Two weeks ago, I forgot I was turning 23. One day, my mom called up, saying she was sending a gift for me through my dad. "Really?" I remarked with surprise. Surprise not because she was sending me a gift but because my birthday had slipped from my mind. Oh yeah, it was THAT time of the year!
I was so swamped with schoolwork I had forgotten my own day in the calendar! When the clock ticked to 12 midnight, it was no surprise that I was in the middle of my readings. The first text I got was from Maricor and my parents called a little while later. At around 1 am, my sister texted me, greeting me a happy birthday. "Sorry we could not celebrate it better," she said, she being in the middle of a sea papers just like me.
I wasn't sorry.
Last year, I spent my birthday locked in a videoke kiosk, wailing like a madwoman with my friends.
This year, I was locked in my room in the company of my books, with the wailing of someone down the street breaking the silence once in a while who, I bet, was doing videoke.
Who gets to spend their two birthdays back-to-back with such outstanding contrasts?
Oh, my gifts were outstanding too...aside from a little present I bought myself: Sylvia Plath's Ariel, which I had been eyeing for quite sometime now.
For starters, I was called for recitation in my first period class. I was only allotted fifty percent of the entire class time for recitation...and the class lasts for two hours. So for one hour, I tried to answer question after question and took notes while standing up...and my calves did not complain at that. The moment that class ended, my classmates all echoed "Happy birthday?" I laughed and made a mental note to myself to become more acquainted with the justices of the Supreme Court...even the dead ones. Especially the dead ones.
Later that night, hours after my phone had been rendered silent, it suddenly came to life with a phone call. Aidagere was on the line. "Happy birthday, Manang," she said. "Mama said she couldn't contact you earlier." I told her it was okay and we talked about the Backstreet Boys. That was inevitable. Oh adolescence is starting to kick in.
Then moments later, I could hear Pau pulling the phone away. "Epi bertdey, Mnang," she mumbled. Such a cute kid. "What gift do you have for me?" I asked her. A long pause followed after which she said "You're too old to ask for toys."
Bea came last and she sang "Happy Birthday" for me over the phone.
I ask her, hoping for another interesting answer this time: "Do you have a gift for me, Bea?"
I could hear her take a deep breath.
"I love you, Manang."
What followed then was a lengthy plan for a dinner date on Thursday in Greenbelt and I had to text the others who wanted to come.
I started imagining how Thursday would be like. From school, I'd hop on the bus headed for home, change into a nice, clean shirt (I don't want Carson to do an impromptu makeover on me!) and then head for Greenbelt. Then everything else morphs into divine visions of Jai and Kian with matching smoke machine effects and musicbox tinkers.
A black hole all of a sudden sucks everything into nothingness.
I have to be somewhere important on Thursday night.
*Sigh*
All of a sudden, I missed being home.
I miss lying on the hammock and reading.
I miss staring at my Terry Brooks books lined on a shelf and saying "Wow!"
I miss my bed and super extra fluffy pillow.
Also my stuffed Simba.
I miss hearing the male neighbor sing Britney Spears songs in Britney Spears' voice.
I miss hearing Mrs. Chu's play the piano.
I miss seeing Balrog dig a hole to China in my mom's manicured garden.
And Nicky waddle like a duck whenever she sees me approaching.
I miss Kong Kee siopao.
I miss seeing people point at Kong Kee siopao and say it's cat meat.
I miss Christina and watermelon.
I miss hardhats and forklifts.
And office love affairs.
I miss the mud and the sea.
I miss bananas, crabs, charcoal.
I miss breakfast under a tree.
And watching the wind blow your food away.
I miss the stars.
I was so swamped with schoolwork I had forgotten my own day in the calendar! When the clock ticked to 12 midnight, it was no surprise that I was in the middle of my readings. The first text I got was from Maricor and my parents called a little while later. At around 1 am, my sister texted me, greeting me a happy birthday. "Sorry we could not celebrate it better," she said, she being in the middle of a sea papers just like me.
I wasn't sorry.
Last year, I spent my birthday locked in a videoke kiosk, wailing like a madwoman with my friends.
This year, I was locked in my room in the company of my books, with the wailing of someone down the street breaking the silence once in a while who, I bet, was doing videoke.
Who gets to spend their two birthdays back-to-back with such outstanding contrasts?
Oh, my gifts were outstanding too...aside from a little present I bought myself: Sylvia Plath's Ariel, which I had been eyeing for quite sometime now.
For starters, I was called for recitation in my first period class. I was only allotted fifty percent of the entire class time for recitation...and the class lasts for two hours. So for one hour, I tried to answer question after question and took notes while standing up...and my calves did not complain at that. The moment that class ended, my classmates all echoed "Happy birthday?" I laughed and made a mental note to myself to become more acquainted with the justices of the Supreme Court...even the dead ones. Especially the dead ones.
Later that night, hours after my phone had been rendered silent, it suddenly came to life with a phone call. Aidagere was on the line. "Happy birthday, Manang," she said. "Mama said she couldn't contact you earlier." I told her it was okay and we talked about the Backstreet Boys. That was inevitable. Oh adolescence is starting to kick in.
Then moments later, I could hear Pau pulling the phone away. "Epi bertdey, Mnang," she mumbled. Such a cute kid. "What gift do you have for me?" I asked her. A long pause followed after which she said "You're too old to ask for toys."
Bea came last and she sang "Happy Birthday" for me over the phone.
I ask her, hoping for another interesting answer this time: "Do you have a gift for me, Bea?"
I could hear her take a deep breath.
"I love you, Manang."
****************
I texted Em today. "Fab Five's coming!" Em replied, "I know!"What followed then was a lengthy plan for a dinner date on Thursday in Greenbelt and I had to text the others who wanted to come.
I started imagining how Thursday would be like. From school, I'd hop on the bus headed for home, change into a nice, clean shirt (I don't want Carson to do an impromptu makeover on me!) and then head for Greenbelt. Then everything else morphs into divine visions of Jai and Kian with matching smoke machine effects and musicbox tinkers.
A black hole all of a sudden sucks everything into nothingness.
I have to be somewhere important on Thursday night.
*Sigh*
****************
I was talking to my mom today and in the background, I could hear my dog Balrog barking.All of a sudden, I missed being home.
I miss lying on the hammock and reading.
I miss staring at my Terry Brooks books lined on a shelf and saying "Wow!"
I miss my bed and super extra fluffy pillow.
Also my stuffed Simba.
I miss hearing the male neighbor sing Britney Spears songs in Britney Spears' voice.
I miss hearing Mrs. Chu's play the piano.
I miss seeing Balrog dig a hole to China in my mom's manicured garden.
And Nicky waddle like a duck whenever she sees me approaching.
I miss Kong Kee siopao.
I miss seeing people point at Kong Kee siopao and say it's cat meat.
I miss Christina and watermelon.
I miss hardhats and forklifts.
And office love affairs.
I miss the mud and the sea.
I miss bananas, crabs, charcoal.
I miss breakfast under a tree.
And watching the wind blow your food away.
I miss the stars.
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