Birthdays are always special, especially if you're celebrating the birth of your loved ones, but last year's celebration for my mother was one for the books - it's a rollercoaster of emotions and surprises. Family bonding times, these emotionally charged moments, brought us all together as a unit, despite all the tumbles we did.
Our grandmother was in Bohol, but even so, we'd still like to celebrate our mother's birthday. She had work in the morning and we had classes in the morning, so we had agreed to spend time with her in the evening. We had a simple plan; have a picnic at the boardwalk. We were really thrilled to eat all the different goodies at the various booths. It showed the diverse palates of Danao City residents. It's a pleasure to feast on delicious food while basking in nature's beauty, overlooking the waves, and hearing the sea's lull. Nevertheless, we went to Metro to do the grocery shopping before going to the boardwalk.
There was an undercurrent of pleasure in the idea of being together outside in the fresh air as we stocked our shopping cart with snacks, beverages, and personal favorites.
Since we all indulged in the shopping, we found it was time for the counter checkout already upon the fact that we couldn't make a picnic by the sideline at that time. It was already nine in the evening, and it was raining outside. We were only disappointed of course, but nevertheless we still wanted to make the best of the day/.
After we paid for our groceries, we were ready to finally have our meal, but a minor crisis struck - we lost the receipt! The security guard told us we couldn't exit the mall without it. My sister also lost her 500-peso bill. We retraced our hasty steps frantically, checked through our bags, every nook and cranny, even the bins. Our bright mood from earlier was dwindling down with every minute. Got about to blow up, one of the staff actually just gave us back the receipt he'd seen tucked in the bin. My sister also, quite coincidentally, noticed the lost money in the bathroom. It was a relief! We dashed out of the mall as soon as we could to get away from that place that made us feel queasy.
It was late, so we headed to Sands, a nearby establishment with various restaurants. However, most of the restaurants were closed. When we were a few steps away from Jonie's Sizzlers and Roast, we met an acquaintance who worked there. It was Ate Mimi, and she was my younger sister's nursemaid before. Jonie stopped taking customers but she still let us in. She also asked the manager if we could still order. Fortunately, the manager greets us warmly even in the closing time. We were really grateful for their kindness. I thought we were so unlucky because of what went on at the mall but, this bunch made our day the best possible.
The one that started on a wrong foot ended up smiling and laughing. We may not have gone according to our plan, but we still enjoyed a delicious meal.
We even had our dessert on fire! It was cool.
Without having gone to Jonie's I can't help but wonder whether we would feel satisfied with the way the things preceding turned out. On the other hand, we were lucky enough to meet nice people due to all of that and we still get closer and closer. We eat together, and in doing so we chat and share some of our memorable tales from the day, fantasizing about our grandmother's health and chatting about the commitment to go out to eat again the next time we are free. And, naturally, we also sang a happy birthday to our dear mom.
Reflection
It was a special day, but by no means as the plan had initially envisaged. Spontaneity, for good or bad, but shared as a family experience is also a tie. But it is not bad just to pretend that one remembers what happened, as that serves as a joke for all of us. While we had our unlucky moments, this was also a day worth cherishing because we were together. And most importantly, kindness is a prelude to happiness!