Fulfilment

I was never a festive kind of person. I wouldn't call myself an introvert, though, but I disliked gatherings, parties, and get-togethers. On several occasions, I had even forgotten my birthdays, and when the few friends I have managed to keep remind me of it, I only smile and go about my day like it was nothing. Truthfully, I was always happy on each of my birthdays, and I would treat myself to a nice meal at the end of the day. Several times my friends had tried to convince me to have a party, but on each attempt, they always failed because I wouldn't budge.

That very year, I let my guard down for a second, and my friends took that opportunity to get me into one hell of an experience. And guess what; it was awesome.

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"Hey Jane, how are you doing? We're hanging out tonight. Would you like to join us?" My closest friend, Vanessa, asked me.

I curled up in bed and wrapped myself with the duvet, then from the top side, I peered at her and shook my head in response.

"You know what? I can't do this anymore. You're going to get dressed, and you're coming with me." Vanessa said to me and threw the duvet off my body.

"Nessa, can you stop? I don't want to go anywhere. I'm exhausted from the day's work, and I need to sleep." I argued with her.

"There isn't a single person here who isn't busy and exhausted, but you've got to take things easy on yourself sometimes and hang out." Vanessa advised, but as usual, it fell on deaf ears. After much persuasion, she gave up and went to the party with our other friends.

Vanessa, Nicole, and Kelvin were my only friends. Though they associated with some other people, they were the only ones I could let into my life. I loved them because they understood my kind of person, though on several occasions, they would complain about my introverted attitude, but it was a good thing that they didn't take it out on me too much. Whenever they got the chance, they would come over to my place and we would have fun.
Well, if someone were to see me during these times, the person wouldn't believe that I hardly spoke more than two words on a normal outdoor day.

My birthday was fast approaching, and as usual, I had no plans for it. On that fateful morning, I slept like a log. I was still asleep when I heard someone screaming my name; I immediately jumped to my feet and draped a jacket over my shoulders, and then I walked to the balcony and looked outside.
The sight I met was enormous and breathtaking. I saw a group of persons; three held a portrait with my face on it, and others waved balloons. I caught sight of Vanessa, and she smiled at me and waved at me to come downstairs. I couldn't move; it felt like my feet were glued to the floor, and just then, one of the guys played a birthday theme with a trumpet, and tears rolled down my eyes.

Some minutes later, the group dispersed, and my friends came up to my apartment. There were lots of boxes, and I couldn't tell which one I'd open up first. Nicole opened a box filled with fried chicken, and she also brought out two bottles of wine. Kelvin set the table and placed a huge cake on it, and Vanessa quickly placed candles on the cake and lighted them up. I was filled with surprise.My previous birthdays, I always spent it with my friends, but there was little or no festivity to it, but on this particular birthday, they went the whole nine yards in surprising me.

"You guys must've spent a lot on this. Was it really necessary?" I asked them and took a chunk of meat into my mouth.Vanessa laughed.

"It's your birthday, and since you'd obviously not want to celebrate it, we thought we could shake things up a little." She said to me.

"Come and blow out the candles." Nicole said. I nodded and knelt in front of the gigantic cake.

"This cake is huge. How do we eat it?" I asked.

"We'll eat the ones we can eat, and we'll take some to give our other friends. You could keep the rest in the refrigerator for another day." Nicole responded.

They sang the birthday wishes again, and I blew out the candles. I was very excited, and I screamed happily. Kelvin got up and connected his Bluetooth to the speaker, and he turned on his music and took the volume to its highest. We screamed and danced to the music while drinking the wine Nicole had brought with her. It was awesome.

Source

Though it was just the four of us, my happiness knew no bounds, and I realized that my friends loved me just as much as I loved them, and they did their best in making my day.That birthday has always been on my mind, regardless of the fact that it had happened some years back. I still can't let it out of my head because that day, I believed that I had the time of my life, and it was all thanks to my wonderful friends.

Thanks for reading.