Happy Birthday to Me.
"Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to Martini. Happy Birthday to you!!” my teammates sang.
“Thanks guys,” I cried.
“Make a wish,” Mimi exclaimed excitedly.
“OK, ok.”
As soon I was done, Oz and J.D started to distributing the Double Chocolate Cosmic that they gotten specially for me. J.D saved the biggest piece for me, knowing how much I love chocolate dairies. I slowly savoured the cake, enjoying every bit of the cake, right down to the ingredient of the cream. I was so into the cake that I forgotten that I have people around me until Barne poked me at the side of my tummy.
“Hey, Martini, you’re another year older.”
“Yah, so?” I asked in return, puzzled.
“You’re still unattached,” Barne grinned.
“I’m happy being single and for all you know, I might actually be married in 2 years time,” I smirked, little did I know….
“Anyway, here’s something from me and Danny,” Barne said and handed me a shining lilac box.
“What’s inside?” I asked, feeling grateful for the present.
“It can keep you occupied when you’re lonely,” he laughed.
“OK, thanks.” I shook my head. Later, I found that it just a very big puzzle set.
I received quite a bunch of stuff from my colleagues, most of them were shared among 2-3 colleagues except the one from Mimi. Her gift was from her alone and not shared amongst our colleagues. It was a teddy bear that comes in with built in fortune cookie ability. Each time the teddy bear is squeezed and a button is pressed on the stomach, a phrase or an expression will be said by the teddy bear. The weird thing was that it was not fortune cookie, it was more like love cookie. Even weirder was the very first cookie I got, “Your admirer is around the corner, watching you and waiting to be uncover”. It sounds a bit creepy actually.
The very last present I unwrapped was the one from Scotch. It was shared by J.D, Vod and Alyst. It was something that I had already chosen days before. Scotch had taken me to his father’s antique collection shop days before New Year’s eve and showed me the more expensive and more collectable items that his father had at the back of the store. Not much customer could afford the stuff which he showed me in the private exhibition room.
Upon me seeing the room, he asked me to select an item from the room. I was reluctant. Most of the items there cost a fortune, even for us. It was not until he revealed that he was sharing the gift with another 3 friends that I finally gave in to my desire; even so, it took me quite a while to understand a few simple things from the items in the room. Out of all the items in the room, only ancient weapons fascinate me. I stood at the corner for ancient weapon and looked through thorough every item that the little corner had to offer.
The one weapon that caught my eyes was an L-shaped weapon -as Scotch told me- known as a revolver, more accurately known as a ‘Magnum’. It was silver in colour except for its handle which was black and it was still shining from its cleanliness, a rather rare sight on antiques. Holding it in its correct manner somewhat feels natural in my hands, as if the weapon had been waiting for me to pick it up.
“I knew a weapon would be the best for your birthday. Just I didn’t know what exactly to get you,” Scotch said after noticing that I had been fiddling with the magnum for quite some time before putting it back in its resting spot.
“Why?”
“Revolver could give you a better protection when it comes to our duty.”
I held the revolver against the light, holding it in the right orientation. Somehow, I could feel that this little dude is going to keep me company for quite some time. Secretly, even before Scotch announced that he would give it to me for my next birthday, I named it Jackal, the Soul Banisher.
That night, on my birthday, I held it against the darkness of the sky. Admiring it for the first time because Jackal is legally mine now. The silver colour stood out in contrast of the night sky. I couldn’t help but wonder how it’s like when I really used it for the first time. Would it be as cool as I imagined it?
Years later…..
A long time had passed since the first time he held Jackal against the darkness of the sky. The first time when he held Jackal up against the black sky, it felt as if a friend who gives him confident in battlefield, a friend that one could count on no matter what. Ever since that fateful night, Jackal had kept him company for as long as he remembered. The revolver was sort of a tangible piece of beautiful memory. Now, after so long, it feels as if Jackal still smiled upon him when he held the gun up against the sky. However, now it feels as if a comrade-in-arm is smiling upon him. A comrade that had been looking out for him ever since they knew each other. It’s a pity a revolver can’t drink along with him as much as it felt like a comrade.
“Hey, pussy, not resting from the party?” Joe squeezed Martini’s shoulder.
“Neh, I finally get be alone.” Martini said punching Joe’s chest.
“Party not to your liking?”
“Neh, just wanted to do some reflection. Something of birthday habit.”
“Self-pleasuring?” Joe smirked. Martini only smirked back at his captain.
Martini took another sip from the bottle of Chocolate Cognac before looking back at the horizon. It was moments of silence before Joe asked about Martini’s present. Martini had not looked at it yet, choosing to look at it later in the morning. “It gives me the feeling that Christmas is here earlier,” he laughed.
“Honestly though….” Martini started. “There comes a time in your life when you stop counting the number of present you received.” Joe looked at Martini for a second, wondering where did his wisdom come from.
“…and there comes the time when you started to count your blessings instead,” Martini continued. “You want a sip?” Martini offered his drink to Joe.
“I could do without the drink. I guess being able to do reflection on a quiet night like this is a blessing for us too, huh?”
“Yeah.” Martini smiled.
A few more minutes into the quiet cold night, Joe got up and left Martini alone to himself. That night was a little chilly, rather quiet and the night breeze was lingering in the station’s park. A night quite perfect for reflection, reflection of one’s present life, past and good old days that one used to had, of the beautiful innocent memories of one’s life. A perfect night to enjoy a bottle of drink without having to worry about anything. A night to enjoy the wind on your face, to enjoy the rustling of leaves, the singing of the crickets, to sit on the softness of the grass. A night that is simply splendid from the simple fact of being alive and being able to savour the very taste of drinks. A night without anyone else but himself.
“Just the way I like it.” Martini smiled to himself and took another sip of drink from his bottle.
