Ned’s birthday approached more quickly than he had anticipated. One minute he was a carefree Redacted cowplant-loving young adult and the next it was time for him to take on the responsibilities of adulthood and think about wrapping up his goals. Somehow in his imagination, Ned thought his birthday would be sophisticated. He would be a smart-dressed man, looking suave as he stood before an avant-garde cake, Daisy in a slinky dress singing seductively as her skirt swirled around her legs. “Hopple Borfna, dear Mr. President…” he heard her crooning and felt his temperature rising.

Daisy’s “ouch!” brought him back to reality. A cake with pink icing (pink! It was really pink!) and a wife who was recovering from surgery after nearly freezing to death. He was thankful she’d baked a cake at all, don’t get him wrong, but it didn’t match up to the fantasy he’d created in his mind.

“Ooboo Vroose Baa Dooo!” Daisy sang through her post-op discomfort. She did look nice in her dress with her hair and makeup done. She’d gone to a lot of effort to make his day special.

As he blew out his candles, though, change swirled around Ned. He was an adult now, and everything was going to be just fine.