Hello, everyone. It is Blue...again.

This story is another one of my writing contest entries. The theme was birthdays. This contest is still running and will has many different layers so to speak. If you are interested, I will post a link below for your clicking pleasure.

[El Link]

Warning: Will contain alcohol and mild swearing.

Story Title: The Birthday Question
Words: 1017
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Lining up twenty-one candles on a single cake is a difficult task to any human. It is even harder to do such a task when you are not completely sober and said cake is very small. Charlie R. Banterville was becoming more and more aware of this undeniable fact as he tried to place the cheap wax candles in orderly rows on the grocery store bought delicacy. Instead of standing like soldiers going off to war, which was how Charlie remembered the candles in cakes looking like as a kid, they leaned, touched, and seemed to follow the rules of gravity to a fault.

The newly turned twenty-one year old fell backwards into the ancient kitchen chair that creaked in protest under his weight. Cursing annoying rules of gravity and the size of adult human fingers, Charlie once again reached for the bottle of third-rate beer that he had bought earlier that day, hoping to drown his doubts. In all of the twenty-one years the man had lived on this planet, he had never thought this would be where he'd end up.

The small apartment was just that, small. It was tiny, cheap, and the only thing the college student could afford. The smell of mold and slight decay was his constant companion over the last few years as he went to the small college in the equally tiny town. Everything inside told the story of struggle and hardship, from his second-hand furniture to the empty box of Ramen Noodles in the garbage can. Sitting in the dimly lit room, Charlie R. Banterville felt like he was becoming one with the stained orange shag rug and the constantly dripping sink.

Once, he had been tall, proud, idealistic, and vibrant in his beliefs. His teenage self had stood out in a crowd, a boy with dark hair, bright eyes, and an always present smile that seemed to welcome all to join him in the joys of life. Nothing and no one could rain on his parade or at least that is what he thought. He had thought he had been at the top of the world, eighteen and ready to take down mountains. That was before he had run off to college to become a journalist and realized just how the world really worked. It was hard for a small town boy to become anything more. However, not all was lost in this life.

A quick swallow and the last of his beer was gone. Charlie looked puzzled for a moment, confused and then it didn't matter. The stuff was practically paint remover and should have been given away in the first place. His attention was drawn away from his contemplations at the sound of the bedroom door opening and fumbling footsteps.

Turning around, he watched the most beautiful woman he had ever met in his life stumble into the room, feet bare and eyes glassy from still fading dreams. A line of drool was dried on freckled skin and the too large t-shirt slid off one shoulder to show the strap of a tattered sports bra. Plaid shorts that he could have sworn he had thrown out weeks ago were held up by the torn remains of an old shirt. By the standards of those morons in society who thought they knew beautiful, she was nothing special. They couldn't see the inner strength in those hazel eyes or the life in that soft body. Green hair cut at uneven lengths stuck out at weird angles as Elizabeth Langton made her way over to Charlie R. Banterville. A quick peck on the cheek later and she pulled away to stare at the cake on their kitchen table.

"So why did you get drunk to put candles on my birthday cake?"

Elizabeth Langton was amused in a way that the normally calm and sensible man whom she had been dating for the last few years had drank himself into a stupor. It was unlike Charlie to ever let himself get so out of control, so she knew something was up. Alcohol in any form was a silly thing to get or at least that is what he always said. The couple spent very little on extras with the cost of college looming overhead. What little they did have to spend normally went to her hair dye or to his fantasy novels. So, she quirked one eyebrow and waited for a response.

Charlie blushed slightly, handles clumsy as he stood to embrace her in a hug. His mind was fuzzy as he kissed her sweetly, not noticing the slight disgust at the flavor of his beer that stuck to the inside of his mouth. Pulling away, he looked into her eyes deeply as though searching for the solution to his unnamed can of worms. Elizabeth stared at him for a moment, wondering if he was ever going to answer her question. A feeling of complete confidence shrouded Charlie as he leaned back, holding both her hands.

"Elizabeth Langton, I know that I do not have much to offer you," He stated in a slurred voice, face brightening into a different sort of smile that his eighteen year old self had. It was the smile of a man content with his life. "and I want to ask this of you before I become shag carpet. Will you marry me?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened as her boyfriend finally popped the question, a mixture of joy and love in her heart. With a soft yes, she threw her arms around her drunken boyfriend and kissed him. It was the best birthday present she had ever been given, even if Charlie had to get drunk to ask the question. As that thought crossed her mind, Charlie tottered, fell, and dragged her with him in a fit of drunken giggles and sloppy kisses.

No one noticed that the twenty one candles gave up their battle against gravity and sank further into the uneaten cake.



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