The Miner's Girl

Chapter 93

(((July 22, 2016 [Parker's 22nd birthday!] )))

"Has anybody seen Parker today?" I asked as we were sitting down for breakfast. "He was gone when I woke up."

"No, I haven't seen him yet." Rick yawned.

I sighed. "I tried calling him, radioing him, he won't freakin' answer."

"It's his first birthday without his grandpa, Nick. Just give him some time. He's going through a lot." Chris said.

"Yeah, whatever." I said as I picked at my food. "He should at least tell his girlfriend what he's doing and where he's going."

"What are you making for the party, Nick?" Rick asked, trying to change the subject.

"Parker's favorites. And a cake." I said flatly as I looked down at my plate. "If he even shows up for that."

"I'm sure he will." Rick said.

"I'm not even hungry." I said as I stood up and walked away.

***

Parker didn't show up for lunch either. I was starting to get worried, so I sent one of the cameramen to find him. Simon found Parker somewhere by himself driving in the four-wheeler. Then Parker operated a dozer for a little while.

I was in the kitchen all day, cooking crab, grilling steaks, making side dishes and dipping sauce, and baking and decorating a cake. I didn't have time to go chase him down when his party was supposed to start at 6:30. I also had to wrap his present, write in his card, and set everything up outside under the tent for the party.

"Set the presents outside on the far right table." I told Ed when he came in while I was mixing the cake batter.

"How'd you know I was going to ask you that?" Ed smiled.

"You got a big wrapped box in your hands." I said. "I took a wild guess."

Ed chuckled while I turned my attention back to mixing the cake and keeping an eye on the boiling crab legs.

"Nick, you know he sometimes needs a little time to himself." Ed said.

"Yeah, I know." I sighed. "But he usually doesn't just bail and shut me out too."

"It's the first birthday he's ever had without his grandpa. Think about that." Ed said before walking out.

"I bet he's thinking about Grandpa a lot." I said to myself. "He's not here to drink a beer with him, he's not here to laugh and talk with him, he's not here to tell him happy birthday and ask how he's doing." I frowned as I wiped a tear from my eye. "All the things he used to do. And then he's got all the other stuff on him. I know I wouldn't be alright."

I was making Parker a special birthday cake. It would be a scratch made vanilla cake with homemade vanilla icing. Then I would decorate it. The edges of it would be brown like dirt because of food coloring in the icing. About half of the top would also be brown, but I would make the other half look like water with blue colored icing. So the top would look like the edge of a creek or river. Then I would get a gold pan from Chris, make sure it was very clean, and put it setting on the water. I bought a big bag of M&Ms, and I took out all the yellow ones to put it the pan to look like gold. In blue icing on the top on the dirt side, I'd write "Happy 22nd Birthday, Parker!" Yes, it had to be a big cake to be enough for the people around here.