Excerpt
An Invitation to a Birthday Party
My daughter’s twelfth-birthday party was a nightmare, a social train
wreck. It was, of course, a sleepover. I still have the photos of the group at
breakfast, seated around the dining room table: sluggish, cranky, ready to go
home. And I was ready for them to go. There had been moments during the party
the night before when I wanted to send them all packing instantly. “Get
out,” I wanted to shout. “You’re all mean! You’re all
horrible.”
My daughter, Joanna, now sixteen, has long since forgotten that party.
It’s ancient history to her; she has moved on with her life. When I
reminded her recently of the events of that night, she gave a shrug of
acknowledgment and went back to what she was doing. I can’t forget it that
easily.
Let me set the scene—time, place, and characters—for the drama.
Joanna’s birthday is in late June. That’s a good month for
birthdays, close enough to the end ... read full excerpt from: Best Friends Worst Enemies ebook
