Mum's birthday was 1 November, All Saints Day. Which meant Mass, even though Mum was far from religious and Simon himself had stopped believing in God right around the time he realized he could turn into a large dog at will. Still, it was a family tradition. Another family tradition was the birthday tea with Gran and the aunts after church. This year, Dad was swamped with the new costume drama he was writing for the BBC, and the task had fallen to Simon to choose the venue.
"The Jasmine Dragon, huh?"
It was a touristy little place, but it had enough of what Mum would describe as je ne sais quoi that she'd at least consider the location. Of course, with her birthday next week it had better be the right place because they were running out of time.
"Excuse me," he called to a kid a few years younger than him, who was up a ladder adjusting Halloween decorations. "Excuse me, do you hire out the dining room for private parties?"
A
"The Jasmine Dragon, huh?"
It was a touristy little place, but it had enough of what Mum would describe as je ne sais quoi that she'd at least consider the location. Of course, with her birthday next week it had better be the right place because they were running out of time.
"Excuse me," he called to a kid a few years younger than him, who was up a ladder adjusting Halloween decorations. "Excuse me, do you hire out the dining room for private parties?"