Today is -- or was-- my birthday. It didn't feel special or anything. Just a day, an ordinary day.
12.05am The first SMS came in. It was from Taiwo, the first girl I ever had a crush on. Primary 4 then. My God!
12.07am My sister calls. Birthday wishes. I wish she'd just go to sleep.
12.08am It's Az now. I'm surprised. (She's a girl I've been "eyeing" recently. Pretty thing.) Good sign though.
12.14am I sleep... Hope I wake up.
07:35am I do wake up. But with a headache and a slight fever. I had slept off on the couch. Ouch! Five messages on my phone. Seven missed calls. My eldest sister, Lizzy, and some strange numbers. Well wishers, I hope.
08.30am Chi calls. I don't want to pick up but I do. We broke up a week ago. She won't let go easily though. I try to be nice. I am, surprisingly. Would the other ex-girlfriends call? I wonder...
09.00am I get ready for church. I haven't been to church in a month. My Pastor has been asking after me. Today, I have to go. I can't afford not to be grateful to God for another birthday. I get to church late as usual. But, better late than...
12.28pm LL calls while I'm in church. I wished to talk to her. Her voice is like a lullaby, gentle and velvety. I enjoy hearing it. I have a very very soft spot for her. Yes, I know.
01.15pm Church is over. We head home. Jollof rice and chicken awaits.
01.25pm I get a call from Arigbs that I have to see the CORA people for an update on their website which I happen to be designing. 2pm, the meeting is. Too short a notice. Can I make it? I wonder... There and then, I decide not to. It's my birthday after all. I'm entitled to some rest. After today, I can start working like a donkey again.
02.05pm I start watching a movie -- The Crucible. Crazy movie. Disk skips at the most interesting point! Gawd! Freaking Alaba boys!
02.29pm LL calls. I'm happy. I don't know why...
02.45pm Pack my stuff. On my way back to my apartment in Surulere. My family doesn't want me to go. Too bad. Work starts tomorrow again.
03.16pm On the bus. I'm getting depressed. My fever is peaking. My head is splitting. I taste nothing on my tongue. A thought crosses my mind. I shiver. It won't be fun to die on one's birthday...
04.01pm Sino calls to ask if I am at Surulere. She wants to come over with a friend. Good.
04.15pm I try Arigbs's number. Can't get through. Want to inform him I won't be able to cover the bukARTeria show by the Crown Troupe today. Again, I can't be on duty on my birthday. Come on!
04.45pm I'm getting worse. My body is hot all over. I pick my phone to call LL. I stop. I lie down. I stand up. I try to do something. I wash my dirty plates. I play a game on my computer. I'm losing my mind.
05.15pm I start re-reading Purple Hibiscus.
06.30pm Sino comes with her friend. They bring me a cake. Brilliant! The only gift this poor boy has received today. I serve them some rice. NEPA brings light. We watch Desperate Housewives and a little bit of The Crucible. Disk skips again. Bastard!
08:15pm They leave. I'm alone all again. But not really. I connect to the net. Eghosa is online. Great! We start a chat session. It's smooth and good. I read Uche Nworah's post on Binyavanga. I'm mad. I post a comment on his blog and yab the guy small.
10:50pm Eghosa starts to say something about an Asaba Massacre. Part of the civil war. National troops line up about 700 Ibos. They shoot them to death. I go mad. These things happened in the same country? Why was everyone keeping quiet about it? Complicity. I can't take it. I search the internet and I'm shocked. Everyone was mad during the war. Everyone was freaking mad. Half of a Yellow Sun begins to make more sense.
11.15pm Eghosa goes offline without warning. I'm left alone with Cool FM and some rice. I get moody again. I reflect.
The exes didn't call. I expected T to, after all I called her on her birthday. Pity. Y didn't call either. She must have forgotten. E didn't too. Not surprised. She never cared anyway. Lots of my friends didn't even remember that it was my birthday. Pity. A guy who loves a lot of people, who lots of people only care about on the surface. Pity.
Maybe I'd make some changes to my life today. Care less about some friends. Care more about my spiritual growth. Care more about my fellow humans. Start writing a movie script on the war. Revive a blog that has been lying fallow for over a year. Re-think my opinion about life.
What's in a birthday? Another year gained or another year lost? Another step further away or a step closer? A testament of life or a testimony of death? Time to feel happy or time to feel depressed?
