Jess was awakened by someone rubbing her back.  When she rolled over, Annie was leaning over, smiling kindly in the pale early morning light. 

“Happy birthday, pumpkin,” she said gently.

“Good morning,” Jess said, stretching.

“How does it feel to be fourteen?”

“It feels really good!” Jess exclaimed, and it did.  Unlike previous years when she felt no different than the day before, now she felt like she wasn’t a little kid any more.

“That’s swell!  If you’re ready to get up, I made a special breakfast for us.”

“Us?  You mean we’re going to eat together?” Jess asked eagerly, sitting up in bed.

“Yes, but we have to eat now,” she said, her smile faltering.  “I have a lot to do today,” she added, the kind smile back again, but Jess understood.  Annie wasn’t just referring to the fact that Uncle Jonathon’s Christmas party was later that day, she wanted to make sure they finished eating before he woke up. 

“Okay, I’ll get up,” Jess said, pulling off her blankets, and immediately felt the cold air coming through her flannel nightgown. 

“Swell!  I’ll see you downstairs,” Annie said excitedly, and headed for the back stairs.

Shivering as goose bumps covered her skin, she dressed as quickly she could, then ran down the back stairs, smelling something sweet along with bacon in the warm air.  As she walked to Annie at the stove, she saw the little table next to the window was set with a table cloth and pretty china for two.

“Thank you,” she said gratefully, giving Annie an extra tight hug.

“Have a seat.  I’ve got everything warming in the oven.”

Jess took a sip of her orange juice, then smiled broadly as Annie carried a plate mounded with waffles to the table.  She’d made Jess’s favorite, her special waffle recipe that had to be started the night before.  Jess couldn’t wait to start eating, covering them with butter and syrup.  When she took her first bite, she closed her eyes with pleasure.  They were crispy on the outside, but melted in her mouth.

“They’re the best waffles ever!” she said as soon as she’d swallowed.

“Good!  So what are your plans for today?” Annie asked, cutting into her waffle.

“Uh, I thought you'd need me to help you get ready for the party.”

“I wouldn't make you work in the kitchen all day on your birthday,” Annie replied with a laugh.  “Anyway, we could never do it all by ourselves.  Your uncle has a huge party every year.  I hire  women to come help out.  Most of them are old friends and we have a lot of fun catching up on our gossip.” 

“Oh, then I’d like to go out,” Jess said with a smile, happy as she realized she’d now get to spend her birthday with Marty. 

“Why do you like going to the cabin so much?  Don’t you get bored spending all day there?” 

While Annie watched her, sipping her coffee, Jess swallowed the food in her mouth, her heart pounding in her chest.  She didn’t want to lie to Annie again, she thought with despair.  Not after Annie had been so good to her.

“Well,” she said, drawing it out while she desperately tried to think of something.  “When I’m there – I feel – happy.  It’s peaceful.”  Annie smiled warmly and Jess returned the smile, pleased she’d found a way to tell Annie the truth.  “And it reminds me of the apartment where I used to live,” she continued.   “Because it’s so small.”  A brief look of sadness crossed Annie’s face before she was able to hide it

“I’ll make you a nice birthday lunch.  How does that sound?” she said cheerily, and then dabbed her eyes with her napkin. 

“Swell!” Jess said with a grin.  Not only was she going to spend her birthday with Marty, they were going to have a special lunch to celebrate.

“Only, be sure not to stay too late,” Annie added more soberly.  “You need to get back in plenty of time to get ready for the party.”

“I will.  I promise,” she replied, understanding the warning.

 ~

Jess trudged down the road to the locked gate as quickly as she could carrying her school books and basket, but four inches of new snowfall was slowing her down.  Even though it would be a while before Marty showed up, since he worked Saturday mornings making deliveries for Mr. Dwyer, she was eager to get to the cabin.  She wanted to get the fires lit as soon as possible so the cabin would be nice and warm for him when he arrived.  When she reached the spot Marty had showed her to take to the cabin, she took two giant steps to cross the snow, wanting to leave as little evidence as possible where she was headed.  Then she took the now familiar route to the cabin.

