October- Aside

Aside from these thoughts, however, time was passing-if you will excuse of the world-perfectly normally. Near the end of October Mike and Nick dragged Zach away from his studies on his birthday to take him out to dinner and try to get him drunk, which was a bit difficult since Zach refused to touch a single drop of alcohol.

"Aw, com'on," coaxed Mike over the slices of cake that Zach had ordered. "You're legally an adult now, right?"

"Alcohol, twenty-one," said Zach, stubbornly refusing to touch the glass in front of him.

"Aren't you overreacting?" pointed out Nick. "It's not even HALF a glass. Just a taste?"

Zach crossed his arms and looked obstinate. He was rather good at it.

"Fine," said Nick, giving up on the occasion. He brightened. "Why don't we sing 'happy birthday?'" He said to Mike.

Zach's stared up at them, hazel eyes full of horror. However, before he could get out a single syllable Nick had already launched into the song, slightly off-tune in his enthusiasm and with a distinctive French accent. After a moment Mike joined in, looking, in Zach's opinion, inappropriately cheerful. By the end of the song most of the people in the restaurant were staring at them and Zach, blushing furiously, was seriously consider bolting out the room.

"Thoroughly humiliated yet?" asked Mike among the scattered applause that received the end of their musical efforts.

Zach, who had been staring resolutely at his napkin during most of the serenade, glanced up at him. "More like mortified," he said, with a weak grin. "Can we leave now?"

His two older friends grinned at each other. There was nothing embarrassed about their expression.

"Of course," said Nick.

"It's your birthday," said Mike.

It might be noted for the records that the manager, who had watched the entire performance, was inspired as to later hire live performances in the restaurant. But that was how it went in this strange world.

The restaurant became quite popular. It later opened up another branch somewhere else, and then another branch. Soon there were people accusing it over taking over world markets.

This is an example of how one thing could lead to another and how utterly useless it is for us to try to predict all the possible consequences of each event. At least, while we're still within these dimensions. Another example would be Nick, as he walked back to the dorms one night. Had he gone five minutes earlier or five seconds later he would have doubtlessly never suspected a thing but, because he was where he was at when he was, a long sequence of events was changed.

Of course, like all linear-time-bound, bipedal life forms, Nicolas had no idea at the time.
_________________________________________
In honour of all the LUNATICS strange singing-in-public moments *salutes*.