a different birthday

8/6/2019 A Different Birthday

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A different birthday

Prologue

Sometimes we are in front of our birthday cake with the candles almost

baking it again and everyone around you is asking you (demanding you,

sometimes) to make a wish.

Well, once you’re “old enough”… ¿Would you dare to make that wish,

knowing it can come true or it’s true already?



Chapter one

Bright start?

When you study what I do (medicine), what you always forget is the

important dates. New year, Valentine’s Day, even your own birthday.

In my case, it’s so common to forget the last one that if no one talks about it,

there’s no celebration. Really.

That day started like any other day. Waking up at 03:00 am so I could do

some homework and study before going to the hospital. It was surgery,

infectious diseases and preventive medicine for today, so it was a very busy

day. No celebrations ahead.

Like it was mostly pdf files, medical articles and slides, I decided to study at

the computer. I took a break time so I checked my mails and profiles.

Suddenly, I got a notification at my Facebook profile.

Well, like a week before I started getting best wishes from all around the

world. And, even though I’m kinda “old” for this, I wrote a message to one of

my favorite singers. I told him about my birthday to his facebook account. I

thought he wouldn’t pay attention to it. I mean, a lot of people write patheticmessages to their favorite famous people, so i never thought this could

happen. But this notification was telling me the opposite.

It was from him. A message.

Hello, I thank you for writing to me. I hope you have a great day ahead. I

think there’s nothing I can send you to make your day the best day ever, but

I’ll have you present in my mind. I’ll write a song for you if you want to.

Anyway, I’ll send you a friendship request soon. Please, accept it. (Ponerlo encursiva)

Ok, I know. That’s all? But, what’s up with the song? And sending me

something? I never wrote anything alike! All I wrote him was that my

birthday was coming, I wanted it to be special, but I would be so busy that I



wouldn’t have time to sing my favorite songs or eat cake. But that I could

listen to some music on the bus and I would imagine that it was like a party

for me (I know, kinda depressing, but I had only that in mind, it was so truly

according to my schedule, and once I sent it I wanted it back but obviously I

couldn’t). Apparently he wanted me to feel better.

A few minutes later his request came. And I clicked yes. We had a friend in

common. What a surprise!

After that, I studied surgery. It was so much, but I had to. I wouldn’t let the

doctors down. Specially on my birthday.

Then I turned off the notebook and left for classes. It was six o’clock already

and I barely had time to take a shower, pick up the make up and go to thehospital.

Unless I wanted to arrive late…

With Dr. Johansson, that’s not an option.



Chapter two

A surgery…

Therefore, I went to the hospital. Nothing out of the ordinary. Once I got to

the auditorium, I saw I was the first one getting there. Someone left the door

open, so I got in and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And I saw my watch and it was 06:55 already. All of them were late, including

the teacher. I know him for a while. So it was kinda a surprise. He’s never

late. Was the class suspended? Oh, dear. Nobody told me anything.

I was about to call someone when I got blind. Well, not blind, but the lights

were off.

I could see nothing. It was so pitch dark. Then the lights were on and all my

classmates and the teachers (theory and practice) were around me with a

cake telling me Happy Birthday. The first ones, because my parents said

nothing. They forgot, no surprise.

Well, that cake was so delicious that I couldn’t wait for the song. It was a

vanilla cake. I wanted to bite it ASAP, and my friends stopped me.

"So fast you wanna eat it? You’ve gotta be kidding us!", Moises said.

"I didn’t have breakfast, and four hours have passed since I woke up!", I said.

My stomach was begging for food.

"Silly Gaby", one of the doctors said. They all started laughing.

Yeah, my name is Gaby.

"So let’s sing now, but don’t turn on the candles. Let’s go to the other room",

the other teacher said.

We went to the ballroom. And it was ready for us. They really knew me well.



"Now let’s eat fast, we still have class". Oh, my... It had to be the doctors.

"No! C’mon!", all of them said. I said nothing because I knew that was the

plan.

"Sorry, guys, I saw it coming", I told them.

