Offer to end all offers

Beryl wants to throw a birthday party for me next Sunday!
She said “I know your older sister won’t be able to be here, and I know your younger sister is away with her band, and I didn’t want you getting all lonely and missing out, so how about a shindig here with our brood?”
I’m not sure how she ‘knows’ all the things that she ‘knows’ but she’s absolutely right and I’m absolutely delighted!
I’ve managed to get the Sunday and Monday off work. I think my efforts over Christmas week and my attendance at the awful Summer Seminar may have given me some brownie points, so there’s no need to hold back on indulging! And knowing Beryl and her gatherings there’ll be plenty of things to indulge in!
She asked me what kind of cake I’d like and I said “Anything that has some alchohol in” She also asked me if I had any other special requests and I said “Don’t go mad, Beryl. Just some cheap wine to drink and a simple meal will be fine”
When we left Ted said to me “I knew she wouldn’t be able to cope with the changes at Christmas. Being away and not organising a huge get-together just felt wrong to her, so thank God you were born in January or she’d have been pacing round the house until Easter”

RC 14-1-13