No Name

We have casual chats with people we see everyday, like the guy standing next to the hot dog stand every time you are there. Or the cleaning lady at the hospital you visit regularly, or the sweet girl at the canteen whose sneeze is like an elephant blowing its trumpet. They all have one thing in common…

—————-

I saw the sky get smaller and smaller as I gasped for breath. Next thing I knew I was rolling on the ground. My hands clenching my stomach. A mixture of grass and mud plastered. I felt my face muscles constrict, my legs thrashing like a man on his death bed…

15 minutes earlier…

I was sitting in the lawn, shading my face with one hand and trying to read something written on a bit of paper with the other. The sunlight was comforting for a while. But only for a while; then it just got plain hot. I shifted to make my back face the sunlight. A reflexive shudder ran down my spine, as if to acknowledge the welcome change in temperature.

My eyes darted around a bit, then settled on the shadow approaching me from behind. I immediately recognized the great hairstyle (bald). A friend’s friend. The bald look suites him, he’s one of few who can pull it off. He settled next to me, his expression, serious.

When he spoke, there was a pleading note in his voice.

“You know that guy who hangs around me a lot after class, the one with the braces still on?”

“Yeah, course, he’s glued to your group 24/7.”

“Yeah, well see, the things is, its his birthday tomorrow….”

“….so?”

“A couple of friends of mine decided to throw him a party of sorts, seeing as how he has no relatives in town and all.”

“I’m listening.”

“Well, the thing I wanted to say is, umm….the thing is…”

My back was getting uncomfortably warm by now. I had trouble staying in one spot for more than 5 seconds. Seeing the expression on my face, he thought I was getting tired of the conversation (which I was, truth be told), so he jumped to the point.

“The thing is we don’t know what to write on the cake.” he blurted.

I stopped fidgeting.

“Come again.”

“I said, we don’t know what to write on his cake!!”

“You want to write a witty comment on his birthday cake?!!”

“His name!! we don’t know his friggin’ name!!!!“

“Wha–?”

It took a while, but then it hit me. At first I thought he was retarded or something, but then it started to make sense. The more it made sense the funnier it got.