We ate the cake as soon as we could. I blew one candle, at least. At the end,

they asked me if I made a wish. For the first time ever I wished something

different. Usually it was about world peace or my grades. My wish was to see

my favorite singer at the end of the day. Something I knew was not gonna

happen, but it’s good dreaming. I didn’t tell them, of course. So

embarrassing.

The class was boring. As always. But the special ingredient today was that I

was dressed so beautiful I felt like a runway model. And the cake before the

class was something.

As soon as the teoric class was over, we moved to practice. Just Ferb and I

had to stay behind. We both had practice that day and the rest of the class

was free to go.

I had forgotten, and I had my high heel boots on. I wouldn’t get into surgerywith them. So uncomfortable! Besides, no one is supposed to get into the OR

with that kind of shoes.

Right before I got into women dressing room, wondering what I would do, I

met a doctor I hadn’t seen for a while.

"Hi Gaby! Happy Birthday!", Dr. Jake told me.

"Hi, thanks. How are you?"

"I’m fine, thanks for asking. Hey, I wanna give you something you might need

like right now".

"What?", I said curiously.



"These", he got a box from the men dressing rooms and inside there were a

pair of Crocs. I wanted them so bad. I didn’t know what to say, so I gave him

a hug. The first one I gave him.

"What?!", he exclaimed. I guess he was as surprised as I was.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!", I said over and over again. I couldn’t help

it. This day was getting better and better.

"Well, let me go and let’s go to the surgery".

"Oh, yes! The surgery!", that’s when I left him and went to change my

clothes. The shoes felt so nice, so soft. This day was full of surprises. And just

five hours (one of them out of my place) had passed.

Once I got in, I saw one of the nurses.

"Hi, how are you? I haven’t seen you for a while!", Ferb Navarro got out of

men’s dressing room.

"Well, I’m supposed to go to a surgery with Dr. Malcolm and Dr. Johansson.

They’re my teachers now".

"No way! Poor of you".

"Yes, poor of us. This is Ferb, one of my classmates".

We didn’t chat a lot. Blame Dr. Johansson. He called us.

We got into OR 3. It was a laparoscopic surgery. It was my first practice as a

student, but I had a little bit of experience already.

I don’t think it was ‘cuz of my birthday, but I got the chance to record the

surgery. Ferb Navarro was aside, just watching the monitors. He was asked alot. I wasn’t.

During the surgery, a weird question was asked.

"Gaby, what are your plans for today?", Dr. Jake asked me.



"I have no plans. Well, I have to study and do a Tropical Medicine work with

my classmates. That’s all".

"No celebrations ahead?"

"No celebrations ahead".

"Are you asking Gaby for a date?" Dr. Orces asked suddenly. I felt my face so

hot and sweaty that I didn’t know what to do, how to ask a nurse to clean my

face. I didn’t know what to do. So I kept watching the monitor to see how

they where removing the gallbladder.

But they weren’t taking it out.

"Gaby, your face is as red as the stop sign!", Dr. Malcolm said.

"No, I’m not".

"You’re a bad liar. You are", Dr. Jake said like nothing. He thinks he is so

cool...

"What about if I am? Let’s go on with the surgery. I have class, you know".

"Do you feel something for him?", Dr. Johansson asked.

They had to be crazy. They didn’t know me so well after all. I hadn’t had a

date for… did I ever had a date? That’s why the blushing. Not because any

special feeling.

I wouldn’t fall in love with a man more than eight years older than me.

Besides, he is like fifteen years older than me!

So you can imagine my reaction inside my head, but we were inside an OR, so

I couldn’t explode.

"Iuck!", I said out loud.

"Woa, it came from deep inside your soul!", Dr. Jake said.



"Don’t get me wrong. It was the idea of a date what made me blush. Not with

you, just the idea…"

"Don’t worry, I get it."

He was a little bit sad. But I didn’t feel bad. He would recover ASAP. We all

knew he was like a Don Juan.

"But why were you asking?", Dr. Orces asked Dr. Jake.

