My Overseas Birthday

I'm much too old to go around announcing my birthday ahead of time. Plus, I had reason to believe that people at the office might make a fuss if they knew it was coming. I've already told you how terribly spoiled I am, haven't I?

Also, I had told a few people of the tradition at my office back in Ohio that required us to bring in our own birthday treats for our co-workers. That had always worked out well. So, on the way in to the office this past Wednesday, I stopped at The Grand Sweets and Snacks and picked out half a dozen each of five different Indian sweets that looked good to me.

But I had done some laundry that morning, and gone to Mary and Steve's for homemade bagels (what a birthday treat that was!), so I got in to the office quite late. It was really too close to lunch to start handing out treats, so I didn't say anything. Besides, after everyone has come back from lunch, we have tea, so I thought I'd have a little work meeting with the team, and also pass out some sweets. After that, I would take the rest to the people on the other IT teams, as well as friends in the HR department.

In the meantime, one of the guys on the team, who had taken half a day off to go with his father to the doctor, called in to say that they were still waiting and he would have to be gone the whole day. Yet another snag in my plan; I blurted out to the woman I was working with that he would miss the birthday treats I had brought in. And that was my big mistake; she gave me up!

Even my afternoon plans were not working out: the team of six never seemed to be working at their desks at the same time. Where were the three young guys on the team? Had they gone for a snack right after lunch? Even so, why weren't they back? Things were getting strange, and I was beginning to get suspicious. When Steve came by--he had been ill and not in the office much that week--the head of HR needed to talk to him privately. At that point I was convinced that something was going on, and was not too surprised when Steve told me that we were wanted down in the HR office.

Sigh. In the center of the office was a cake with the words, "Happy Birthday, Cathy Williams" and about 20 people showed up to sing a full three verses (Did you know?) of the standard birthday song. Yes, candles to blow out, too. Since my treats had not yet seen the light of day, I brought them down also, and we had a nice feast. Afterwards, very much in keeping with the Indian Christian traditions, the manager of the entire office prayed a lovely prayer for me.

So, it was a lovely day, and the fuss I tried to avoid was just arranged in less time than if I had given some warning. That evening Steve, Mary, and I went to the home of an Indian family that we've gotten to know mostly through the ministries Mary works with. The invitation had nothing to do with my birthday, but Mary hadn't been hesitant to give out that information, so there was a second chocolate birthday cake, with candles, but just one verse.I'll have no trouble remembering my overseas birthday, and it will probably always be with a chuckle. Remember those guys that disappeared from the office in the afternoon? The cake was from the whole office, but the gift they picked out was from the team of six Indians that works with us. Who do you think this is suppose to be, anyway? She just doesn't look Indian.