20

POP!

My teen-age late morning slumber was abruptly ended by a deluge from a water balloon.

"You can't sleep forever, silly. It's your birthday. C'mon. Get dressed. We're going on a picnic."

How my girlfriend managed to talk her way past my mother's objections ("You'd better not go up there- he sleeps in the raw you know.") I groggily opened my eyes. She held another water balloon six inches above my face.

"Ready? Not yet? Too late!"

POP!

"Haw haw haw."

"OK! OK! I'm getting up. Turn around while I get some pants on."

When we finally got under way, with my perplexed (but not really angry) mother waving goodbye, I really realized that I was no longer a teenager. How did I feel? About the same, a little wetter perhaps, but when Robin was happy the world was a good place. While driving to the park I was caught in a speed trap. The joy of the moment turned to panic. Robin was quiet, but the glint in her eyes told me that she thought the whole thing to be hilarious.

"Happy birthday!" said the cop as he handed me the ticket.

"Haw haw haw" laughed Robin.

Later that night Robin was still laughing. I wasn't laughing, but I was smiling.