Before entering, she tried to shake as much snow off her boots as she could, then she set down her basket and books and got to work on both fires.  While she waited for the cabin to warm up, she decided to set the food out on the table.  Marty was usually starving when he arrived after working and Jess decided that having to ride a bike through the snow when it was so cold was probably the reason.  She wasn’t sure if he had anything at home to eat before he left other than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but whatever it was, it wasn’t enough for him. 

Once she had everything set out at their places, she wrapped herself in a blanket and sat in front of the fire to read.  When the door opened some time later, she stood.

“Hi Marty!”

“Hey!” he said, his face lighting up.  “I thought you weren’t coming today.”

“It turns out Annie didn’t need me after all,” she said, grinning like mad.

“That’s swell, Jess!”

As she watched him take off his coat, she hugged her sides while her heart felt like it was bursting.  This was the first time he hadn’t tried to hide his reaction to seeing her.  It was obvious he was delighted she was there.  He really likes me, she thought giddily.

“I got our lunch ready,” she said, heading to the kitchen so she wouldn’t embarrass herself by looking goofy in front of him.

“Wow!  Look at the spread!” he said, coming in behind her, his wide eyes taking in all the food.  There were meat loaf sandwiches, baked beans, cabbage slaw, and cupcakes with pink icing.  Jess and Annie had made them for her to share with the girls at school.  She’d on purpose made more than she needed in the hopes she’d have extras to take to the cabin for Marty.

“It’s my birthday today,” Jess announced once they were seated.  “I’m fourteen.”

“Is it?” he replied, his mouth already full of meatloaf.  “Happy birthday, kid,” he added after he swallowed.

“You can’t call me a kid anymore.  I’m the same age as you now,” she said triumphantly, and Marty barked out a laugh.

“Not hardly.  I’m fifteen.”

“What?  When was your birthday?” 

“A while ago,” he said with a shrug.

“How long ago?”

“Months.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she cried.  “I would’ve celebrated with you!”

“Not everyone makes a big deal out of it, you know.  It’s just a day,” he said quietly to his sandwich. 

She opened her mouth to disagree with him, and then changed her mind when she noticed the tension in his body.  When he looked up at her, the humor was gone from his eyes and her heart clenched as she realized what he wasn’t saying.  It was another reminder that Marty’s life at home was much worse than hers.  Even though her uncle hated her, there would still be a special dinner and presents. 

“Well, next year I’m going to celebrate it with you,” she said firmly.  He looked at quizzically for a moment, and then wily grin spread across his face.

“Maybe I won’t tell you,” he said mischievously, the twinkle back in his eyes.

“Don’t you worry.  I’ll find out.”

“How do you reckon you’ll do that?”

“I have my ways,” she said slyly, and he laughed before taking another bite out of his sandwich.

While she ate, she wondered how she was going to manage figuring out his birthday.  She knew he wouldn’t tell her now.  He’d stubbornly refuse, if only for the enjoyment of torturing her by keeping her guessing.  But it didn’t matter how hard it was find out.  If there was any way she could make sure Marty had a birthday celebration, she’d do it. 

“Old man Dwyer said he’d give me more hours today,” Marty said, helping himself to a cupcake. 

“That’s really great, Marty!” Jess exclaimed.

“He said he was impressed when I showed him my report card,” he added, sitting up straighter, and Jess beamed at him with pride.  “He reckoned I can handle deliveries after school every day.”

“I’m so glad!  I knew you’d be able to show him.  I told you, Marty.  You’re real smart.”

“I reckon,” he said shyly, shrugging as he leaned over to finish peeling the paper off his cupcake, but the way he was trying to keep from smiling let her know he was proud of himself.

While she ate a cupcake with him, she felt that giddy feeling again, seeing the happiness in his eyes as he licked pink icing off is fingers and then chose another one.  This was better than any birthday party she could’ve had.

After doing some homework, Jess reluctantly decided she’d better leave, not wanting to take any chances on getting home too late.  When they reached the edge of the forest by the road back to the house, Jess stopped and turned towards Marty.  She smiled at him and he dropped his head and began digging the toe of his boot in the snow.

“I wish I didn’t have to leave,” Jess said with a sigh.

 “Yeah,” he replied with his head still down.  

“I’m glad I got to celebrate my birthday with you.”

“Yeah, it was nice,” he mumbled, but he smiled when he said it.

“Does that mean you’re going to tell me your birthday so we can do it again?”  He lifted his head, his eyes full of humor.

