The Academy In My Head

Birthday Tea

Sang poked her head around the door and peered at Owen. "Busy, my love?"

Owen looked up and the corners of his lips tilted up into a millimeter smile. "No, darling. And you are always a welcome distraction."

Sang laughed softly. "I've known you for twenty-five years, my love. Don't start lying to me now." She teased. "Do you have some time this morning?"

His forehead furrowed as he studied her while she made her way across the office to his side. "I'm honestly just looking over a few things this morning. I believe the only real appointment on my schedule is lunch with my beautiful wife. Just as it was twenty-five years ago."

Sang smiled, a faint tinge of pink flooding her face. "Yes, that lovely lunch appointment for your birthday." She murmured, reaching out and allowing her fingers to lightly trace the faint streak of gray that started to appear in his hair above his ears. "Our appointment can be pushed back a bit. I'm not worried about that." She said.

They'd started taking time after the kids were born, to go for their lunch and then make sure to go finish the Christmas shopping for presents for the family. To be fair, she usually had a lunch or dinner date with each of her boys for the same purpose. It was just their special date day since it was Owen's birthday and he generally did not like to celebrate his birthday at all.

Over the past fifteen years, however, he'd slowly begun to relax more and they did manage to have a family dinner with a birthday cake for him so that the children could pile on love and birthday wishes. Okay, okay, yes. Sean was absolutely the most exuberant celebrator at the dinner but it just reminded Owen that he'd cut out his best friend from his birthday for far too long and it had taken their lovely wife to make him realize his family loved him and wanted to celebrate him on the day itself and slowly, the terrible birthday memories began to be replaced with treasured memories.

"Pushed back?" He inquired, steepling his fingers in front of him as he looked up at her over the top of his glasses.

She held up her fingers in a small space. "Just a smidge. If you don't have anything pressing right now, it may not end up being pushed back too far. Someone asked if she could do something special for your birthday this year and I didn't think you'd mind." Sang explained.

"Now I'm intrigued." He chuckled softly. "My morning is absolutely free so yes, please."

"All right." Sang bent down and brushed a soft kiss to his lips. "Happy Birthday, my love."

"Thank you, darling." He murmured, his eyes tracking her back across the room where she paused to open the door.

"He's all yours." She murmured softly before stepping aside as a food trolley was pushed into the room, followed by their fifteen year old daughter, Sophia.

"You're welcome to stay, mama."

"Oh, I appreciate the invitation, dearest. But we'll do this again some time, today is for your father." Sang murmured, running her hand across the back of Sophia's dark hair before she kissed her forehead and left the room.

"Sophia?" Owen smiled, his eyes studying her in the way he tended to do in order to fully assure himself that his oldest was completely fine.

She smiled at him. "Happy Birthday, Daddy." She pushed the trolley closer and he studied it, realizing there seemed to be a tea set up on it.

"What's this?" He asked, putting everything aside and clearing space on his desk. Sophia looked up at him before seeing the space he was clearing and she moved quickly to set up the things on the trolley on his desk instead.

"I know you don't really care for your birthday." She said softly, twisting her fingers together in front of her before she met his eyes. "But I wanted to make a tea service for you. I worked on things with Auntie Jess at her bakery and I got credit for my class because I made enough things to cover the throwing a party course."

Owen's eyes crinkled in a true smile at her. "Well, I would be seriously remiss to not want to have a birthday tea with my daughter." He reached out and caught her hand. "I love it. It looks great. Tell me about it while you pour the tea." He tugged her a little closer so he could kiss her cheek. "You're such a thoughtful young lady, Sophia. I'm so proud of you."

Sophia's cheeks pinked slightly at the compliment. "Thank you daddy. But maybe you should try the scones first before you say that." She teased. "They were the most difficult part. But Auntie Jess was pleased and she really only supervised. I did almost all of it on my own."

"Excellent."

Sophia poured them both cups of Earl Gray tea before passing him a small plate with lemon, sugar cubes and a small pitcher of cream so he could make a cup of tea the way he preferred before she went over the sandwich plate. He was pleased to hear that she'd made the breads under the supervision of her aunt. There was the standard cucumber sandwich, on a white bread with the crusts cut off, a turkey sandwich on Jessica's patented Thanksgiving stuffing bread as well as a fried chicken sandwich that featured a layer of coleslaw underneath the chicken. She'd made peaches and cream scones, served with Devonshire cream and a homemade peach jam, cheese pastry straws and little cream puffs that had been stuffed with chicken salad. For the dessert side of tea, there were peach macarons, cream puffs with a peach flavored pastry cream inside and chocolate mocha mini cupcakes - which were his favorite cupcakes that Jessica had ever made as they were on the dessert table at their wedding.

He spent time while they ate and drank tea to touch base with his oldest. It was hard to believe that she was the tiny little bundle that he'd rocked in the nursery. All of their children were a blessing and she was such a good big sister to her younger brother and three younger sisters. She told him all about her schoolwork and he managed to get a few more gift ideas out of her because she was not holding back on what she would really like since they were in a one on one conversation. He made a mental note to make sure to spend more time with her individually.

With all of the kids really, but he realized that she was fifteen and there wasn't much time left that he could pull the Dad card without question.

"This has been an excellent birthday surprise, Sophia." He said, finishing his second cup of tea while she finished eating the last macaron from the tray. "This is the best present, really." He said when she looked at him with a question in her eyes.

A wide smile creased her face. "Oh good! I wasn't sure what to get you for your birthday and I was just hoping we could spend some time together. Getting to spend time with Auntie Jess at the bakery was fun too." Sophia said.

Owen got up and went around his desk to settle at her side. "It was wonderful." He said before pulling her into a hug. "And I'm going to make sure we have more time in the busy schedules around here for some one on one time. Maybe you and Auntie Jess can teach this old man to make scones." He suggested.

"Daddy, you're not old." She protested before hugging him again.

Owen laughed. "As long as you don't think I'm old then fine." He said, kissing her forehead. "You may just have to remind me, okay?"

"Okay." Sophia grinned at him before she moved to gather up the tea service again. Owen helped her put things back on the trolley. "I'll tell mama that you're done. I know the two of you have some things to do today."

"I appreciate that." Owen said. "I love you, Sophia."

Her smile grew bigger. "I love you too, Daddy." She blew him a kiss before heading out of his office, trolley in tow.

After Sophia closed his office door, Owen let his gaze flit over to where a picture of his mother sat on his bookcase. "It's going to be a good birthday this year." He murmured, his head inclining slightly in a nod towards her picture. He could almost swear the smile on her face, a picture frozen in time from over thirty years ago, was wider than usual after observing him spending time with his oldest daughter. "Happy Birthday to me..." he murmured as a smile grew on his face as he settled back at his desk, the fleeting thought that his mother would have loved his family and doted on her granddaughter not as bittersweet as it usually was this year.

~fade~