Wish me later !

Today, someone at work with yummy candy at her desk asked me to update the departments "happy birthday" list, just then i was reminded of a bitter-sweet moment.

I’m one of those few people who have two birthdays. And the moment i was talking about goes like this......

One day, many many years ago, as we were walking towards the principal nun’s office at St. Theresa’s school, my dad suddenly halted to ask me something. He said “if they ask you when is your birthday, what’ll you tell them?”

Well, I know when my b’day is so that should be easy and I’d get admission in the same school my sister goes too, and since she is a SPL (Special Privileged Leader) I thought I could get away with most of the stuff. So I said “abba, I’ll tell them it’s sep 15th, na!”, to that he replied “Would you instead tell them it’s aug 15th. “

I was like what, no I wouldn’t, I cant change my b’day, I love that day, and was almost in tears, He must have thought that I need more cajoling and we stopped under the big neem tree and he explained how I was born a month later the cut off date for school and so if I have to get into this school for this year, I’d have to just say it this once but we can still celebrate my birthday the same day I was born, infact he raised the stakes and said we’ll celebrate my b’day twice. Once on aug 15th and the second time on September 15th.

Remember, aug 15th is Indian independence day, so you can have lots of friends over for the party, he bribed me. I was hooked in split of a second. I wiped my running tears and walked into that nun’s office, while ignoring the sound of the ceiling fan blade slicing the still air, I started answering the questions needed for school admission.

My father was asked to stay outside the room, so towards the end of my admission questionnaire, she asked me when my date of birth was, I quickly smiled and said 15th august. She nodded heavily and asked me to fetch my abbu. They spoke in restricted enthusiasm and my abba rushed to me with glee and said I was in, I was in ! So, that’s my birthday story.

Now everytime I give date for informal b’day lists at work, so that people can wish or bring a cake or get a card kinda ritual, I habitually just write aug 15th, but go home and celebrate on sep 15th. So there is a thin line how my excitement is divided by exactly 30 days of inconsistency.