Bashes, Rashes n more...

So, I’m a major now. Ok, not that I’ve realized it right now or anything. On the contrary, I don’t think I’d ever be able to digest that fact. Not anytime soon. And finally when I would, that day would coincidentally turn out to be 28th Oct 09 and then I’d be all like, “Shit, I’m 19!” and the cycle would go on. That’s what happens every year So, I’m eighteen and supposed to be an adult and all, though I hardly feel like one. Granted, I still look like a twelve year old, then again that’s a whole different story. Believe me, even now there are people who stand flabbergasted when I tell them I’m a B-tech first year student, as opposed to an eighth grader they were expecting me to be.

Anyway, this was my very first B’day away from home and though I thought I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it like my earlier birthdays, I certainly did. Of course, my parents’ absence was felt, but then I had made a promise to my mom that I would enjoy with my cousins and friends and stay happy. And really, it turned out to be a blast. It so happened that Diwali fell on the eve of my birthday, and so I ended up spending that day at my mom’s house. In the morning we went shopping for B’day clothes and chocolates, both for me and Tanku, whose birthday was two days after mine. Later, in the evening we had a birthday party for the two of us.

The next day was a working day, and so I had to return to the hostel. The whole time while I was on the car, calls and messages came flowing in. On reaching the hostel, there was a huge round of birthday wishes and hugs from all my wing mates, and then we all ran off to college. During lunch break, as we walked back to the hostel, I got a call on my mobile from my aunty and she was like, “Surprise! We’re outside your hostel!” They had dropped in at the hostel to wish me and had brought with them a huge box with a glossy wrapper, which I presumed would be a cake. So, that was my second cake for the day.

After distribution of sweets during the break, I was loitering about the corridor, and that was when Squeaky popped up from nowhere in front of me, took my hand and pulled me to her class. And there he was, with his ever-so-innocent expression, our one and only Soda Glass, with a Chemistry text book in one of his hands and a pen in the other, coming towards me with a sheepish smile. He flipped through the pages of the text, very seriously as though searching for some doubt he wanted to clarify, finally pulled an envelope from it and handed it to me, with a very bashful “Happy Birthday”. By then Giggly and Bubbly had joined us with their “what’s going on”s. They snatched the envelope from me and kept it in one of their bags, after which we returned to our classes.

In the evening, after dinner, Squeaky and the others sent me to Bubbly’s room as they wanted to rearrange the room for the birthday party. I was worn out by the day’s excitement, and so I dozed off on her bed. At 12 they woke me up and took me to my room and my, oh my, they had decorated the entire room with streamers cut out in various shapes and almost all colors, across the walls and the ceiling. There were bright colored balloons tied to the edges of the tables and beds with “Happy Birthday Mahi” written on them. The tubelights were wrapped with bright red plastic sheets, and actually that gave a very eerie look to the room. Really, how they had done so much in such a short period of time, still remains a mystery to me. I was so awe-struck at seeing the whole room that I stood there, clueless about what to do. At the center of the room was placed the cake, which the four of them had ordered for me. As I cut it everyone started singing the b’day song and then after a whole section of them stuffing the cake down my throat, we cut the second cake. Then Cheeky started sprinkling glitter all over me and soon the others joined too. Next was the gift opening section. There were a bunch of cards from many of them, but the one gift which was closest to my heart was what the four of them gave me, and that was the book “Gone with the Wind”, which I had always wanted to read. And then finally, they handed Soda Glass’s envelope to me. On the front, it was written “Open this with a smile”. It contained a card and a rosary, the type which glowed in darkness. It turns a bright green once you switch off the lights. Anyway, that was nice of him.
Oh, and mom and dad actually sent me a card from Dubai. A very cute one with a teddy bear on it. Thank you so much guys! You’re the best.
Yeah, so that was my b’day in a nutshell. And now if you’re wondering what’s with the title “bashes and rashes”, let me tell you that I’ve been getting rashes all over my body for the past two days. Doc says it’s probably because of some oily food I’ve eaten. Right now, I’m taking tablets and it’s a lot better. Really, last night I saw myself in the mirror and got the shock of my life. My face was all swollen up and I looked like I was at the verge of blowing up. Anyway, now I’m pretty fine.
Well nothing else happening here at the moment. Will be back soon. Actually, not so soon, considering the fact that my exams are round the corner. Anyway, till we meet again it's Mahi saying Adios!