Happy Birthday, Grandma

Today we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house for her birthday party. Grilled chicken and pork chops laid across a baking sheet, a bowl of pea salad, Watergate salad, fruit and dip, macaroni and cheese. It was just like a Sunday dinner when I was little, and it was also completely different. Before, the food was all homemade, and this afternoon it was from a box. When I was little, the house was packed with people, but this afternoon it was a bit sparse.
Everyone has their own families, and everyone has their own jobs, but even people who were right there couldn't stay longer than a few minutes, or couldn't be bothered to come at all.

Patty didn't bring Maddie over because she was what? Too tired? Too angry? Too bored? What I wanted to say, though, was that it seemed a bit ominous that she lives in the same place where Misty and Gary lived when they wouldn't come over all of those years. Misty would hole up in her trailer and chain smoke instead of walking the two hundred feet to Grandma's house. The whole scene seemed to be straight from an alternate universe. All I can say is "Happy Birthday" Granny.