Hotel California

"You sing like shit Mikey I had already told you"
"Of course not"
"Of course you do. I sing a hundred times better than you"
"Prove it" Mikey said smiling.
"All right then just let me look for a decent song," I said stretching my arm towards the console.
"You're joking right?”
"I’m not kidding! It’s now a bet for me my dear friend" I grinned at him, trying to find a song in the car’s radio.
"I think you already lost Alex"
"Not so fast! Just a little more"

EUREKA! There it was… the perfect song, in your face Michael!

"Creep!"
"Dammit, you're lucky Alex"
"Come on sing with me"
"I have the hood down"
"Perfect, then everyone will know that Michael way sings better than me"
"You’re asking for it Madonna"

We both started singing, out voices low and bit by bit just as the song was getting into its climax our voices where growing with the tempo, to the point where both of us were screaming into thin air, making people in the cars next to us turn and look at us like they just let us out of the Looney bin.
"You're so fuckin' special, I wish I was special; But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo, What the Hell I'm doing' here? I don't belong here, I don't belong here…" Mikey and I sang.

"I won!”
"No you didn’t"
"Yes I did. People didn’t look at me with weird face. Accept it way, I sing WAY better than you" I laughed at my own joke.
"I think ill say yes. I don’t want another round of songs, or a lame joke contest. "
"Yaaay!” I started doing my singular victory dance
"Thank god we are home. If not we would have to take a bunch of dirty looks after people see you dancing like that"
"Im a good dancer too so shut up"
"All right all right, just because you're the birthday girl"
"I love it when you say that, makes me feel like I can ask for anything I want.”
"You can ask for anything you want"
"Really?!”
"Yes, just keep it inside my possibilities" Mikey smiled at me.
"Chocolate ice cream?”
"All right, just let me go buy it"
"Okay"
"Why don’t you go to your room and play that awesome new game of yours while I go buy your ice cream?”
"Good idea, ill be waiting"
I went up to my room with my big box of gifts while Mikey got inside his car again and drove away to ice cream land.

Even if it was my birthday and I wanted to have as much fun as I could, I really couldn’t. Even if I faked a smiled for everyone around me, I couldn’t feel as happy. Not knowing that it was April 19th. 10 years ago my dad had left this world. It had been 10 years without him.
I couldn’t help feeling nostalgic. Remembering my father and all those things we did together. When I least noticed I was already in my bed, staring out into the nothing, not paying attention to anything around me. Feeling a how a knot started forming itself in my throat.
"I’ve heard that the best for this kina of situations is chocolate ice cream," said Mikey with a carton of ice cream in his hand and two spoons in the other.

"Am i that transparent?”
"Like water… come on or it will melt"
Mikey was right, the ice cream made the knot wash away. Like a magic remedy or something like that.

"Remember when we got drunk in my house?”
"How can I forget that? After that I got like a week long hang over," we both laughed at the memory.
We were remembering old times. And now it was the time for embarrassing-funny stories.
"I can’t relieve you parents left us alone with so much alcohol.”
"Neither can I. and the funniest thing, is that now they keep in under key"
"They probable think we well do it again.”
"Well it wasn’t so bad. We danced like crazy"
"Of course! You’re like the new and improved john Travolta; I had so much fun seeing you dance"
"Am I that bad?”
"Well I can only say, you don’t have two left feet… you have THREE!” We busted up laughing at my stupid joke, but well I guess you guys even laughed at that.
"Have you thought about being a comedian?” asked Mikey sarcastically.
"Only if I don’t triumph as a singer"
"You know? I’m your friend and I think you wouldn’t triumph as either of those things"
"You give me so much hope"

When the ice cream was long gone… and digested. Came the guitar hero hour.
"I can’t believe im so excited about this game, I suck!”
"You just need practice"
"Yeah right, just because you can play every song on expert"
"It’s not my fault im good at it! Maybe I should learn how to play an instrument… don’t you think? “Mikey was making fun of me.
"Better stay with your little pictures Michael.”
"Hey don’t burst my happy bubble!”

When I finished playing ‘slow ride’ for the fifth time that evening I turned to Mikey and saw that he was chewing on something red.

"What are you eating?” I asked curiously.
"Nothing"
"Don’t lie Mikey, I know you're hiding something there"
"No im not" whatever he was eating, he had behind his back.
"Don’t hide it"

We wrestled on the floor a little until I was able to pry a bag from his hands.
"You have red vines you blind mouse! GIMME! "
"But they’re mine" said Mikey putting like a baby.
"But im the birthday girl. So I want red vines! "
I knew he would cave in with that.
"You have a full bag full of candy?”
"Alex! Don’t take away my candy. "
"You damn sugar addict.”

I opened his bag, and too my surprise the little glucose eater had bought a bunch of candy when he got my ice cream, he had monster energy or the source of life, however the kids call it these days. Gummy bears, skittles, pixy stix, more red vines, nerds… and every kind of wonka candy ever made.

"You weren’t going to tell me about this or what?”
"Maybe later" he said giving puppy eyes.
"I don’t believe you way, so know we are eating this between the two of us.”

Three hours later and having finished with every pound of sugar in that bag and having drank all the energy drinks he had brought, we were jumping like idiots all around the room.
"Shut up!” mom pounded on my door.
Which we responded with a unison "yes, m’am” only to burst moments later in fits of giggles, just to shush each other.
"We look like we’re drunk," I said quietly.
"See this is why sugar is better! Tastes yummy and its cheaper. "
"I think im about to over dose.”

After wasting all our energy… ALL our energy with another round of guitar hero, jumping & singing all around the room and our amateur contest of cart wheels. We ended up in the floor laughing at nothing.

"This is the best birthday I have ever had Mikey, thank you.”
"It’s okay. You know I would anything to make you happy"
"Well you made it. I think even daddy had fun. "
"He is happy, if you are happy… just like me"
"And that’s why I love you both so much"