When I was a child, I envied Normie Odesky because her father took her with him to basketball games, football rallies and wrestling matches even when her mother had to stay at home to clean the house. It never occurred to me that Mr. Odesky was using his daughter as an excuse to go to these events. I thought he was being a very nice daddy.

Sometimes the Odeskys invited me to join them and even though I had no interest in sports, I loved being with them because they had so much fun together. Mr. Odesky was Normie’s best friend and I thought that must be a very wonderful thing for her.

I hardly knew my daddy. My father had ulcers and because he was always in great pain, our household revolved around my father and his special needs. He was a quiet man and even though we rarely had a conversation, I sensed a gentleness about him that made me love him very much. I was pretty sure that affection wasn’t returned because my father was little more than a shadowy presence in our family. He paid as little attention to us as possible and when he saw my sister and I, he couldn’t even remember our names. He called my sister The Baby and he would pause when he addressed me and then call me Princess. He did know my mother’s name because he said “Ida. Can’t you keep those kids quiet?” at least twice a day.

In the forties, a girl’s sixteenth birthday was considered her passage into the adult world. Most of my friends were given big parties on that day and Normie Odesky’s daddy took her to the Kin Wa Lo Nightclub to celebrate. Normie got to wear high heeled shoes and nylon stockings and she even wore lipstick. “They served me a Shirley Temple Cocktail and a comedian told a lot of off color stories,” she told me.

“How wonderful!” I said and turned my face away so she couldn’t see the tears gathering in my eyes.

There would be no party for me on my sixteenth birthday. My father had scheduled major surgery the first week in October and my mother had already warned me that she would have to stay at his bedside on my big day. I came downstairs to breakfast on October 11th and there was no gift waiting for me or even a card tucked under my plate. My mother was on her way out the door. “They finally took all the tubes out of Daddy,” she said. “He ate his first solid food last night!”

“Does that mean he can come home soon?” I asked.

My mother nodded. “The doctor said next week for sure. Your orange juice is on the counter and there are some cinnamon rolls left over from yesterday in the bread box,” she said.

Just then, my favorite cousin Murray called to ask me out for dinner. “I just realized this is your sixteenth birthday, Lynn Ruth!” he said. “Do you think you could stand going out for dinner at the Hillcrest with an old man like me?”

“Oh wow! Could I!” I exclaimed and then I remembered that I was sixteen and no longer a child. I cleared my throat. “How lovely of you to remember me!”

Well, I don’t know how thrilled Normie Odesky was when she went to that night club but I do know that I could barely sit still with anticipation for my dinner date with a twenty year old man. This was maturity!

Murray picked me up at six that night and we drove downtown in his yellow Ford convertible. My cousin took my hand and led me to the elevator. “The dining room is in there,” I said and I pointed to the large area on the other side of the door. “I’ve ordered a very special dinner for your birthday, Lynnie,” said Murray. “It’s upstairs in the Tower Room.”

I could hardly believe his words. The Tower Room was where people held wedding parties and magnificent receptions. “How neat!” I breathed.

When the elevator opened, and we entered the Tower Room, there was Normie Odesky and all my friends waving banners and balloons. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LYNNIE RUTH!” they said and I began to cry. I thought the only special gift I would receive was a leftover cinnamon roll for breakfast and instead I got my very first birthday party with every single person I loved right there to celebrate with me. Everyone that is, except my parents. “Did you plan this?” I said to Murray and he shook his head. “Your mother knew she wouldn’t be able to celebrate your birthday tonight,” he explained. “And so she arranged this big surprise party instead.”

I thought of my worried mother taking time away from helping my sick father to create a spectacular event for me and I began to cry again. “I never thought she would bother to do something so nice for me,” I sobbed.

Murray took my hand. “Well, that’s your second surprise, tonight. Let’s have dinner.”

Well, the meal was delicious and I blew out all seventeen candles on an immense chocolate cake. “What did you wish for?” asked Murray

“I wished that my daddy would get well,” I said.

The band began to play “Deep Purple” and Murray smiled. “Let’s dance,” he said.

We walked to the dance floor and Murray nodded toward the door. My father had just entered the room and was walking toward us. He was stooped over a little and he looked very pale. He took my hand and he kissed me. “Happy Birthday, Princess,” he said. “May I have this dance?”