The replies came immediately.
Grandma sent six balloon emojis.
Uncle Leonard asked whether he should bring swimwear.
Glenn typed: Front yard only.
Glenn sent a message to the family group chat.
Then I called vendors.
A bounce house company had a cancellation.
A bakery could deliver a dinosaur cake.
A face painter was available.
A magician named Sebastian promised “45 minutes of wonder and approximately five minutes of confusion.”
We booked him immediately.
I called vendors.
***
By noon, our front yard looked as though a children’s television show had exploded.
A green bounce house filled one side of the lawn.
Balloons framed the porch.
The cake arrived with a fondant volcano.
A banner stretched between two trees.
HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY, TOMMY!
At 12:55, relatives began arriving.
A banner stretched between two trees.
Children kicked off their shoes and ran toward the bounce house.
Grandma carried a wrapped present the size of a microwave.
