a bummer birthday with only 8 kids

On April 22nd, David woke up so excited he felt like a jumping bean! Mom was glad to see he cheered up and got over being glum about the small party. Jimmy & David helped set the table and blow up balloons. They rubbed balloons on their shirts to make them stick to the walls, and Dad taped some to the ceiling and door frames. Mom got all nervous like she always did when company was coming and she thought the house wouldn't be ready. Dad got the camera out. Mom was a freak about taking pictures of absolutely everything! She called it "photographic evidence".

Every so often, David dashed outside to be sure the kids he'd invited didn't forget.

At 2 o'clock the first few kids arrived. Mom was holding the baby on one arm and pouring drinks into Bicentennial cups with the other. Soon a few more came. Mom shot David a worried look. There were some kids she didn't remember on the list. David said, "Well, I invited a few more." Mom didn't have time to be mad. She even seemed glad that David was having a good time. But it was getting pretty noisy, and then a bunch more kids came. Some of them were older than Jimmy, maybe twelve or thirteen. David was entertaining some of them by doing splits and twisting his body in weird shapes. He liked to make them laugh. But some kids were getting rowdy, and Mom came over to get David as a few more came racing through the door. "What were you thinking, David? We don't even have enough cake or ice cream for this many kids, let alone plates & cups!" David was in his goofball mode by then and couldn't give her a serious answer. "Just give it to them on napkins! They're having fun! They don't care!" A lot of them did seem to be having fun stomping and popping all the balloons. David dashed off before he could see his mother's reeeeeally stressed out face! They were supposed to play some games, but Mom & Dad couldn't get kids to gather in groups, and when more & more kids kept parading in, it turned into utter chaos, as David heard later in the lecture. But all the kids brought presents!

Finally, Mom just started yelling over the noise that it was time to sing Happy Birthday. David and Jim and a few kids sat at the table, but the rest stood around filling the whole apartment. Mom carried in the cake she'd decorated with 8 glowing candles. But when she started the birthday song, lots of kids kept talking and laughing, so it was hard to hear the singing. Dad cut the Bicentennial birthday cake into a zillion little pieces. They couldn't give ice cream to everyone because there weren't enough plates. But everybody got some cake, even if it was on a napkin. Of course, some kids dropped theirs, and other kids stepped in the icing. And with all the goofing and giggling and bumping, somebody fell against a window with a big cracking noise! Dad made everyone move back, but one kid got knocked down and hurt his finger and ran home crying. And somebody's head banged somebody's nose, so it was bleeding, and then some kid fell backwards onto the coffee table. The legs broke on one side and the table crashed with drinks and presents all over the floor. That did it! Dad and Mom started herding kids outside, saying the party was now in the yard. It took awhile to get all the kids out, but when they were counted, David learned he'd had 30 kids at his party! Mom tried to get them in a group so Dad could take a picture for photographic evidence, but they all kept moving around, so that never happened. Thirty kids, a broken window, a trashed apt, a smashed coffee table, and a long, long lecture later, David concluded it was well worth it. He lay in bed that night, still too excited to sleep, thinking he got 30 presents plus the stuff from his family, and no one would ever forget his 8th birthday party. Even when he grew up, David said that was the best birthday party he ever had! And you can be sure his parents never forgot it.