My Family Laughed At Me On My Birthday Without Knowing The House Was In My Name

The kind sold in bulk at party supply stores. On the small plaque at its base, in the standardized font of mass production, was a single word.

PARTICIPANT.

I sat with it in my hands and looked at it for a long time.

They were all watching me. John was already laughing, the private contained laugh of a man holding the punchline. Megan had her phone out.continue reading …