The Story of A Birthday

It was 22 August. The doctor found out that something is wrong with the baby. The mother was worried. The baby's older brother died in the womb. Was history going to repeat itself? No, she will never give up. She pushed forward with all her might. It was a perilous moment. Once the life supporting cord was separated, the baby will suffocate in the womb. However, a miracle happened, the baby's head with its eyes and nose popped out finally. He was all blue, deoxygenated, but life came in again as the light and air of the world breathe into him. Probably he was predestined to be tall and long, that's why the legs came out first! But there lay an overjoyed mum, with her precious first child...

Nineteen years later, the baby was in darkness again, fearing what his birthday was going to be. It was not a time when he's with his family and will be able to go to Kentucky Fried Chicken to celebrate with finger-licking-good drumsticks. It was not a time when he was the tall happy talkative guy like when he first came college. People have known his snobbishness, his glance from his tall self looking down, trampling them. People have known his dogmatism, his insistence on doing the things he felt right. People have known his fiery temperament, his all hidden up fire and only flares up with sarcastic remarks... He just always have problems with the word friendship.

While sulking in darkness, reluctant to talk to anyone, Light came into his life again and said "I'll celebrate with you and be happy because there are those who looked beyond your fault." The boy was happy, but he didn't expected much. He did not expect that his parents will drive all the way from home and surprise him in college. He did not expect his church friends to plan a surprise party with his college mates for him. He did not expect all his college mates will sing happy birthday in class. He did not expect his closest friends will do anything or say anything after the hurts afflicted on them by him. Nope, he expected nothing... although the one reading this thinks he has much expectation after a close scrutiny of this paragraph.

The people came and knocked at the door. They wished happy birthday and walked off. The boy understood it. No games, no party whatsoever. It's okay, he was facebooking, facebooking some real turned into virtual friends. Facebook was addictive. He was posting some videos of "Why Guys Should Chase Girls" as if he was a desperate guy wanting confess to the girl he loved.

Then, they came in again. "Come out-lah Calvin!" said that Annoying Voice. When the boy came out, the Annoying Voice said "Aiyah, forget liao. Go get a T-Shirt. We are going to blindfold you!". Okay, they want to do something special. Just put up with them. It's very good of them to do something for him on his birthday.

The boy was blindfolded. He walked around clueless, thinking he was lost in the darkness of his mother's womb again. Then came the Voices.

"Go to your right."

"Yeah, I'm going the 'right' direction!"

"Walk faster lar!" said the annoying voice.

The boy was somehow not scared at all the walk in the darkness. He was on solid bitumen road. Yet, it was because of the Voice of Assurance that not just only assured him, but held the boy with his hands, guiding the way, and stopping him when necessary. Probably there was two of them. No idea, because it was all just darkness. And Voices.

There were a lot trials and tribulations. The bushes and sticks brushed against the tall legs and head. Cars veering past so near the legs that he can feel the wind. Houses with fans that are too low. Commandments of squatting down. And Voices that Lie. Again, the Voice of Assurance and Laughter was still around. The boy felt if he were to be blind, it's still okay because he has Voices who will tell him where to talk and most comforting still, held him by hand to walk, walk through the darkest night.

Arguably, it was the longest blindfolded journey the boy went through. He was allowed to open his eyes after he thought was to climb onto a Roman pillar and Zeus was about to strike lightning on him. The lightning turned out to be a Big Mac with two candles. What a cake!

Then, when he had the chance to see the world again, not blindfolded, he felt strange. People were playing their own games. It was about them again. The boy was left alone. Sticks hit people, but the sticks never went to him. The balloons burst, but he was not in the bursting fiesta.

It came the time to sit down. It was cold. Midnight wind blowing. One Voice left, but the boy was very glad that the Voice came. Every one tried very hard to joke. Be it with their impregnated bellies or with the Chinese dialect jokes. At least the Big Mac Desperado was really joking. The boy was pressured to make it a happy mode. The people came and one shouldn't disappoint them, but the fact that they came just because they considered the boy Friend haunted the boy.

It wasn't like last year when many people come, played flour and it was a messy happy birthday party. This year it seemed that the boy dragged them out for his happiness sake, some dragged all the way from Kelana Jaya. Every one was yawning when they couldn't talk anymore. Finally, the boy couldn't take in the guilt anymore and asked "Do you guys want to go back now?". Oh yeah, the night was young and they waited more. They talked about steamboat.

Every one went back after that and the boy was staring at his Facebook Profile page. Tonnes and tonnes of wall posts flooded his page. Somehow he felt happier on Facebook. Then there was sms-es on the phone from long lost friends and prayer partner. It was busy time of thanking everyone. It was not idle and awkward.

It was a strange birthday. Strange that I appreciate friends when I'm blind. Strange that virtual happy birthday greetings meant more than real ones. Strange that friends will drags themselves out just for your birthday, doing nothing, trying just to make you happy.

The boy felt really strange. Maybe coz it's nineteen years old. One has to grow up from birthday fun to appreciate people who are truly friends.