STORY 4: The Magical Birthday is Finally Here (& Guess Where The Party Is)!
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Two weeks later and it’s finally the big day…Tiana’s 5th birthday was here. Mom and dad were running around going in and out of the house and getting things ready to take to the beach. There were piles of tables and chairs and boxes upon boxes of decorations…all the things they had been gathering together for her big party on the beach were sitting in piles in their front yard waiting to be packed up. Dad had borrowed a hire car so he could tote everything there and as soon as all the supplies and things were loaded up and ready to go, he would be heading out to pick up the cake and then take it all to the beach to set up. He had already picked up her cousins and family from the helipad early that morning and dropped them off at the Hidden Paradise Resort. They were going to stay and vacation for a couple of weeks after the party and needed to check in, then Tiana’s uncle would go to help him set up for the party. Mom had a hair appointment at a friend’s house down the road, and she and Tiana were going off to get their hair and nails done while her brothers stayed with a neighbor for the morning. Tiana wanted to help, but her parents kept saying no because it was her birthday and they wanted all the decorations to be a surprise.
Tiana was suspicious. She had already seen the decorations…how much more of a surprise could there be? Why wouldn’t they let her help. She was excited for the party, bored because she had nothing to do, couldn’t wait to see her cousins, and upset because she felt she was still being treated like a 4-year-old…she was 5 now! When would they start treating her like she was older!
After everything was set up and everyone was back, they would all get dressed in their best Aloha outfits and head out to the beach together. Tiana couldn’t wait to see her cousins and her friends and all of the local people who were invited to her party.
A party on Dreamtide island was always a big deal. Even a little private party could turn into a huge bash. The locals had a way of knowing when it was okay to have a huge, gigantic celebration and when it needed to be just a quiet family celebration. But most of the time, it would turn out to be huge! Tiana couldn’t wait to see just how huge her party was going to turn out.
It was finally time to go. Mom and Dad surprised her with matching outfits for the entire family…mom had a beautiful muumuu, and all the boys had Aloha shirts made with the same pink pineapple fabric as her dress. It was the coolest thing Tiana had ever seen. Mom and Tiana were both beautiful and looked like princesses and Dad and the twins were very handsome in their pink shirts. Tiana couldn’t be happier.
Tiana and her family lived just north of Kamaʻaina Cove and very close to Seabound Beach which is where they were headed. All the locals held their beach parties at Seabound Beach...it had the perfect set-up for large parties. There were awnings and tables and bandstands that could be rented or loaned out and electricity was available with long extension cords that could reach all the way across the sand, when needed.
As they got closer and closer to where the party was going to be held, Mom and Dad started acting funny and began whispering to each other. Finally, Dad stopped and said that plans had changed. They needed to head over to the resort to pick up her cousins because they didn’t know how to get to where the beach party was going to be. Tiana was disappointed that it was going to take longer to get to her party and to see all of the decorations, but at least she would get to see her cousins! So, the entire family took a turn off the beach and onto a pathway that led to the back of the resort.
As they got closer, Tiana began to hear music and voices and the sounds of people having a good time. She began to wonder if there was another party going on, which would be very strange on Dreamtide Island where everyone always celebrated with each other. Maybe it was a guest having a party that all of the other guests had joined in on. Tiana thought nothing more about it until she stepped out onto the sand and a very large crowd of people all yelled, “SURPRISE!” at the same time.
Poor Tiana was confused. There were 2 parties for her? “Mom,” she said…what is going on? Why are there 2 parties?”
“Silly, Tiana, THIS is your party. Tutu is friends with the hotel manager and arranged for your party to be held here!”
Tiana began to look around and recognize some of the decorations. She was so surprised she just stared with her mouth open. There was her cake! There were her pineapple tablecloths! Everything she and her mom had picked out was there plus more! She couldn’t believe it…and the pool and the music…and the food…it was all better than she could ever imagine. And then she saw the table with the gifts that were stacked so high with so many presents it would take her forever to open them all.
Just as Tiana started looking around for her cousins and her friends, she heard a voice over a microphone calling her name. She looked a little way down the beach and saw a bandstand with a band and hula dancers just waiting to start a show. Her parents walked her down there and they all sat at a special reserved table right in front of the bandstand. The chair they seated her in was made of bamboo and had a woven high back, just like a queen’s chair. They announced she was the guest of honor, and the show began, directed straight at her, or at least she felt like it was. In actuality, the luau was a regular event at the resort and Tutu had just creatively made it seem like it was just for her.
After the luau, the real birthday party began, and everyone ate hot dogs, hamburgers, and pineapple cake…Tiana’s favorites. Gifts were opened, happy birthday was sung, and everyone visited with everyone else, listened to the locals play music, and mostly just hung out with friends.
See all Tianaʻs Magical 5th Birthday stories