On some birthdays there had been groups of friends at the house, but on this one, his eighteenth, David asked that G and Paw Paw join them for a quiet celebration. She ordered takeout from David’s favorite restaurant and they ate crawfish, shrimp, and biscuits, and David had the blackened catfish all to himself.

After the meal, Jimmy set out the plates for dessert and placed eighteen red candles in the cake. He lit them, and David closed his eyes, smiled, and in one breath blew them out.

“Hey, open up your present before we cut the cake,” Jimmy said.

“Oh, wait,” G said, grabbing the small red party bag. “We want you to guess. What do you think it is?”

David closed his eyes in concentration. “Let’s see, it’s a new phone.”

“No, it’s not a trombone,” Paw Paw said from the end of the table. “A trombone wouldn’t fit in that little bag.”

“No, sweetie, that’s not what he said,” G replied.

“Well, he doesn’t even play the trombone,” Paw Paw said.

“You’re right, dear,” G said and they all laughed as David took the party bag.

“You’re going to love it,” Jimmy said. “We all pitched in.”

Susan studied her son’s face as he removed the yellow tissue paper and looked into the bag. There had been so many presents that seemed perfect for David through the years, but none that quite matched the meaning behind this one.

David’s mouth dropped open and he glanced at Jimmy, then Susan, and pulled out a printed sheet. “Train tickets?” he said, smiling.

There were tears in Susan’s eyes as she nodded.

“No way!” David said.

“You’ve always loved trains,” Susan said.

“They’re good for a round trip anywhere in the US,” Jimmy said.

“Sweet!” David said. “Thank you! This is awesome.”

“You’re welcome,” Jimmy said.

“You’ve been working so hard, honey. So maybe a trip this summer before college?”

“Just not before our camping trip,” G said.

“I wouldn’t miss that for the world,” David said.

Paw Paw’s resonant voice came from the end of the table. “So, David, what are your plans, after you graduate?”

“Well, there’s the wrestling competition coming up and if all works out, then—”

“It will,” Jimmy said.

“I mean I heard that there are scouts coming, but I’m not sure if I’m good enough for a scholarship.”

“Listen, scholarship or no scholarship, we will make sure you can go to college.”

“You know if it doesn’t work out, I could always join Nate and we could become Internet sensations making viral YouTube videos. “

“Oh,” Susan said with a lilt in her voice. “No. That’s not going to happen. Where is Nate? I thought he was coming.”

“I don’t know. He said he was going to be here.”