LONG DAY - SONNY'S BIRTHDAY

     And as I came home, I kissed Sonny "Happy Birthday." He was in a good mood, since many friends and relatives gave him gifts, and he didn't mind too much that I distracted him from watching a fiftieth anniversary of Dr. Who with my kiss and requests to do this and that. 

     Taka refused to make a plan for the birthday celebration yesterday (perhaps he thinks that that would make me seem to have more authority than he is comfortable to afford me). We had to wrestle with that decision today. Ironically, Taka didn't want to go to a Japanese restaurant, because, as he put it, he had enough of eating fish! He wanted to go to a steak house. Sonny wanted to 
go Japanese but was willing to compromise and visit another steak house than the one that Taka wanted. I was a ping-pong ball between them. Finally, with me supporting Sonny's idea, we went to a  place that he suggested. 
     The back and forward about the place to go and the time drained me of energy. Whenever we go somewhere together, I drive. It's not because I strive to be a leader in our family. Taka prefers to avoid driving on the off-work days. Today I was too tired. Park, who's been pushing himself more and more into the foreground of our life, offered to take us in his new/old car. "I want to introduce you to her!" - he said. We all climbed in and he drove. I wonder, how long it will take me until I can trust that man!
     We ate at the Outback,          a steak restaurant with a slightly Australian bend. They don't serve any Australian dishes but use phrases from that country in their menus and waiter-talk. It was nice to go somewhere with a family, even if Park was there too. He declared that he and Roberta will share one plate of food, cut our bread for us, told Roberta what to do and how to do it and generally annoyed the h-e-double-hockey-sticks out of me. I was glad when we came back home and he closed the door behind him. 
     Sonny had a cake and ice-cream to share with us at home, but 
              1. We were too full,
            2. Taka began to play with a gadget (Kindle) and                          didn't want to stop,
             3. I was tired of dragging them both to do things                          that they originally said they wanted to do.
                                                     
     I busied myself with this blog, and that's where you found me now!