“You reckon I’m going to give up that easy?” he laughed.

“You’re such a tease, Marty,” she said with exasperation, but she couldn’t help laughing with him.  “I better go.  I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll see ya.”

He smiled warmly before turning to head back to the cabin.  Once she’d stepped out onto the road, she hurried back to the house, replaying his warm smile over and over in her mind. 

After a quick bath, Jess put on her new forest green velvet party dress.  For once she didn’t mind wearing her crinoline, admiring how it made the skirt flare out.  She finished with ballet flats and then went to the bathroom to tackle her hair.  It was now past her shoulders, and she had no idea whether she would wear it up or down. 

Deciding she needed expert help, she opened the door to the back stairs and the sounds of unfamiliar women’s voices rose up with delicious smells.  She slowly walked down the stairs, suddenly feeling shy.  Middle aged women in cotton dresses and aprons were at different spots, busy with the preparations while they chatted.  Every surface that wasn’t being used for cooking was covered with silver serving platters filled with artfully arranged finger food. 

“Don’t you look pretty!” Annie exclaimed, and there was sudden silence as all the women turned towards her.  Then they all chimed in while Annie went to her.

“I’d hug you, but I don’t want to take a chance I’d get you dirty,” she said, beaming at Jess.

“Can you help me with my hair?” Jess asked, knowing her face was turning red from all the attention and desperate to escape.

“Sure I can, pumpkin!  Let’s go to my bathroom,” she said, taking off her apron.

Annie pulled her hair into a high ponytail, and even managed to get the ends to form a perfect curl.  Then she finished it with a heavy layer of hair spray while Jess covered her face with her hands and held her breath.  When she was done, the two of them looked at her reflection in the mirror.  With her hair up, her face appeared different, thinner, and her brown eyes stood out below her short bangs. 

“You look so grown up,” Annie said, her eyes suddenly shiny.  “We better get going,” she added, quickly wiping her eyes.  “I’ve got to get the food set up.”

As Jess walked through the kitchen, Annie began directing the women on which platters to bring out first.  On her way down the hall, Jess peeked in the rooms, admiring how Annie had transformed the house for the holiday.  Pine boughs tied with red bows decorated the doorways and staircase, and Christmas decorations were placed on every surface. 

The grand parlor looked especially nice with the tree sparkling with colored lights reflecting off the tinsel and the mantels over both fireplaces decorated with figurines of Christmas carolers.  The furniture had been rearranged to make more room for guests to mingle and the dining table was at the end of the room with a festive table cloth, ready to be covered with food.  When she spotted her uncle mixing a cocktail near it, she stopped.  While she waited for him to notice she was there, her stomach twisted in knots, wondering what his reaction was going to be to her dress.

“Hi, dad,” Doug said behind her, and she turned.  He was as handsome as ever, wearing the same wool blue suit he’d worn to his birthday party.  “Oh, hi – Jess,” he said more hesitantly as his eyes swept over her, taking in her dress with surprise.

“Douglas,” Uncle Jonathon said as he walked towards them with his drink in hand, but his attention was on Jess.  While he examined her with a hard expression, she held her breath.  “I see you’ve dressed appropriately,” he said, the coldness of his words stinging her.

“I think you look really nice, Jess,” Doug said more quietly.  The kindness in his eyes felt like a refuge, and she immediately felt better.

“Thanks, Doug.  You look really nice too,” she said, smiling at him.

“Oh, uh, thanks,” he muttered, dropping his head.  She smiled even more, thinking it was funny to see him get so embarrassed over a simple compliment.  “Music,” he mumbled, and headed to the stereo cabinet. 

Jess had to suppress the urge to laugh while she watched him escape, but then she noticed Uncle Jonathon studying her while he sipped from his drink.  The intense way he was looking at her made her uncomfortable and she wondered if she should go help Doug pick out party music to get away from him.  But then Annie came in with the other women, carrying trays of food, and she took the opportunity to go help. 

As Annie was deciding how to arrange the trays, the doorbell rang and she exclaimed, “Oh, dear!  They’re here already.”  The women hustled back to the kitchen and Annie headed to the front door, saying, “Come along, Jess.”  Jess followed more slowly, knowing it wouldn’t be fun greeting people she didn’t know. 

