Páscoa's Birthday

A couple of months ago our friend Pascoalina, who enjoys sitting on our porch to talk with Janet while playing with the neighborhood baby that cries at white people, told us her birthday was coming up June 5. She was turning 18 and probably thought we were her best chance for making something special happen. We offered to bake a cake (we're the only ones with an oven) and, sure enough, that set things in motion for a birthday party. When the event took place, it was unclear who the party was really for. As the guests of honor, the food, music, and dance all centered on us and not so much on the b-day girl as we expected. We were made to sit on the sofa and eat off plates with utensils, while everyone stood and watched. They especially enjoyed watching us dance and having us translate their favorite English songs (the women particularly liked the feminist message in Beyonce's If I Were a Boy). Janet had made a small cloth purse for Páscoa, which was the
only present she received, but everyone seemed more interested in the shiny gold envelope recycled from Christmas we gave it in, decorated with stickers and with Páscoa's name written in big letters. Janet's cup cakes were a big hit, setting off a frenzy. One sneaky neighbor kid tried to take two in the confusion, which is not acceptable here, but people noticed. The hostess patted him down and found his cup cake stuffed in his back pocket; luckily it didn't have frosting.