I really don't know... I hope I'd be better tomorrow.
12.05am The first SMS came in. It was from Taiwo, the first girl I ever had a crush on. Primary 4 then. My God!
12.07am My sister calls. Birthday wishes. I wish she'd just go to sleep.
12.08am It's Az now. I'm surprised. (She's a girl I've been "eyeing" recently. Pretty thing.) Good sign though.
12.14am I sleep... Hope I wake up.
07:35am I do wake up. But with a headache and a slight fever. I had slept off on the couch. Ouch! Five messages on my phone. Seven missed calls. My eldest sister, Lizzy, and some strange numbers. Well wishers, I hope.
08.30am Chi calls. I don't want to pick up but I do. We broke up a week ago. She won't let go easily though. I try to be nice. I am, surprisingly. Would the other ex-girlfriends call? I wonder...
09.00am I get ready for church. I haven't been to church in a month. My Pastor has been asking after me. Today, I have to go. I can't afford not to be grateful to God for another birthday. I get to church late as usual. But, better late than...
12.28pm LL calls while I'm in church. I wished to talk to her. Her voice is like a lullaby, gentle and velvety. I enjoy hearing it. I have a very very soft spot for her. Yes, I know.
01.15pm Church is over. We head home. Jollof rice and chicken awaits.
01.25pm I get a call from Arigbs that I have to see the CORA people for an update on their website which I happen to be designing. 2pm, the meeting is. Too short a notice. Can I make it? I wonder... There and then, I decide not to. It's my birthday after all. I'm entitled to some rest. After today, I can start working like a donkey again.
02.05pm I start watching a movie -- The Crucible. Crazy movie. Disk skips at the most interesting point! Gawd! Freaking Alaba boys!
02.29pm LL calls. I'm happy. I don't know why...
02.45pm Pack my stuff. On my way back to my apartment in Surulere. My family doesn't want me to go. Too bad. Work starts tomorrow again.
03.16pm On the bus. I'm getting depressed. My fever is peaking. My head is splitting. I taste nothing on my tongue. A thought crosses my mind. I shiver. It won't be fun to die on one's birthday...
04.01pm Sino calls to ask if I am at Surulere. She wants to come over with a friend. Good.
04.15pm I try Arigbs's number. Can't get through. Want to inform him I won't be able to cover the bukARTeria show by the Crown Troupe today. Again, I can't be on duty on my birthday. Come on!
04.45pm I'm getting worse. My body is hot all over. I pick my phone to call LL. I stop. I lie down. I stand up. I try to do something. I wash my dirty plates. I play a game on my computer. I'm losing my mind.
05.15pm I start re-reading Purple Hibiscus.
06.30pm Sino comes with her friend. They bring me a cake. Brilliant! The only gift this poor boy has received today. I serve them some rice. NEPA brings light. We watch Desperate Housewives and a little bit of The Crucible. Disk skips again. Bastard!
08:15pm They leave. I'm alone all again. But not really. I connect to the net. Eghosa is online. Great! We start a chat session. It's smooth and good. I read Uche Nworah's post on Binyavanga. I'm mad. I post a comment on his blog and yab the guy small.
10:50pm Eghosa starts to say something about an Asaba Massacre. Part of the civil war. National troops line up about 700 Ibos. They shoot them to death. I go mad. These things happened in the same country? Why was everyone keeping quiet about it? Complicity. I can't take it. I search the internet and I'm shocked. Everyone was mad during the war. Everyone was freaking mad. Half of a Yellow Sun begins to make more sense.
11.15pm Eghosa goes offline without warning. I'm left alone with Cool FM and some rice. I get moody again. I reflect.
The exes didn't call. I expected T to, after all I called her on her birthday. Pity. Y didn't call either. She must have forgotten. E didn't too. Not surprised. She never cared anyway. Lots of my friends didn't even remember that it was my birthday. Pity. A guy who loves a lot of people, who lots of people only care about on the surface. Pity.
Maybe I'd make some changes to my life today. Care less about some friends. Care more about my spiritual growth. Care more about my fellow humans. Start writing a movie script on the war. Revive a blog that has been lying fallow for over a year. Re-think my opinion about life.
What's in a birthday? Another year gained or another year lost? Another step further away or a step closer? A testament of life or a testimony of death? Time to feel happy or time to feel depressed?
I really don't know... I hope I'd be better tomorrow.
