in Fresno, California.
It was Maxwell Price’s 70th birthday, which meant that his family would be arriving soon to throw him a little celebration. Max was never fond of birthdays, especially in his teenage years. There was something about growing older, and becoming one year closer to adulthood, that made him want to crawl out of his skin. Unfortunately, now that he’s turning 70, Max has accepted that it is far too late to escape adulthood. As his son John would say, Max was well along his way to “senior-citizen-hood”. There was one thing that he did love about birthdays; he got to see his favorite grandchildren. (His only grandchildren, for the record). Claire and Luke were 10 and 13, respectively, and they too loved Grandpa’s birthday. Because if they were lucky, he’d tell them a story. Max had a knack for storytelling. Whether his adventurous tales were true or not is beyond me, but hey, I’m just the narrator.
So there they were, sitting around the fireplace in Max’s living room, bellies full of cake and eyes fighting to stay awake. John, his wife Ann, and their children Claire and Luke were exhausted after driving all the way from Phoenix. They made the trip once a year, just for Grandpa’s birthday.
“Alright kiddos. Let’s go put our things in our rooms and get some sleep. You’re going to need it for our long day tomorrow.” said John as he stood up from the couch.
“But dad! We haven’t even heard a story yet!” argued Luke from his spot on the floor.
John looked at Max with a challenging expression, because he knew that Max’s stories could be a bit much for 10 and 13 year-olds. But nonetheless, he was tired from driving and needed to rest. Max gave him a smug smile and a shrug.
“Alright. One short story and then you two are off to bed. I better not hear any complaints from being tired tomorrow!” John retreated up the stairs followed by Ann.
Claire and Luke settled down on the couch next to Max and begged him to retell one of his famous stories.
“How about the one where you hacked the President’s telephone! Or the one where you stole the Mona Lisa!” beamed Claire.
Max sat back and smiled, as he tried to recall an interesting event in his life that he could share with his grandkids. There were many, to be honest; Max’s life was practically a movie. Sure, he had done some not-so ethical things, but his philosophy was that he was here for a good time, not for a long time. Claire and Luke wiggled in their seats with anticipation as Max began…