The sun was high in the sky now, Gamma must be awake and worried because she would know that I haven't had any breakfast yet. I could almost taste the warm sweet pancakes she promised to make for me on my special day as I pushed my way through the snow to the back door.
Inside, the warm kitchen was still empty, the house was dead quiet. I called out for Gamma up the back stairs and as I walked into the other rooms downstairs but she didn't answer. My mother came down the big front stairs, her eyes red and swollen, I was sure that I was going to be in trouble for waking her up.
She reached the bottom of the stairs and to my surprise she quickly whipped me up into her arms and held me so tight I thought I would suffocate.
I broke her hold on me by saying, "I'm hungry momma, really hungry. Where's Gamma? She's gonna make me pancakes for my birthday."
My mother put me back down and said with a choke, "How about if I make you pancakes this morning champ," then she grasped my hand and walked me toward the kitchen door.
Being the kind of kid that I was, instantly I rebelled against the thought of eating anyone else's pancakes but Gamma's for my birthday breakfast, and I yanked my hand away from her roughly. Besides, I reasoned to myself, she had promised she would make them extra special for me today.
"I don't want your pancakes," I informed her with my chin in the air.
She bent down to look me in the eye and fought with her words before she spoke, "Gamma is still sleeping champ and she won't be able to make you pancakes this morning."
Her eyes pleaded with me but I countered, hurt, "Okay, then can I have Gammas cookies for my birthday breakfast then?"
Destroyed now, at the thought that my Gamma would rather sleep in late on this day of all days instead of making me birthday pancakes, I dragged myself back to the kitchen. Mother put several cookies on a plate and poured me a glass of milk then sat down across the table from me in complete silence.
The cookies were good but somehow they tasted different today. I couldn't quite enjoy them like I usually did. Today they were cold and different in some way, unappetizing and ordinary like the ones from the store.
Cookies haven't tasted the same ever since that day and I can honestly say I haven't liked cookies from that morning clear up to today.