"Just because it’s her birthday today."

"Oh! I didn’t know. Happy birthday, then."

What a weird situation! I didn’t see that one coming.

Once it was over, we left. Another classmate was waiting for us.

"Desiree and Greg asked me to take you to the university."

"Ok, then. Let’s go!"

"You seem to be in a hurry, Gaby. Did something happen?"

"If she doesn't tell you, I will. It was weird", Ferb said.

"Just shut up. Don't botter about asking, Thomas."

We went in his car. We said nothing. We were so quiet. And we got to college

without incidents.

Another adventure was coming.



Chapter three

Crazy university

Nothing out of the ordinary. The same as always. FRIM over here, MEDI over

there, a new “political” association over there. I just went to the copy center

where I knew my friends were waiting for me.

"Hi, how was the surgery?", Desiree asked.

"It was fine", I wouldn’t tell her about that weird question. That wasn’t

important. "I recorded the surgery, again."

"Well, let’s study."

"Let’s go."

We went to the classroom and some of my classmates were there. They

congratulated me. They didn’t care if the teacher was there, but I did. So

once I saw him I asked them to stop.

The class was short. It lasted forty minutes!

"Maybe it was because of your birthday", Lorelei said.

"I don’t think so. Did you do Tropical quiz?"

"No, I didn’t. did you?"

"Some of them. But I’m lost with the others."

We went to eat a sandwich and solve those questions. We had a lot to do.

But we didn’t get to buy that sandwich.

We found out Posligua, our teacher for next class, wasn’t going. So my group,

taking that little advantage that today classes were over, decided to take me

to a restaurant at October 9 avenue. Like we had no car, we had to walk.

Besides, it was close to campus.



I didn’t recognize where it was coming from, but I saw a flash. Someone was

taking a picture of me.

"What the…?", I exclaimed in a low voice.

"Sorry, miss. Your outfit is more than revolutionary. It’s great! Would you like

to appear on The Magazine this Sunday?"

I wasn’t so sure, but I said yes. That guy took more pictures and then started

asking me what inspired me. I said it was my birthday and a lot of things

inspired me. I also said I was a medical student and writer. The journalist was

surprised.

And the interview took at least fifteen minutes.

Then we went to the restaurant. It was one I hadn’t seen before. The food

was delicious and they didn’t stop saying Happy Birthday.

But one of them was weird. Greg. sometimes I saw him seeing me with lovely

eyes. Was something going on with him?

Then we went back to the university and picked up a classroom at the top of

one of the buildings. We were about to start tropical quiz when everyone left

to buy a few snacks.

And they left Greg and me alone.

"I didn’t get the chance to tell you, but here it goes ", he said very seriously. I

was a little bit scared. "Happy birthday."

Uff! If that was all, I was saved.

"Hey, didn’t you say it at the restaurant? You were kinda down. What

happened?"

"Nothing. It’s just that, well…"

"What? We’re friends, you can tell me anything."



"Well, I wanted to take you there, but all by myself. Not with the rest of the

group."

"But I had the chance to share that lunch with my friends, aren’t you happy

with that?"

"I wanted it to be a date, not a hang out."

Bang, shot this time. What was going on with men today? Earth, swallow me!

When I said “everything”, I didn’t mean this!

"Eh, Greg. You wanted to date me?"

"Yes."

I felt the wall behind me. Suddenly I realized the big mistake. We were alone,

at the top of the building. I’m good at screaming and hitting, but what about

if something wrong happened? I was cornered; he was right in front of me

keeping me right there without a chance to move. I don’t know why, but I

was scared.

Then he started laughing and let me go. What?

"Sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just that I have feelingsfor you. But, at the same time, I know what you will say. Take your time to

figure if it’s real or just an illusion." (Last sentence cursiva)

I didn’t know I was holding my breath until I let it out. He freaky scared me to

death!

"Don’t do that again, you stupid!", I screamed.

"What?"

"Do you think it’s good to do that? Are you crazy?"

"I didn’t mean to!"

"But you did anyway! What did you wanna do? Something bad?"



