by Julianna Squicciarini

Last night, the four of us girls surprised Emily Hergenreter for her 17th birthday.  We picked her up at White House Black Market and whisked her away to The Cheesecake Factory up in Southpark.  Emily’s mom, Beverly, came with us to dinner (and when there’s six girls at a round table, how can you avoid having a good time!?), which ended triumphantly with a huge piece of Chocolate Raspberry Truffle cheesecake complete with candle and chocolate sauce accompanied by a horribly discordant “Happy Birthday”, sung by staff and…us (we were on key).

After dinner, we tried our best to convince Emily, who had knee surgery 4 weeks ago, to let us rent her a courtesy wheelchair so we could shop the whole mall.  Apparently Emily didn’t like that idea much (WHY NOT?!  How often do friends offer to push you around Southpark Mall?!), so her mom left her crutches with us before leaving.  And we really did go all over the mall.  Stops included American Apparel, Banana Republic, The Gap, Brighton, Jessica McClintock, and Ann Taylor Loft.  At almost every single store, the four of us put our hearts and souls into resounding renditions of “Happy Birthday” in front of the cashiers.  And yes, Emily did end up buying a few things, which is the whole point of birthday shopping.

The entire evening ended on a light, happy note, with some of us getting just a little slaphappy in the back seat.  We drove to the Hergenreter’s house, after which we wished Emily a happy birthday and sent her on her way.  All things considered, it was a splendid birthday dinner.  Happy Birthday, Emily!

P.S. – does any of this sound familiar?  Didn’t we just take another friend up to dinner in Southpark for their birthday!?