The Diary of a Birthday boy

I was not expecting anything unusual, I’ve been through it before, and I felt it should just pass like any other one. In the past, I really didn’t see my birthdays as any day too important to be marked or expect some special treatment. However, this year, somehow, everything started to be different from few minutes to the day.

It was regular hand over time and a call came-in for me, over the phone was the beautiful voice of my beautiful wife singing. I can assure you, she’s got the best voice. (If you doubt that search for “olukunlemi’ on youtube) Her song went on until the 15th second of the day and then she wished me happy birthday…and for the first time in almost ten years, I savoured the joy of my birthday.

I was going to continue the shift hand over when all my colleagues in the instrument room chorused happy birthday to you…Even with cracked Nigerian voices of Femmy, Kekeh and Michael, the Samba voices of Rubim and Vinny, the tiny-Trinny voice of Abi, the matured baritone of Alaskar and Richard, the Kamba voices of Virginia And David, and less I forget, the sonorous voice of Shipra and Benny, it turned out to be the best joint happy birthday song for me ever. A mixture of sopranos, alto and baritone base. That wrapped up the activities of the day in the instrument room and I can boldly say, I enjoyed every bit of it.

Back in my room I remembered the last birthday party I had about ten years ago, well attended by both The Polytechnic Ibadan and University of Ibadan Junior Chamber members (I’m sure some people will still remember) It was a short one well organised by my then J19 roommate. Then started to think, did I plan (ten years ago) to be where I am today. No came the answer… it is not by power nor by might but by the spirit of God the father.

8:00am

Before I knew it, it was 8 o’clock and my phone rang again. This time the devil was trying to play smart, but I remember that "greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world”

I prayed and agreed about a thing and by 8:30am the testimony was already there. Then I regretted my act of ‘defriending’ someone recently on facebook. He claimed not to believe in GOD and miracles; I would have loved to share this testimony with him, now…it is too late. Sure thing is, my God, our God answers prayers.

11:30 am

Now, its time for lunch. I had an expectation, cake in the messroom for everyone to eat because it’s Stephen’s birthday! Nooo, it was not to be. I looked at one of the galley crew members, and I mumbled to myself “don’t they check the crew list anymore to bake cake for birthdays”. Someone even noticed, and he asked why I was having breakfast at lunch…I had no answer but I guess I was mad at the galley crew members for not baking a cake for me. Then I said to myself, it’s just another day, just forget it and live your day as usual.

12:00 noon

It was time to take over at shift change, everything was done in order and by then I had forgotten it’s my birthday. Another Seismic day anyway! Then the boss came and gave a list of tasks to be completed. One-by-one, people started trooping into the instrument room and I asked myself, what’s the occasion? The Party Chief (with his Italian ascent) asked “any news about start of job? What a question? I soliloquised. The answer to that question should come from you…little did I know his question was the cue for the whole crew to sing happy birthday song for me. I looked lost, embarrassed, happy, jumpy, and felt great all together.

As if that was not enough, then came in a veeeeeeeeeeeeeery big cake (see the pictures) from the conference room carried by the newly constituted welfare team. I looked around and I saw the crew Chef and the whole galley crew…guess what? I started to ask God for forgiveness!

They made me a cake, a real big one, so beautiful, and everyone onboard was around, they feel very proud of it and I noticed a good group smile on the faces of the galley crew, then I could tell God had forgiven me for the rage that went through my heart earlier.

Now name it, there in the instrument room was everyone different colour, different races, almost 22 nationalities singing and wishing me happy birthday. It was a colourful one, how I wished my wife was there!!!

Flashes of cameras, joy on all the faces present, the birthday boy (sorry man), cut the cake and the party started!!!

I have seen this day 35 times earlier, but the 27th of August 2010 will forever remain a different one. And I promise myself to forever respect my birthday and attach importance to it like I do to other people’s birthdays.

Yeah, I know you’d ask, I made a wish… I’ll tell you on this same day next year with a testimony.

Thanks for reading through my diary.