"No, just a kiss."

I stopped screaming. That’s what he wanted? Who said I would kiss anyone

who cornered me like that?

He was crazier than I thought.

"I’m gonna stay out of the class until the guys come."

"Gaby, wait."

"Greg, stop. If you want us to be friends, stop."

He was quiet. He knew he had messed it up.

And I waited outside for the group.

What was taking them too long?

Then they came with some other classmates and a cake.

I tried to be with the best mood ever, and I had to blow the candles again.

Even thought I wanted to wish that “little incident” didn’t happen, I wished

again for my favorite singer to be there.

I had to stop dreaming.



Chapter four

What now? / Special date

We didn’t stay for that long at the university. I left on metro. Everyone

around me was watching me like if I were a weird bug on exhibition. Maybe it

was because of my clothes. I didn’t care.

I got home and my grandma was waiting for me.

"Are you going to church?", she asked me after saying happy birthday.

"I’m not so sure. I have homework."

"Some of your friends are waiting for you there."

"Still not so sure, I have to be fast!"

"You’re gonna get the blessing."

"Then I’m gonna try to finish my homework ASAP."

I sat on my desk and did the fastest research ever. Then I copied all I had to.

Study for next class? That was out of question.

I took a shower, changed my clothes for more suitable ones and was about to

leave when I heard my cousin.

"Where are you supposed to go?"

"Eh… to church. Why?"

"Church, on your birthday, with those clothes on? Are you crazy?", what was

wrong with jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt? "You’re gonna wear this."

Her option was a black satin blouse with white chiffon pants and shiny black

stilettos. More high heels! Poor of my feet!

I changed my clothes (again), and left. When I got to the church, some of my

friends were waiting for me. I got in with them and participated in the mass.

The priest called me and gave me the blessing. What a shame my family



wasn’t there to share that moment with me. However, I had my “family” with

me.

After the mass I was about to get back home, when my friends stopped me.

"Where do you think you’re going?"

"Eh. Home?"

"Not yet. You’re coming with us. Don’t worry, your family knows."

They got me into William’s van and they took me to Grace’s place. It was set

up for a party. Did they forget I had classes next day at 06:30 am?

We had a great time dancing. I wanted to dance a lot, and so I did. Then, the

cake time came.

We all gathered around the cake, with me almost over it. There were three

candles.

They started singing, but I felt someone was watching me. And no, I don't

mean my pals. I tried to see, but I couldn’t. I could see up to one meter in

front of me. Not any farther.

Once the song was over, I blew the candles.

And it was pitch dark again.

All of them left so fast that I was about to fall on the cake. I had to put my

hands on the table so I wouldn’t actually fall.

I heard them trying not to make a sound and someone said: “go”.

What was going on?

Then the lights were on.

And someone very special for me was right in the middle of the living room.

"Hi", I said. I was kinda nervous. What was my favorite singer doing there?



"Hi, Gaby", good, he remembered my name. "I hope you have had a great

time all day long."

"Well, yes. Eh.. Can I ask you something?"

"Yes", he had his hands inside his pockets and he was staring at the floor.

Was he as shy as I was?

"How come you’re here? I mean, I like it. Nevertheless, how come?"

"I was in the neighborhood and…"

"Don’t. That’s a joke. What? How?"

"I read your message once you sent it. And I had seen the pictures you took

at my last concert. First I wanted to see you, then I wanted to get to know

you and then…"

"Then what?"

"Then I wanted to take you to Metro Café if you wanted."

This had to be a dream. A date with him? I mean, what?

"This was a surprise we had for you. Your family knows, anyway", Valery toldme. They were hidden in the rooms right behind me.

"You, guys! You knew about this?"

"Yeah, since last week", Phillip said.

"At least stay for the crazy hour – James said."

"What’s crazy hour?", Ed, my favorite singer, asked.

"You’ll see."

We stayed a little bit for the crazy hour. We danced together.



Like an hour later we left, his driver picked us up and took us to Metro Café.

