This episode’s vocabulary
Special
adjective — different from normal; meaningful. → It was a special gift from my friend.
Mercifully
adverb — luckily or thankfully. → Mercifully, the weather stayed dry for the picnic.
Strict
adjective — following rules very carefully. → She is strict about her sleeping schedule.
Relieved
adjective — feeling happy that something unpleasant is over. → I was relieved when the test ended.
Calories
noun — units of energy in food. → Cakes usually have a lot of calories.
Fanfare
noun — a lot of excitement or celebration. → The event opened without any fanfare.
Candles
noun — wax sticks you light with fire, often used on cakes. → We put candles on the birthday cake.
Flame
noun — the visible, hot part of a fire. → The flame from the candle was very bright.
Icing
noun — sweet topping on cakes. → The cake had chocolate icing on top.
Sponge cake
noun — a light and soft type of cake. → She baked a sponge cake for dessert.
Supermarket
noun — a large store that sells food and other goods. → I bought some snacks from the supermarket.
Loved ones
noun — people you care deeply about. → He spent the holidays with his loved ones.
Fire hazard
noun — something that can easily start a fire. → Too many candles on a cake can be a fire hazard.
Got out of hand
phrase — became uncontrollable. → The situation got out of hand quickly.
Daunting
adjective — scary or overwhelming. → The idea of speaking in public is daunting for some people.
Questions and answers
I suppose the last time I got anything like a special cake was actually on my last birthday. It fell on a weekend last year, mercifully, so I didn't have work or anything like that. I could just fall out of bed, see my friends and family, and not pay attention to things like my diet or exercise, which I'm usually pretty strict with. So, when my parents brought out this cake at their place, I wasn't just quite happy to see it, I was relieved that I didn't have to worry about the extra calories or anything like that. You don't have to care about these things on your birthday, at least in my opinion. I don't think there was any great fanfare about it, to be honest, aside from just lighting the candles and blowing them out before cutting it up to offer to people. Although there were many candles and there was lots of flame as a result. So, I think it's important to keep that in mind if I'm ever going to have something similar in the future. Of course, it was unique in that this was my birthday, and clearly my birthday cake, and it had my face on it, and “Happy birthday, Rory” written on the icing. Aside from that, I think it was just a regular sponge cake baked at one of the local supermarkets, or at least it had been bought from there. While it was nice to have a cake, I still think the most important thing was being with my loved ones on that special day. If we hadn't had one, it still would have been a great day. And possibly less of a fire hazard now that I think about it. Like I said, the flames on the candles got a little bit out of hand at one point, with there being 35 of them. So, if we ever decide to do that again, I will be making 100% sure that there's just one candle. In addition to being less fire conducive, it's also less daunting to think about all those candles for all of those years of my life.
And did your friends enjoy the cake?
The friends who were at my birthday party did. You and Vanya were not there, because you are rude.