Almost a month had passed after I turn 17. That was in some truth so long ago, yes. But it was just hard to contain the happiness so it took me this long to blog about it. Or who am I kidding here? I was just plainly busy about all the things happening in the real world (not that I say that this site is nothing real). But let’s all just pretend that it had been a month-long celebration for me.
Not until the day itself did I feel that I am really having my birthday. The day before, Feb 13, I was in school for my Physics second exam (and later on I learned my score was 14, lol). The night of that day I was so tired that I dozed off waiting for the day to switch. I was asleep for three hours when I felt my phone vibrating; I was receiving a call from my friend, she greeted me and I greeted her too — we had the same birthday. I checked the time, it was just 5 minutes or so after midnight. Then it sank in, it was my birthday.
I stood up to pee. My second brother was the only one awake and he asked for some help about the broadband. I was still sleepy so after trying, I told him I give up. Maybe he did not remember it was already the 14th so he did not greet me. When I got back to bed, I saw my eldest brother was half-awake. The moment I laid down, I heard him say “Uy birthday mo na! Happy birthday.”
It was a peculiar feat for the family to be too personal and too, how do you say this, emotional? Not really emotional, but I do hope you’re getting the point. I did not answer. I put myself busy with the flooding text greeting messages. It was overwhelming. My second brother finally laid down beside me as well, greeted me, then I fell asleep once more.
I woke up to hear a commotion. “Wag mo akong bibigyan niyan ha!” I heard my brother say in irritation. I laughed when I learned that Papa went out early in the morning to buy three roses, one for Mama, and the other two was for me and for my eldest brother. Don’t get him wrong, it was his supposed birthday gift for the both of us. I prepped up like it was a normal Tuesday. I left the house.
When I got to UP I headed for my PE class. I was running because I was already late, only to find out our professor was absent. I just had a few-minute rehearsal with my classmate and then left the area.
Krishen told me she was willing to cut her 10 am class so we could hang out together at the library and do the same things I did for her on her birthday last November. After two hours, we set off to the NIP. She chose to sit in Gino’s Physics class while I chose to wait for Kim in our class. The lecture started and since it was my birthday, I told myself that I’d be listening intently. Kim did not appear until the end of the lecture and so I sat there alone, bored. I forgot it was my birthday.
Gino, Krishen, and I, thinking it was best to make a memory out of the day, decided to eat our lunch at Rodic’s. It had been a while since we ate together and so it was, after all, a nice memory. We had the Korean ice cream for dessert, and when Gino bid goodbye, I and Krishen walked our way from the Shopping Center to the Math building, just to kill time. While we were already in the Engineering area, I saw my orgmates at the shed, somebody pointed me out, and it’s another overwhelming feeling to be shouted of greetings from the other side of the street. I smiled.
We stopped by the Library II to pick up Krishen’s flowers from her suitor. She left it that morning in care of the guard who, by his looks at me, was thinking that the bouquet was from me. And then we walked the rest of the way and I kept seeing people’s looks and I’m starting to feel annoyed that they were thinking we are some sweet couple, so we covered the bouquet with her jacket.
Math time was just like ordinary. But after the class, I, Gino and Kim stayed for a while. There they told me that Kim was late for the Physics class because he had to buy their gift for me: it was this Superman shirt.
I was just all smiles and though I was full of criticisms, it could not take away my big thanks for those two guys.
Gino told me about Alyssa’s plan of going to Trinoma for my birthday, just to enjoy and all that’s available to do there. But I was feeling so tired and so we told them just to wait for us so we could just go home together. But we went by the Library II again because I need to delete the photos of me and Krishen that same morning that’s left in the PC 19’s desktop. I’m sorry I was stupid. Lol.
And then when we reached the meeting place, I saw Alyssa, Renner, Bridget and Krishen huddled together. Krishen bid goodbye because she’s going home with someone, or perhaps be going on a date. The rest of us went to ride a jeep.
Let’s take some forward to the story. I thought it would be a good idea to invite them so we could at least eat a snack together before my day ends. And there, by late afternoon I, Gino, Bridget, and Alyssa are sitting at the second floor of Jollibee Bicutan. We waited for Diane to complete us.
It was a nice chat. We laughed and exchanged stories. And oh, Jollibee had this valentine gimik, but it was nonsense because we were there not as lovey-dovey couples. And then I remember my birthday is not a common knowledge, but the day being Valentine’s day is. Okay.
I have to admit I hated time because it did not allow us to enjoy some more. When we were about to part, Bridget and Alyssa handed me their gifts. At first touch I already know what those were, because for weeks we were joking around that they were going to give me my car:
I entered our house and sensed loneliness in the first place. But I was quite expecting it. No one’s home except for my mother, who bought a large box of pizza. They already told me that we are just going to celebrate the next day, when we’re complete. I spent the night eating almost half of the pizza.
It was a sort of ordinary day. Maybe I have to start learning that I am destined to have the ordinary birthdays forever, or if I want to have a memorable one, then I have to put in efforts. But I just love this day even though it was plain. But at least I expected so less today so I did not have any big disappointments at all. Happy birthday to me…
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