He gave me a pair of low heel shoes. I felt so much better. What a surprise,

Metro Café was open.

There weren’t so many people, but we caught a table outside anyway.

"I thought you might try to take me to Hooters", I told him.

"No, that’s not my style. Too many plastic girls."

"Oh", I felt my face a little bit hot.

"Hey, don’t worry", he caught my face with both his hands. "Tonight it’s just

you and me."

Could this be any better?

It was almost midnight. And I remembered all the cakes and the only wish I

made. Get the chance to meet him.

Now it was real.

Moreover, he leaned his face while I lifted mine.

Suddenly, we were kissing.

What a bliss.

We ate a little bit and drank just water and soda. I thought he drank, but he

told me he just drank when he couldn’t avoid it. He hated it. We were so

alike!

We chatted a lot and we danced under the full moon too.

We were dancing a slow song when I felt so sleepy. That’s when I saw my

watch.

03:00 early morning!

Crap, I had classes in three hours and a half and I didn’t study!



"Sorry, I have to leave!", Isaid in a hurry.

"What’s going on?", he was sleepy too. He tried to hide it.

"I have classes in almost three hours! And I didn’t study! Well, the class is in

almost four hours and a half, but until I get home, I get in, take a shower,

study, go to the hospital, wait for the doctor and…"

"Relax, I have your house’s keys."

"What?"

"Your parents gave them to me so we could stay together as long as we

wanted."

"What were they thinking? Well, it’s good. I don’t have to wait for them.

What about your driver?"

"He’s gone. I have to drive."

"Right", I said with sarcasm. "But you’re falling asleep!"

"Don’t worry, I can."

I was scared, but I had to go home.

He paid the bill and we left in a hurry. He didn’t fall asleep. Maybe it was the

adrenaline from the little run.

"I’m staying with you, if you don’t mind."

"Let me say it again, what?"

"I don’t think I can drive alone. I’m sleepy and I don’t know this city! ", that

was true. I had to guide him to my place.

"Ok. Sit here and wait for me."

We got into my house and I left him at my study room. I passed by my

parent’s room, thanking them in silence for the things they had done to make

this birthday the best one ever. He waited for me at my desk while I was



Epilogue

A week and a half had passed since the last time I had seen him. I had to

sleep all that afternoon to recover my energy.

At his facebook profile he still had the single status. Maybe it was nothing,

what had happened. Maybe that kiss was just a dream.

When did the dream start?

I was going out of one of the buildings when I heard an accordion. And a

guitar. And with them, a voice I would recognize anywhere.

I almost ran to the small square when I saw him. He was there playing his

accordion, and next to him was his guitarist. He was singing my favorite song.

A lot of people were around them and they were asking out loud what he

was doing there. I had a hint, but I wasn’t so sure.

I got as close as I could and then I started singing. I have a very strong voice,

so he could hear me right then.

And we started singing together.

They were all watching us. They didn’t know about my birthday night. They

didn’t need to know.

Then the song was over and they were all clapping. I felt embarrassed.

He left the accordion and got the guitar. He started singing a song no one

knew.

Except for me.

He sang it that night. He told me he liked a poem I had suggested for him to

make it a song. He did it. It was one of my poems and it was the last song we

danced.

We both knew the lyrics, so we were the only ones singing. It was Singing

Souls.



He had respected everything. All he did was the music. Just that. I liked the

results.

Everyone stared at us like if they knew it was a little bit like our love song. So

they let us be and started to get going to their classes. Even his guitarist wasgone with the accordion.

"Hi", he told me after we ended the song.

"Hi"

"Sorry I had to leave like that but it’s just that I.."

I had to stop him from babbling. So I kissed him. One of the girls around

almost fainted. That was funny.

"Please, don’t apologize. I had classes and needed some sleep anyway."

"I love you. I don’t know how, since when or why. I just know that I love you."

"Me too, dear Ed, me too."

I had had my last class already, so I was free to leave.

We left together, holding hands, as I yearned to do since the first time I heardhis voice on the radio.

The end

a different birthday

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