No coins in a fountain: my wants BIRTHDAY TIME

Evelyn was having a birthday party after school. She got the same present from me that all of my friends (at the least the girls) got and I was so embarrassed. Mama never gave games, never bought anklets. Mama never gave ribbons or berets or hair bands. Her idea of pretty, while at the same time useful, was two panties that she called paddies, pink, yellow or blue. The poor birthday girl had to show her presents to everyone so they could ooh and ah. The boys giggled. When the little white box with a piece of red ribbon around it said ‘Zelda’, she knew what to expect. We both did–a red face.

I was always glad we had our games first. Evelyn’s mother did the blindfolding and the turning, three times one way, three times back, so we would be mixed up and not go straight for the donkey’s tushy. My turn came, and even though I held my head high and tried hard to peep under the cowboy handkerchief over my eyes, I stuck the pin smack into Wally’s arm. I won the booby prize which was better than no prize at all. Mama used the lemon the next time she baked.

We played, ‘Heavy, heavy, hang over my head’ and my belt was hung over Beverly’s head, she guessed it was mine and I had to hop all the way from the living room to the kitchen and back. That was easy for me, because I was the hopscotch queen.

Finally it was sweet eating time.  Ruffle-edged pink party baskets were filled with tiny hearts declaring ‘I love you’, or pleading ‘Be Mine.’ There were Hershey silver buds, big and little gum drops of all flavors. I traded mine for kisses. My slice of harlequin ice cream, still in its white paper wrapper, was starting to mush. The little wooden spoon didn’t work so good. We could choose either bubbly cherry or grape soda. Mrs. Tamres poured our choices into small waxed Dixie cups and gave us seconds if we asked nicely.

Evelyn’s mother baked the birthday cake herself and my mouth watered. She baked much better than my mother. Ev closed her eyes, made a wish and blew out all of the candles with one breath. We all knew that meant she would only have one baby when she gets married.

While she was wishing I wished too. I wanted her mom to give each of us a slice of cake, but she didn’t. Mrs. Tamres told us she was sorry, but the family was coming over after dinner,  aunts, uncles, cousins. We got fig newtons. I hated fig newtons and gave my two to Joanie.

I still had another wish. This time I asked god to make it come true.
‘God, please make my mother stop giving my girlfriends panties. Nobody gives me any, not even my mother. She buys plain, white cotton ones for me.’ God must not have heard me. Carrol got silky yellow and blue panties.

I wore cotton ones until I was thirteen