Dinner

Everything seemed to be going well, in fact, I was sure nothing could go wrong.

The table was set, and the chairs were the correct number. The entrees were ready to make their appearance on command.

Then it hit me.

I forgot to send out invites.

There was dinner for seven. S-e-v-e-n.

But how could I be so careless not to invite six people?

I knew at least six people; well, only a couple of close friends. But you get the drift? 

All I had to do was pick up the phone or drop a message. ‘Hey come over, I’ve got food! Alcohol? Maybe… I guess… I need to check on that!’

Few calls and lots of unread messages later. One of them got back to me. She said she’ll be there and maybe bring in a friend (?) with her. No need to worry about the drinks, she might have a spare wine.

In all this mess, I realized another thing. I wasn’t dressed at all. 

I rushed to my room, washed my face, and put on a nice shirt and jeans. There. Done.

I did one last check in the kitchen. The food was all there. The smell. Oh, the smell. Now I’m no professional chef, mind you. But my skills with the knife aren’t just for show. 

The theme was Italian. And for entrees, I prepared bruschetta, topped with tomatoes and chives. Bite-sized pizzas topped with salami, anchovies, and mozzarella.  

For mains there was lasagna, aglio olio, and fettuccini in white or red.

Dessert was my all-time favorite tiramisu with a hint of rum.

Now that was a meal. 

Except it all had been sitting in my kitchen for the past couple of hours.

It dawned on me that no one was coming. All my preparation went to waste.

I decided to call curtains when the doorbell rang.

I opened it to see six faces staring back at me.

‘Happy Birthday!’

They said in unison.

Did my memory betray me even further to forget it was my birthday?  

Until someone piped in ‘We didn’t really know what to say, since we reached at the same time.’

‘It was my idea actually’ came another voice.

I snickered at their attempt and let them in.

Hopefully, the food would be worth the wait.