A Break In Ritual (Floor Plan)

The head of the table was not in an obvious spot due to the roundness of the dining room table, but I was sitting there anyway. The head position was chosen based on the sitter’s perspective of the room. A person sitting at the head of the table that could not be able to see the largest area would not be a person sitting at the head of the table. The same was true for being seen. I was seated with my back to the front door and facing the door into the kitchen. If I looked to the left, I could see outside through the large window, and if I looked to my right, I could see the living room that was attached to the area known as the dining room for no other reason than the fact the large table and chairs were placed there. I was placed at the head not for my own benefit but for that of others. Around me sat my younger cousins, and behind them stood my aunts and uncles. It seemed as though my aunts either just had babies or were expecting one. New cousins arrived at a constant rate and those already born knew their group of playmates at family events would be constantly growing.

It was night and the lights never seemed to give off enough light. While this may make the house seem melancholy, it made me feel comfortable and cozy. The house, the safest place I knew, seemed to envelop me and keep me in its embrace. As I sat at the head of the table, the lights became dimmer and anticipation was in the air. A light moved from my mother’s hands as she walked into the dining room with a cake in her hands. She started singing, and everybody joined in. The cake was placed in front of me as I waited solemnly for the song to be finished and the candles to be blown out. I had witnessed and participated in the ritual before, and I knew what to expect.

However, my younger cousin broke with ritual. As I looked at the blue Cookie Monster cake with chocolate chip cookies placed on the sides, a hand came into view and grabbed one of the cookies. I looked in horror as Markie took a cookie off the cake and brought it to his mouth. I did not care for chocolate, so I was not worried about the loss of that but rather the break with ritual. Eating the cake was not until after the song was finished and the candles were blown out. Adults were to give us our piece of cake, so attempting to have some by oneself was unthinkable. Markie took a small bit of the cookie as I stared in disbelief. He made a face and slightly shook his head. He reached over again and put the cookie back in place on the cake.

The song ended, I blew out the candles, and the cake was cut.