We’re a pretty laid back family. We don’t exchange gifts or go on away on any extravagant family vacations, we simply enjoy using it as an excuse to get everyone together. All my mom ever wanted was home made cards and that is always enough to make her birthday. Our dad just wanted to go out to eat and have one of us paying for dinner for a change. And as for my siblings and I we just want to get everyone together with all the cousins and get drunk and sharing laughs all night long.

Every July that’s exactly what we do up in Maine. A couple of my aunts on my dad’s side, would rent a house right on the water for a week leave an open invitation for anyone to come up. Normally we’d celebrated a whole months worth a birthdays in one weekend when everyone gets time to go up. It was always the highlight of the summer. We couldn’t wait to get together and drink till we can’t drink anymore.

I woke up that Saturday morning later than my brothers and met them on the couch. We all got up earlier than usual since we drank far less last night than we normally do, anticipating our early morning departure for Maine. Our dad went up the day prior to spend the night with an old friend leaving us three stranded behind having to find our own way. It was a good thing we were up early considering none of us were packed and we spent an hour and a half watching a movie while eating breakfast in the living room. We filled the car and just as we started to pull off our youngest brother says, “Wait stop, can I grab my Katy Perry CD.” Naturally we give him shit and said no way. I mean who even likes Katy Perry anyway. Then he made our hearts sink into our stomachs making us feel sick when he said, ” Come on it’s my birthday?”

My older brother and I looked at each other in total disappointment. It killed me to ask, “Is today the twenty second?” I could have sworn the twenty second was tomorrow on Sunday. We spent the first two hours of our morning together and neither me or my brother acknowledged his birthday today.

“Yeah it’s today, I thought you guys were just messing with me, pretending like it wasn’t my birthday today. I guess you guys weren’t pretending at all.” We could see in his eyes that it bothered him. He had on a smile and almost chuckled a little but his eyes spoke the truth, we are assholes.

“I honestly just forgot. I saw today’s date when I woke up and didn’t think anything of it.” My brother felt horrible, as we both should have, we forgot our younger brother’s birthday.

“I’m sorry I totally forgot.” I felt terrible. I can’t believe we forgot his birthday. Not only that, we now have an hour and half drive up to Maine with him. Needless to say that the entire car ride was silent none of us spoke, except for Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream Album blasting through the speakers. We got through the whole album, once through and if we had one more wrong turn, we may have heard it twice all the way through.

As soon as we arrived our uncle spotted my younger brother stepping out of the car and immediately yelled from across the yard, “Hey look the birthday boys here!” Our younger brother turned and looked at us completely disappointed and says, “Ahh great, I’m glad someone remembers.”

Sure enough my brother and I were the only ones who forgot his birthday. I’m glad he didn’t kick us out of his birthday party that night and let us celebrate with him. That was two years ago and I’ve made a promise to never forget your birthday again. I have it locked in my phone as a reminder, it’ll be impossible for me to forget it now.