By: adebanjo.near
Adebanjo
“No child of mine should ever celebrate birthdays again,” decreed Mr. Roland, a business man who had lost his first child to a tragic car accident while coming home after going to have fun with his friends on his 20th birthday.
Mr. Roland had four children whose names include Raphael, Josh, Hannah and Natasha. Natasha happens to be the last daughter of Roland Oswald living in the suburb of a small and peaceful town known as Katamani in the Central Africa. All Natasha ever wanted in her life was to celebrate even if it was a minute out of the day of her birth but due to her father’s decree. However, the incident that claimed the life of her late brother Raphael when she was just 3 sadly made her conclude it only wishful thinking.
MarmaJ happens to be a wonderful teacher in her community who offers free lessons on vocational studies to people who wish to learn one vocation or the other in Katamani. MarmaJ is not only kind, hard working and generous but also a very good teacher that loves to keep the birthday dates of all her students. Natasha happens to be one of MarmaJ’s students who is studying painting and all her paintings depicts characters having fun while celebrating their birthdays.
MarmaJ bakes cake for all her student on their birthday, but she notices that once it gets to the day of Natasha’s birthday – she is usually missing from class.
Having observed this, MarmaJ then decides that she would plan a very big surprise birthday party for Natasha on her 15th birthday. Unknown to Natasha, MarmaJ has concluded that since Natasha had always been absent on her birthdays, they would celebrate the day after her birthday when she would be present in class.
Then came this great day that Natasha turned 15, as usual she was absent from the vocational center knowing fully well that Marma J would want to celebrate her day. But as planned by Marma J and her friends, her birthday had been postponed till the next day that she would be present. On getting to the training center, the next day Natasha turned 15, everywhere there was quiet and the centre was empty. Natasha was surprised at the empty halls and rooms and assumed MarmaJ had traveled and canceled class. Then she thought for a moment that Marma J would never travel without giving notice. Unknown to her, the vocational centre had a field behind and there all the students and MarmaJ had been waiting patiently to see her emerge to shout “Happy Birthday!” to Natasha. The moment she emerged and saw the surprising act with everyone shouting “Happy birthday, Nat”, she ran fearfully back to her house and told her parents all that her teacher and her friends had done at the centre.
This single act, then made MarmaJ conclude within herself that something was definitely wrong. Along with some of her friends, MarmaJ went to Natasha’s house to look for her and upon getting there she met Mr. Rowland who furiously shouted at Marma J, “Why on earth would you celebrate my daughter after I have made a decree that no member of my family should ever celebrate their birthdays?!”
MarmaJ was shocked as a result of the unexpected attack from Mr Rowland and she slipped off the stairs and then fell flat on the ground. Then Mr. Rowland said, “This is the bad luck birthday brings into my home. First it was my son and now it’s my daughter teacher.” After sometime, MarmaJ recovered and told Mr. Rowland to calm down. All the student helped MarmaJ up and then she asked why birthdays had become a curse rather than a blessing to their home. Mr. and Mrs. Rowland gazed at each other and then took a deep breath and then narrated how they had lost Raphael on the day he celebrated his 20th birthday and how he concluded within himself that every birthday celebrated in his home would remind him of the death of his son.
MarmaJ explained that remembering his son would honour him and did not have to be a source of only pain. He could be remembered with joy. Mr. and Mrs. Rowland looked up at MarmaJ and told her they would think about her words. And the next year, when Natasha turned 16, they allowed her a birthday and they took time to remember Raphael with love.