I had a wonderful birthday weekend. I spent it in Newtown, Connecticut.

Friday night my nieces Stephanie and Laura and their husbands Terry and Mark took me to dinner at a fancy restaurant.

I’ve told you about them before.

Stephanie is the mean one and Laura is beyond sweet.

Unfortunately I had hurt Laura’s feeling last week when I posted a picture of a guy eating a pizza on the subway with a note that he looked just like Laura with a false mustache and a wig. (see photo)

She sent me 2 WTF’S? in response.

Clearly either due to my advancing age or the fact that when she was about 4  I made the guy stop a ride at an amusement park when she started to cry, she decided to either forgive me or prove me wrong by showing up at the fancy restaurant like this;

She also saw my delight at Gesine’s sympathy pie so not wanting to be outdone she baked me a pie for my birthday.

Note the heart in the middle.

I gotta tell you I wasn’t at all unhappy about pie being my go to gift from now on. *

On the way home from the restaurant I wondered aloud how I’d get the pie home on Sunday.

I’d come up by train due to the inclement weather.

“Not to worry” Steph said “I’m making dinner tomorrow night and Laura and Mark are coming. We’ll have it for dessert”

I thought it was a little presumptuous of her but it was reasonable and I can barely squeeze into my pants as is.

So I feigned agreement and said “Good idea”

The next afternoon Stephanie was busy wth her horses and donkeys and the pie was on the counter for all to admire.

Terry and I were particularly drawn to it.

Terry: “Do you think we can have a piece?”

“Sure. It’s my pie.” and I cut a sliver for myself.

Then Terry started taking bites from the pie itself.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

Unbeknownst to us Steph had come into the kitchen.

She picked up the pie and said,

“That pie is for dinner. Now I’m going to hide it and tonight when we are all having pie you two can just sit there and watch us enjoy it. I was going to put a birthday candle on it too but now that’s not happening”

I mumbled something about it being my pie but she stormed out without a word taking my birthday gift with her.

I looked at Terry.

He just shrugged and said “I’m sure she didn’t mean that”

My only answer was  “She’s my blood but you chose her”.

That evening after cocktails and dinner it was time for dessert.

She brought the pie into the kitchen from its hiding place and asked.

“Who hasn’t already had pie?”

Terry raised his hand with Laura and Mark.

I, being a person of honor, sat with my hand down mumbling for about the fortieth time that day.

“It’s my pie.”

Steph, knowing what a liar her husband is gave herself, Laura and Mark each a piece of pie.

Only at Laura’s objections, I told you she’s the sweet one, did Steph reluctantly give Terry and me a slice.

I know that she wasn’t happy at having to back down because she said under her breath to me,

“You still didn’t get a candle and I’m eating the heart”

And she popped the beautiful loving heart that Laura put in the middle of the pie in her mouth.

 

(Thank you to all  those who contributed to my birthday charity, Sandy Hook Promise. I did reach my goal of $200)

*Thanks GB Prado!