Being the Bigger Man

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"Happy Birthday!" Erin flung her arms around him and kissed him. It was a full-on PDA, which would have been a lot better if his mum, step-dad, sister and uncles and aunt hadn't been there.

"Ahem!" Jamie cleared his throat loudly. "Gonnae introduce us to your wee friend, Ryan?"

He'd already met her several times, as had his mum, but Ryan got what Jamie was trying to do. He and Erin had started sleeping together recently and she couldn't keep her hands off him. Well, he felt the same too but maybe you shouldn't do that kind of thing in front of your relatives.

His mum insisted on a family party, even though he protested. Who wanted to spend their 17th birthday with old people? She said he was welcome to go out with his friends afterwards, but he had to spend at least an hour eating cake with the people who loved him.

Well, when you put it like that.

"Yeah – erm, Erin this is my mum, Lillie, my step-dad Scott, my uncle Jamie, my uncle Nell and aunt Daniel. No, I mean –"

Everyone burst out laughing, including Erin – the traitor.

"Ooh, I knew this haircut was too short!" Nell teased, patting her newly shorn hair. "I obviously look like a bloke."

The doorbell sounded.

"Ah, here comes your cake!" Daniel said. Nell had screwed up her face when he wasn't looking, hastily assuming a welcoming expression when he turned back to her.

Lillie leapt to her feet and went to answer the door, returning with Tricia and Jack, the former bearing aloft a cake.

"Happy birthday son!" she beamed at him, putting the plate down on the table. Everyone cooed. It was spectacular looking, made in the shape of a film camera his name spelled out in sugar paste.

"Gran, that's mint!"

"No, it's a chocolate sponge. Did you want a mint-flavoured cake?" Tricia said apologetically, apology turning to confusion as Lillie and Nell started to laugh.

"It's okay, Trish," Nell explained. "'Mint' means brilliant if you're a young person. Ryan's just given your cake his highest seal of approval."

Laura stared at the cake in awe. "Can I blow out your candles Ryan?" she asked. Laura loved birthday cake and blowing out candles. As someone could only have one birthday a year, she looked for any additional opportunity.

Ryan agreed and his mum fetched matches from a kitchen drawer, lighting the candles on the cake. Everyone sang "happy birthday", Nell changing the words to "You look like a monkey and you smell like one too", to Laura's delight.

Laura sat on Ryan's knee to blow out the candles, drawing backwards to inhale deeply and then leaning forward so she could blow with all her might. Obligingly, every candle's flame extinguished.

"It seems a shame to cut this up Tricia," Lillie said, arming herself with a sharp knife.

"We've got plenty of photos," Nell piped up. "I'll send them to you – and you, Trish."

Laura was jumping up and down. "Cut the cake, Mummy! I'm so hungry."

The doorbell sounded once more. "That'll be Liam," Ryan said, getting to his feet. "Me and Erin are going up town with him after this."

Lillie told him to let invite Liam in. There was plenty of food.

A lot had happened since his 16th birthday, Ryan reflected as he walked to the front door. He'd met most of his dad's family, he'd got himself a steady girlfriend and he'd worked for the BBC. And he'd lost his virginity. The last was the most important. It was kind of embarrassing to still be a virgin at 16. None of his mates were, or so they said.

He could see Liam's shadow behind the frosted glass.

"Hey tosspot, you –

Ryan and Liam always exchanged insults when they met up. Except this wasn't Liam. Standing in front of him, a wary expression on his face was Mark. He held a card and a plastic bag.

"I didn't mean you... I thought you were my mate, Liam." 

Mind you, tosspot was the least of what he'd called Mark over the years.

"Eh...aye. Happy birthday." He thrust the card and bag at Ryan, taking them back quickly when Ryan didn't take them.

"Hurry up, Ryan, your cake's waiting!" Lillie had stepped out of the kitchen.

Ryan turned, allowing her full view of their visitor.

"Oh." Her eyes widened in astonishment.

I think curiosity is going to kick in eventually. He might come round to the idea of fatherhood at some point.

Maybe I'll tell him to fuck off, like what he's always done to me.

You could... or you could decide to be the bigger man.

Ryan took the card and the bag, peering into it. The present hadn't been wrapped. Nevertheless, it was very expensive – a steady cam pro for his camera. Those things cost upwards of several hundred pounds.

He knew Ryan liked making films, then.

"D'ye want some birthday cake?" he asked, keeping the tone diffident.

There was a pause, Mark glancing from him to Lillie and back again.

"Eh... aye."

"C'mon in then."

THE END



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