Happy Birthday to Me Again (Birthday Trilogy, Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

powers to cure me of the life-threatening
disease she had set upon me just two and a half months prior. Liesel was going
to be around for a while, and I needed her on my family’s good side.
    I readied myself
to stand up to make my big speech, but my mom beat me to it. “And if I may,”
she said. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She was clearly
tearing up, and I watched as my dad pulled her hands down to his chest.
    “It’s OK,
honey,” he said.
    “Cam, you’ll
never know what that time was like for me,” my mom said, only connecting her
eyes with mine sporadically. “That helpless, vulnerable feeling. It’s something
I never want to experience again. But what really… you know… ripped me apart,
was those last few days, when I had nothing left to do but say good-bye to
you…”
    God, what a morbid pre Christmas dinner
conversation we’re having, I thought. It’s OK, everyone. I’m fine
now. I’ll be fine for a long, long time.
    My mom licked
her lips and exhaled loudly. “Cameron, I am so, so thrilled that you are here with us, more handsome than ever… in
love… happy ...” She smiled at Liesel
before turning back to me. “I couldn’t be more grateful. I love you.”
    “I love you,
too, Mom.”
    “And whatever
you choose to do with your life,” she continued, “your father and I are here to
support you. We feel like we’ve been given a second chance with you, and we’re
not going to take it lightly.”
    I nodded. OK, can we eat now?
    “Here here!” my
grandfather shouted, reaching for the honey glazed ham. My grandmother slapped
his hand away and shook her head with disapproval.
“And on a lighter note,” my mom said, “before we begin, I also wanted to say
one other thing… this time about Kimber .”
She locked eyes with my sister. “Do you want me to tell them, or do you want
to, honey?”
    My sister
started rocking her chair back and forth, like she wanted to start dancing to
the music of Perry Como currently playing over our heads. She smiled big and
nodded at my mom. “No, no. You can.”
    “What is it?” my
dad asked.
    She better not be pregnant, I thought, taking Liesel’s right hand and
turning toward my sister, who was once again happy as can be.
    “Last September,”
my mom continued, “Kimber applied for only one of two slots available
in—get ready for this mouthful—the Silver State Strings Sensations
Scholarship program.”
    “I remember you
telling me about that,” my dad said. “So what happened?”
    “Can we start
eating yet?” my grandpa yelled. My grandma slammed her hand over his mouth to
let my mom finish.
    My mom put her
left hand on her hip and raised her glass of wine with her right. “Only two
middle school students in all of Nevada were chosen to be a part of the violin
recital next June, to be performed in front of the President of the United
States himself, in Washington D.C.—”
    “They picked
me!” Kimber shouted.
    That’s why she’s been in such a good
mood. “ Kimber ?” I shouted. “That’s great! I’m
so proud of you!”
    “Yeah, that’s
awesome,” Liesel added before looking at me. “Do you get to go to that?”
    “I don’t know.”
I turned to Mom. “Do I get to go?”
    She smiled at
everyone in the intimate setting. Elton John’s “Step into Christmas” started
playing overhead. “They’re paying for ten round-trip tickets. We can all go!”
    It was after
that announcement that everyone at the table forgot about the freezing cold
food in front of them and started applauding, kissing each other, smiling ear
to ear.
    Liesel might
have been the most excited one of all. “Washington D.C.? I can’t believe it!
I’ve never even been to the east coast!”
    My mom took a
seat and dumped some fruit on her plate. “How far have you traveled, Liesel?”
    “I’ve only been
to California and Nevada. Nowhere else.”
    “ Nowhere else?”
    “It’s not that I
haven’t wanted to travel more. I’ve