birthday love

two days ago, september 8, i turned 22 years old. and in all honesty, i don't think i've ever, in my 22 years, seen SO much love for my birthday!

i mean, it was RIDICULOUS! let me give the rundown.

my sister started it off with the midnight call. 12:00:21am my phone rings with a sleepy 17-year-old woman saying "happy birthday reggie!" damn! she's 17!! i had to count from her birthdate to make sure.

later that morning, sept. 8, i woke up and took the train to my first present of the day - my new 6th grade students. i went to my classroom at 8ish, straightened up a few things and then proceeded to the auditorium to pick up homeroom 6-310, 21 of the smallest, baddest, sweetest, interesting kids this side of the mississippi. after leading them up to the classroom and going through a few introductions, i realized that the whole class either wants to be a chef, veternarian, or a professional baseball player for New York. First day routines took up most of the day and two seconds later, it was 3pm and we said goodbye.

when i looked at my phone at 3:15ish, i saw that i had about a dozen missed calls, about 7 voicemails, and countless new text messages. all of which were along the lines of "happy birthday". this was an initial surprise being that i haven't really talked to many people about it. but it was a pleaseant surprise nonetheless.

after doing some stuff to my classroom, i took a train to grad school around 5:30 where i got my next two birthday presents. i get to hop on the internet at the university, so my first present was facebook. and wow! my facebook friends showed me unexpected gargantuan love! my wall is now filled to about 3 pages of straight "happy birthdays" and my mailbox if full of birthday love and best wishes. i even got friend requests from people i haven't seen in years! then i go to my class, where i recieved my next gift. i was sulking in the front row, dreaming about how i didn't want to be in class on my birthday, and then, as the instructor got to the W's, my name was not called! she looked at me and said, "you're Wilborn right?" i said yes. she said, "didn't you send me an email saying that you wanted to be put in the Tuesday class?" my email stated that i wasn't going to be in class last week, i didn't say anything about a tuesday class. but hey, if she's throwing the ball, i'll catch it.

so i left class 3 hours early. a present from irony, one of my closest friends.

that messed things up for Momo though. she was planning a big surprise that would have been initiated while i was in class. so when i landed back in harlem at 7ish, she asked that i go to my apt for a while and wait. i, knowing i spoiled something, agreed and went to the apt to take a nap. when she did call, i went to her place, my mind going a thousand different directions to try to figure out what surprise was waiting for me. when i got there though, there was nothing but a bag on the bed, which she told me not to touch. i put all my stuff on the counter and sat at the cpu as she was still getting dressed. then she went to the corner store for one more thing, for her "surprise", and i waited at the cpu, looking at the facebook messages and birthday email.

20 minutes later, she came back, sad from not being able to find what she wanted from the number of corner stores she went to. i told her it was alright and gave her a hug. then we went to one of our favorite restaurants, accompanied by the bag that was on the bed. before dinner, we opened it and my present lay inside. a shaper image speaker system for ipods and mp3 players! something i really wanted but hadn't even told her!! my ipod shuffle will never be the same again.

we made it back to harlem around 10:45ish, and she suggested i get out of my work clothes and put on something more comfortable. i said ok, and walked back to the crib, feeling so loved from the countless phone calls, text messages, facebook shouts, voicemails, and my new portable speaker system. then as i walked into my room i was bombarded with ballons, ribbons, and a huge sign that said "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" hanging on my wall. no one was even there! my roommate was cooking noodles in the kitchen and was just as surprised to see it as i was. she hadn't let anyone in! i was out with momo!! who crept in my room while i was gone, flooded it with balloons and ribbone tapers, and left nothing of a note or sign??!!!

as it turns out. when momo was "going to the store", she grabbed my keys off her counter and went to my place. she had hidden the ballons in a trash bag outside her place, which i thought was just trash. she decorated and hurried back to me before i realized my keys were missing, and then took me to dinner without the slightest hint of mischief.

i was amazed! i was dumbfounded! i was shocked! i was dooped!!

i ran back to her place to give her a huge hug and kiss. as she opened the door, her face glowed with a bright orange hue. in her hands, she held a sweet potato pie, topped with two candles that read "22". i blew out the candles, set down the pie and gave her the biggest hug my arms could manage.

goodnight, and happy birthday mr. wilborn.