Gate crashers

It is birthday party season. Something about autumn.

We walked into the hall and the girls, dressed in their finest, ran off to join the other kids as the entertainer blasted music, balloons and smoke all over them. Presumably this was the warm up.

I peered through the smoke to find a familiar face. Strange, I didn’t know any of the mums and dads, nor recognise any children. So, as I placed our gifts onto the present table, I asked a woman standing guard.

‘Hi, looks like this will be a noisy one!’ She glanced at me with a small smile and turned back to watching the excitement build. I looked around. There was a bubbly table for the adults – oh, good call Eddie’s mum, a small glass was just what I needed. I headed over. Taking a glass, I caught another woman’s eye.

‘Cheers!’ I raised my glass. She smiled. Good, a better reception. ‘Do you know where Eddie’s parents are?’ I said, making out that we were now in conversation. She looked around the room, and then back at me. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t know who Eddie is.’ She tilted her head in an apologetic while I tried to cover up my rising embarrassment with a smirk.

‘This is Eddie’s birthday party, right?’

‘No,’ she said, ‘it’s my daughter Anna’s.’

I put my glass down and headed first to Sam who was coveting the impressive birthday bags surrounding an enormous butterfly cake. Emily ran up to me, ‘Mummy, can you open this?’ She was holding a pop drink that she had managed to lay her hands on. Opening the bottle, I scanned the room for Anna, and bent down for my confessions. ‘Girls, look, this is the wrong party, mummy has brought us to the wrong party. This isn’t Eddie’s party, it’s someone called Anna.’ The two girls looked at me and around the room. Clearly gutted because it looked like it really was going to be a fantastic party. But I had no time to cajole, I had 2 out of 3 and needed a hat trick.

There was a huge crowd of children around the entertainer who was getting into full swing. ‘Who’s birthday is it boys and girls? I can’t hear you? Whose birthday? Ann? Amy? Anabel? Oh Anna – that’s right give her a cheer – it’s Anna’s birthday! He then grabbed someone’s hand and spun them while switching the music to ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’. Everyone give a cheer and as the girl spun round to face me, I realised it was my Anna who the entertainer had identified as the birthday girl.

‘ Anna! Anna! it’s not your birthday!’ I said, ha ha ha, heading towards her.

‘Anna,’ yelled Emily, ‘it’s not your birthday!’

‘We’re at the wrong party!’ cried out Sam.

Even though the music was still blaring, it felt like the world slowed to a stand still and a spot light landed on us and everyone was looking at me.

‘Come on,’ I managed to grab a hand of all three, something only possible in the most critical of moments. And we left.

Despite no bubbly, Eddie’s party was a triumph.