Every seat is occupied. The last time I was on a ferry filled to capacity with passengers, we were taking our middle son to start University.
We opted to pay ten dollars for the included coffee, danish, peace and quiet of the journey in the Sea West Lounge. In truth, I think we just weren’t ready to share our son yet.
Seven years later I make the trip alone.
I force myself to sit amid this huge crowd to surprise my Mom for her birthday. She will be 93 tomorrow. My sister is making dinner for my Brother, Mother and I. A quiet celebration. Except for my Grandma who passed in 1986, it was always just us. Birthdays were celebrated not with extended families, restaurant menus or extravagant presents.
We celebrated at home, together and there was always cake. An orange chiffon cake served on Grandmas good Wedgwood plate with the blue stripe around the rim. After dinner, when I cleaned up the kitchen I would lick the orange icing off the candles before I threw them out. It was a secret supply of icing that no one else seemed to know about.
At 93, Mom has her 3 kids, 7 grand kids, 2.5 great grand children and a selection of sons by marriage. (All children are girls but three). Moms entire family were together for her 90th. For the first time in 37 years, we thought it would be nice, this year to celebrate as we began, with
just us four