Birthday Justice: A Caffè Americano Challenge Short

He was seven when his father missed his birthday.

Samuel remembered sitting there on the dining room chair. It was 1995, the twenty-eighth of June, and it was sweltering hot. Samuel sat on the chair, looking at the untouched cake, complaining about his father’s absence while his older brother Jake played at his console in the living room.

Kate wiped Samuel’s forehead, noticing that the more irritated he got, he more he sweat, and barely contained a chuckle. It was just like Nathan, she thought, and her smile faltered slightly.

“Dad’s taking a long time,” he complained to his mother, swinging his feet in pure impatience as he pouted. The Spiderman cake was getting, well, cold. Kate had asked that the three of them eat the cake, but Samuel stubbornly refused to do so, insisting that his dad had to be there and eat the cake with them – as it always had been. “Call dad. Call the station. I want dad.” He said this over and over until Jake entered the room, three years older and stretching. “Jake, call daddy.”

“I can’t do that, Sammy.” Jake walked to his brother and ruffled the younger’s brown hair rather playfully, “Dad’s always on business. We can’t distract him.”

“But it’s my birthday and I want cake,” he whined, banging his fists on the table and pouting even more, his eyes watering. It had never been like this, Samuel knew that.

Nathan Peters had different traditions for whoever birthday. For Kate, it would always be simple and sweet. For Jake, he would take him out and come back, Jake grinning ear-to-ear.

For Samuel, he had something special for him.

Nathan would always take Samuel outside, and play sports. Samuel would get to pick, and every year, it varied. Last year, it had been baseball, and both of them came back inside the house, sweaty and dirty, yet laughing hysterically. Kate would chastise both of them while Jake would shake his head, but smile has he helped Kate prepare Samuel’s favorite dinner: burgers with lettuce (strictly no tomatoes or pickles), boiled potato balls with cheese, and orange juice, newly bought and deliciously cold.

On that day, his father had to leave earlier than usual. So he sulked rather sadly, this time clutching a football in his hands and wearing a blue jersey with “BRONX” white and bold across the front. Jake had offered to play with him, open to dumping his game just to see his brother happy. Samuel declined. Kate offered to make him cookies, which was a weakness of his. 

Again, Samuel declined.

Earlier that day, Samuel had slunk off to his room to take his usual nap, and Jake sat in the living room while Kate folded clothes, sitting across him on the couch.

“Sammy’s upset,” Jake said out of the blue. Kate could only nod. “Wouldn’t dad always skip work or something? Or come home earlier than usual? He’d do that for me and you. Why not Sammy?”

“It must be something important, Jake.” His mother said quietly, brushing away a dirty blonde lock from her eyes. “Your dad’s on the squad.”

“But it isn’t fair to him,” the older sibling insisted. “Dad was never late for my birthday or your birthday or your anniversary.” He paused the game and looked at his mother, blue eyes meeting each other, “I feel bad for him.”

“We should just push through with tonight’s celebration, no matter if he arrives or not.” Kate reached over and patted Jake’s shoulder, and Jake could only reluctantly continue as he worked on beating the boss battle. When Samuel came downstairs an hour and a half later, he asked again if Samuel would like to play outside with him.

He begrudgingly agreed, and Jake was able to teach him the basics of football, which earned him his brother’s mumbled ‘thanks’. When Kate called them for dinner, he caught Samuel looking excitedly at the driveway, and then slumping away at the lack of red car which would usually arrive at that time.

Biting his lip, Jake had retrieved the football and followed his younger brother inside.

It was eight o’clock, and Samuel hadn’t left the dining room, staring at the cake with a half-finished glass of orange juice within his reach. Jake had changed into sleepwear. Samuel was wearing his Spiderman shirt and white shorts, still swinging his feet impatiently.

He noticed Samuel not blinking, staring merely at the cake.

It looked as if he was restricting the urge to cry.

“Sammy,” he tried, and Samuel still stared. Kate cleared her throat, about to say something, until a knock on the door changed the atmosphere.

Relieved, she ran out of the dining room to answer, and Jake saw the look in Samuel’s eyes change. He could only grin and playfully punch his brother’s shoulder, to which Samuel jerked in surprise and opened his mouth to yell for his mother, stopping upon seeing a middle-aged man enter the dining room, coat discarded and wearing a weary look matched with a guilty smile.

“Sorry I’m late, Sammy,” Nathan apologized. Samuel then folded his arms over his chest, proceeded to pout, and looked away. Their father chuckled, Kate smiling slightly as she peered into the room. Knowing that it was his turn to exit, Jake gracefully bounced out and watched with his mother.

“You’re late,” Samuel muttered grumpily. “The sun is down and we can’t play football because that’s what we always do. Jake played with me instead and he taught me football but you were supposed to teach me.”

Aha, Nathan thought, the old guilt-tripping technique. He knew it was that due to the long, uncut sentences and the fact that he had mentioned their traditions. Nathan knew just the trick.

“Well, kid,” he pulled a chair and sat, still looking at his son who remained delightfully grumpy, “Your old dad here had to bring justice.”

“Missing out on your son’s birthday isn’t justice.”

Yikes. Nathan nearly cringed at that.

“I know, kid, and I’m sorry.” He glanced up at the clock, “I did some overtime today so I could have an off day tomorrow.”

Samuel was confused.

“But it’s Thursday tomorrow.”

“I managed to grab an off day,” Nathan shrugged it off. “But that’s not the point, Sammy. I have plans for us tomorrow. You wanna hear them?”

Samuel shrugged, but Nathan saw the curiosity in his eyes.

“Tomorrow, we’ll be up and early for breakfast. Mom can make some pancakes for us with strawberry sauce. Right, Kate?” he looked towards his wife, who nodded with a gentle smile on her face. “After that, we’ll play sports outside. Your pick.”

“I want to show you what Jake taught me,” Samuel interjected, and his father laughed warmly.

“Okay, football it is. After that, we can have whatever you want for lunch, and then we can go out and do whatever you want. Then, hamburgers and potato balls for dinner. After that, we can play video games with Jake. How does that sound?”

“…it sounds okay,” Samuel mumbled.

“Better than today?” his son nodded, and Nathan stood up. “We can eat that cake tomorrow.”

“Why? You’re here,” Samuel argued, and turned to nod at his wife.

“I don’t think you’d appreciate our newest guest gnawing on your cake,” Nathan said rather innocently, and Samuel’s interest peaked. He scrambled off the chair and ran to the hallway, and Nathan soon heard a gasp followed by a shout of joy as the sound of barking accompanied the room.

“A dog! Jake, I have a dog!”

“I can see that,” Jake answered, but still smiled despite himself.

“You got me a dog?!” Samuel asked incredulously, the panting Labrador pawing at Samuel energetically. Nathan, who watched alongside Kate, nodded and Samuel finally began to laugh as the dog happily licked his face at the sight of its new owner. “Is it a guy or a girl?”

“This one’s a guy.” Nathan walked forward and got on a knee, gently rubbing the golden animal’s head, “I picked him up before getting home. You keep telling mom and I how much you wanted a dog, and we thought that maybe you could raise one by yourself. Like it, champ?”

“I love it! Come here…” he thought hard for a moment while the dog whined and attempted to tackle his owner to the ground, “Yorkie. Yeah, Yorkie! Come at me!” Samuel stood up and broke into a sprint, Yorkie barking enthusiastically and proceeding to chase the younger boy.

Despite the initial disappointment, Samuel was happy.

Nathan saw to it that his son received the birthday justice that he deserved.