Sharkteeth's Birthday Celebrations

She turned twelve this year. Twelve. I can't believe it. I can still remember how she looked when I first saw her -- a tiny sleeping bundle with a full mop of hair. I was incredulous. I mean, aren't newborns supposed to be bald? Or at least wispy hairs? Well, not this one.

I remember falling asleep on the couch with her on my chest. She was a generally happy baby.

And now she's growing up fast. Too fast, if you ask me. She grew two inches over the summer break. Hay.

Anyway, off to the celebrations.

Yes, celebrationS. *Comatose na naman wallet ko*

The first was with her lolo and lola and the rest of the family. Mawawala ba ang spaghetti, hotdogs, and ice cream for the kids? Syempre hindi! Our closest relatives were there. Her favorite cousins were there. Her young friends were there, and despite the short notice, they came bearing gifts. Dresses, headbands, shirts, candies, cologne -- S was tickled pink! My aunt brought cakes (for me and for S). Fadear cooked my favorite sinampalukang manok. Ang saya-saya!

When we got back to Dumaguete, I asked S if she wanted to treat her friends to pizza and movies or I can just give her money so she can buy more books. I was expecting she'd choose the latter, given her LOVE for books, so I was quite surprised when she chose the former, saying that her friends will be so happy if they go to the movies together. On the day of her birthday, she also brought snacks for the entire class and was so pleased because her classmates made her so many cards and sang Happy Birthday for her. We also had a dinner at her favorite café.

Now let's move to the all-exciting pizza and movie treat. TheHusband and I chaperoned the kids, seven kids in all. It went swimmingly at first. We ate lunch at Shakey's. The kids, being kids, were so makukulit and maingay! I was pretty sure the blue-eyed French lady at the next table was on the brink of yelling at the kids. When we were leaving, I apologized for all the noise, but she was cool about it. A teacher, as it turned out. Bless her heart. TheHusband got the tickets and chips and off we went to the cinema, where we watched Mission Impossible 5. The kids loved Benjie! We weren't able to watch it from the start, so after the screening, I told TheHusband to just stay and watch the start while I bring the kids to World of Fun. It was quite hard to keep track of all six kids (one went home after the movies), but I just stationed myself near the two doors so I can see if someone leaves.

Two of the boys asked me to bring them to Globe where their parents were waiting, but when we got there, the parents weren't there yet. We went back and asked S to pack it up and told them we were getting ice cream. She came back to me, saying that one, J1, was missing. *Bumagsak ang puso ko* I immediately called TheHusband and then I asked the counter girl to look over the CCTV videos. Hmmmppp...it took us a bit before being shown to the CCTV room. She rang a sale first and the guy who was supposed to assist us had to set up something first. Meanwhile, aatakihin na yata ako sa nerbyos. I brought the two boys inside the CCTV room to look over the videos.

J2: "Dude, my mom's never going to let me join any party again. Ever."
C: "Right, dude? Never again."

*Mga dudes, hanapin nyo si J1 sa video, please.*

And they did, those two dudes did. Apparently, after S went back to me saying they couldn't find J1 and I went inside to go to the counter, J1 wasn't really missing at that point and nakasalubong ko pa, albeit I was looking at the other direction. The thing is, J1 left the play area, turned left, with no indication where she was going. In my mind, I was thankful that at least she wasn't kidnapped. I was all too ready to accuse a seedy-looking guy who had been looking intently at me as I was pacing outside the CCTV room. I belatedly realized that maybe he was looking intently at me because I looked like a raving lunatic and he was keeping an eye on me in case I suddenly attack him.

After the TheHusband came back from searching around the mall, I asked him to stay with the kids, lest we lose another one. I went to all exits and informed the guards and went to the mall's customer service to have her paged. It was a tad irritating because they wouldn't page her unless I give the surname, which I didn't know. I know it might become confusing if were many girls by that name who'd come to the customer service, but I asked that she give my daughter's full name as the one paging her. Ayaw pa rin. Jusko, may nawawala nang bata, protocol pa rin ang problema nila? It was useless arguing with their impertinence so I just left and looked around again.

Grabe, inikot ko ang buong mall! Ikot, ikot, ikot. On my way back to the group, I saw J1, watching ironed-on T-shirts being made. Coolly, calmly, not feeling nawawala at all. Good Lord. Sa totoo lang, gusto ko syang batukan. Kaya lang hindi ko anak eh. And I was just so relieved to find her. When I asked her why she left, "I don't know." Yun lang ang sagot nya sa mga tanong ko, "I don't know." Bwiset. It was as if she was oblivious to all the brouhaha she caused. Naiyak kaya si S kaka-worry sa kanya. No ice cream for her! When their driver picked her up, I told him she left the group and we thought she was lost, but he was only laughing. I related the story to one of the parents when she picked up C (dude 2), and she said, "Ay, ganyan talaga si J1. Bigla-bigla na lang kung saan-saan pumupunta." Goodness. Never again will I invite her. Aatakihin ako sa puso dahil sa kanya. A few weeks before her birthday, S got lost in the very same mall. I didn't even worry much because I know S, unless under some sort of duress, God forbid, will do the right thing, and true enough, after a few minutes, we were being paged to the customer service, where S proceeded when she couldn't find us.

So there. Alam nyo na kung bakit exciting ang celebration ni S. Alam nyo na kung bakit hindi na invited si J1 next time. And according to S, "No wonder she's very good in hide and seek."