The Birthday Room Read Online Free PDF

be shy with each other? That made no sense to Ben.
    â€œI—I’m married,” Ian said. “I . . . wanted to tell you that before we got home.” He spoke quietly, not stuttering exactly, but with hesitation. “You’ll meet Nina. She’s nice.”
    A ribbon of excitement shot through Ben. I have an aunt, he thought.
    â€œYou’re married? I can’t believe it.” Ben’s mother leaned forward, clutching the upholstery, one hand behind Ian’s head, the other behind Ben’s.
    â€œIt’s true,” said Ian. “We’ve been married for about a year, but we’ve been together for a long time.” He had to smile.
    â€œCongratulations, Ian.”
    â€œYeah,” said Ben. “That’s cool.” His mind stirred. The thought of the possibility of a cousin occurred to him.
    â€œI checked for a wedding ring the minute I spotted you in the airport,” said Ben’s mother.
    â€œI put it in my pocket,” Ian explained. “I wanted to tell you before you said something to me.”
    Ben was twisting in his seat, watching them. The car’s shoulder strap pulled against his neck as he moved. At first, Ben thought his mother was relaxing; she even seemed excited by Ian’s news, but silence settled back over them quickly.
    Ben pretended to sleep—head against the cold window, eyes darting about behind closed lids—with the intent of giving his mother and uncle some kind of privacy. But they only discussed the weather and the bookstore. After another silence, Ian shared impersonal facts about Nina at Ben’s mother’s request, both of them speaking in the low, even voices of polite strangers.
    So tell me about her .
    What?
    Nina. How old is she?
    A couple of years younger than me .
    Where is she from?
    California originally. That’s where we met. We’ve been in Oregon for a few years now .
    What does she do?
    We work together. She paints the furniture I make .
    From time to time Ben opened his eyes to mere slits, only to catch a glimpse of a passing car, seen and gone like a pulse. As the drive wore on, Ben peeked more often and for longer periods of time until he could pretend no longer. He feigned a yawn, then stared out at the Oregon night.
    Soon Ian turned off the highway onto a narrow dirt road, hemmed in by a dark wall of trees. The trees thinned, and the road wound past a few outbuildings. Ian’s voice found a different pitch. “Here we are,” he announced. “We’re home.” The car came to a stop near a rustic cedar-shingled house.
    Ben lumbered out of the car, stretched, and looked around.
    Lights were on inside the house, and there were many uncovered windows. The house appeared before them like a lantern, glowing brightly in the middle of a thicket at the end of the world.
    â€œI’ll give you a tour of the place tomorrow,” Ian told them, motioning with his head and arm toward the sweep of hills and trees that surrounded them and folded into the night.
    They gathered their bags and walked up a stone path to the front door.
    Just prior to entering the house, Ben asked his uncle one question: “Do I have a cousin?”
    â€œNot yet,” was the answer.
    Ben watched his mother and aunt embrace. He had a hard time directing his eyes away from Nina’s belly, despite the fact that looking at her embarrassed him enormously. When she hugged him, he held his breath. It was an awkward hug due to her size.
    Nina was wearing a pale orange jumper and all Ben could think was: giant cantaloupe.
    â€œIt’s a pleasure to meet you, Benjamin,” she said.
    â€œMe, too. You can call me Ben,” he added.
    â€œBen,” she said, nodding. Her skin was pink and smooth, and something about her conveyed the words welcoming and kind .
    Nina had yawned about a dozen times since Ian had introduced her, just minutes earlier. She yawned again. “Excuse me. Exhaustion