The Cake Shirt

The Cake Shirt

Laura Fischer

Troy didn't expect much for his birthday.  His family didn't have a lot of money to spend on parties and presents and that sort of thing.  Gifts would be practical, and if there was any celebration, it would be a modest one.  He understood, but he wished just once that he could do something really special to commemorate his name day.  Maybe a trip to Disneyland or, even better, to a rock concert with his friends.  No, he'd be given clothes, and though he was glad to have something new, he wished just once the birthday gift would be something a teenager would actually want to wear.

He'd hinted to his older brother Vince that it would be really great to have a Cake shirt, hoping Vince would steer their parents to the band's merchandise on the internet.  He thought if he had a Cake shirt his friends might even think he got it at the concert being played that weekend in Santa Cruz.  

Cake was an alternative rock band from nearby Sacramento that was popular with his crowd despite the band's having started recording before the teens were toddlers.  Troy and his brother had all 6 of their albums, but they had never seen the group perform live.  They feared they never would since there were rumors that the band was giving up touring.  

Troy's birthday arrived and the family gathered for a special lunch to celebrate the day.  When they finished eating, his mother brought out a shirt sized box and handed it to Troy.  Maybe he was going to get a Cake shirt after all, he thought.  He eagerly opened the package - and found a cake shirt inside, but not the kind he had hoped for.  Inside the box was a sheet cake cut and decorated like an oxford shirt and tie, the kind of dessert people often order for Father's Day.  

Angry and disappointed, he forced back the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.  How could his parents be so clueless, he thought.   How could they care so little about his needs and his wishes that they couldn't get such a simple request right.

And then he heard them all laughing, amused that he had fallen for the joke they'd played on him.  They produced a second box and gave it to Troy to open.  Inside was the coveted concert tee he had hoped for and tucked in the folds of the shirt was a pair of tickets to the live show that evening.
  "Better hurry and change your shirt," Vince advised.   "We don't want to be late for the Cake concert tonight."