A steady stream of men arrived, and there was back slapping and hand shaking as Doug and Uncle Jonathon greeted each of them heartily by name.  When she introduced herself, she got nearly the same reaction each time, “You’re Billy’s kid!” making her grit her teeth with annoyance.  Didn’t they notice she wasn’t a kid?  Then she realized no wives had been invited to the Christmas party, and her heart sank.  What was she going to do all evening with no other females to talk to? 

Finally deciding she’d been called ‘kid’ enough, she began offering to take coats and fedoras to avoid having to greet more men.  Soon the grand parlor was filled with raucous laughter and a haze of cigar and cigarette smoke, Uncle Jonathon in the center of it all.   Seeing him surrounded by men who hung on his every word and laughed loudly at his jokes, she was immediately reminded of how Doug was always surrounded by his friends at their high school lunchroom. 

This was their world, she thought, the world her father had decided to leave behind.  She could understand why Doug liked it, he seemed to be just like his dad in that way.  He belonged here, but she didn’t.  She felt out of place, just like her dad must have.  As she watched Doug listening to his father tell a story with rapt attention along with the other men, she hoped he wouldn’t turn out to be like him in every way.

With nothing else to do, she went to Annie and helped her take drink orders, pass out food, and empty ashtrays.  Later in the evening, when she handed a large Tom Collins to a man who was speaking to her uncle, he said, “You’re Billy’s kid, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sir,” Jess said, smiling politely while gritting her teeth again.

“Too bad she wasn’t born a boy,” he said to her uncle.  “She could’ve helped Doug run the mine.”

“Douglas doesn’t need help running the mine,” her uncle said tersely, anger flashing in his eyes, and then he turned and stalked off.

“Uh, oh,” the man said, laughing as he leaned towards Jess with a wink.  “I’ve angered the boss.”  Even without smelling the alcohol on his breath, Jess knew was drunk.  There was no other explanation for him not being terrified he was about to lose his job.  “He’s right about Doug, though,” the man continued, and then staggered slightly as he nearly lost his balance.  He put his hand on Jess’s shoulder to steady himself.  “Boy’s got iron ore running through his veins.  If there was someone born to run a mine, it’s him!”

“That’s nice,” Jess said faintly.  She wanted to leave, but he kept his hand on her shoulder, and it made her uncomfortable.  She looked around desperately, trying to find Annie.

“Why, speak of the devil!” the man boomed jovially, and a wave of relief washed over her as Doug appeared. 

“How’s it going, Mr. Ingalls.”  He was smiling when he said it, but there was tension in his features as he took the man’s hand off her. 

“I was just talking about you!” Mr. Ingals replied heartily, throwing his now free arm over Doug’s shoulders. 

“Let’s find you some place to sit,” Doug suggested.

“I was just telling the little lady how you were born to run the mine!”

“Annie’s looking for you,” Doug said quietly to Jess.  He looked miserable, and Jess’s heart went out to him. 

Thank you, she mouthed before leaving him to deal with the drunken Mr. Ingalls.

She found Annie mixing more drinks but as soon as she saw Jess she put down the cocktail shaker she was holding.

“Are you okay?” she asked with concern.  “You look tired.”

“I am tired,” Jess admitted. 

“Well, no wonder.  It’s way past your bedtime.”  She gently steered Jess out of the room.  “The party won’t be over for hours.  There’s no point in you staying up.”  When they reached the bottom of the stairs, she gave Jess a hug.

“I hope you had a good birthday,” she said afterwards with sadness in her eyes.

“I did, Annie,” Jess answered gratefully with a smile, remembering her special breakfast and then the even better lunch with Marty.  “I had a really good birthday.  Thank you.”

“I’m glad,” Annie said, smiling with relief.  “Good night, pumpkin.”

With one last hug, Jess climbed the stairs, still smiling as she thought about how Christmas was just a few short days away.  She couldn’t wait to celebrate that with Marty too.

****

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter!  Both boys in Jess's life are prominently featured and I hope they've given you some food for thought as they've reacted to Jess.  What do you make of how Doug is acting around Jess.  I know many of you are wondering about him.  I hope you enjoyed Jess's birthday and I can't wait to hear what you think!

Thank you so much for reading!  If you enjoyed this chapter, please consider giving it a vote!  I really do appreciate each and every one!  The video is Gonna Give Myself a Party by Don Gibson.