Happy Birthday To Me

I am sure that as I write this, the bell will toll and it will be March 4th. My birthday. I sort of like my birthday. Not particularly this year...I am feeling a bit old. I don't really want any parties or anything. However, I do like to be fussed over a bit thought for some reason. Gifts aren't really a big deal, I have most everything I need, and those things I really want are either not possible to buy or are way beyond our means to purchase. So, like I said, gifts aren't a big deal. Still I can be a bit hard to deal with on my birthday since I don't expect gifts, but I hope that Bridget does something nice for me. We already went out to dinner so things are already sown up this year. This is not a reminder either for everyone else. It is really just an excuse to write down something that I just remembered from years and years ago.

I skipped a grade in elementary school and afterwards I always felt awkward about it. I was younger and it often seemed to be an issue, either with others or with me. It seems like I fit in very well at my first elementary school when I was in the age appropriate class. I had some friends and don't remember any particular issues. When I switched to a different elementary school sometime after we moved to a new city I was given the option to move to the next grade. This was sometime after the school year had already started. Looking back, it is no wonder I was a little uncomfortable despite my inner pride at being able to skip a year of school. I mean, here is a goofy kid coming in to an new classroom where everyone has already made friends. I was probably doomed to be an outsider. I made one friend pretty fast and we spent time drawing spaceships and space battles during class. I am sure that made it even worse...

Anyway, time went on. [I think I will also start another story too here and then duck back to my intended story] I got in a fight with the kid down the street either that year or the next year. I seem to remember that he punched me in the cheek one day. I never got to punch or fight him back. He just hit me and I did nothing. I came home and my Dad noticed the swelling on my face when we were at the grocery store. I told him what went down and he told me to go up to him the next day and punch him right back in the face and then run away and find a big stick to protect myself. At least it was something like that. I remember being told to punch him and find a stick to protect myself from the bigger kid.

I was so nervous that next day. Nevertheless, my Dad said to do it, so I did at the first recess. Only I missed his face and hit in in the neck. Then I ran as fast as I could to get away and get my stick. My heart was racing and finally I stopped running and he found me. He asked my why I punched him. I said it was because he punched me yesterday. I had a stick and I am sure he could see I intended to use it if necessary. I just wanted the whole deal to be over. Eventually it was. Recess ended and there were no other consequences that day. Later he tried to pick a fight with me but I wouldn't do anything because I knew he would just kick my butt. I was a skinny kid back then and younger than him by at least a year or two. His name was Chuck. I often hated Chuck. Although he could occasionally be nice. Bullies are weird and Chuck seemed to have a split personality.

Moving on a couple of years to Jr. High. I always felt at a disadvantage physically and socially. I wasn't really one of the cool kids. I had some friends, but not many close friends. No best friend that I can remember back in 7th grade. Our Jr. High ended at 8th grade. The 8th graders were the kings of the school and they seemed a bit wiser than we little 7th graders. There were certainly some 7th graders that moved in the 8th graders' circles, but I wasn't one of them. I was smart and brainy that that was my rep. I had some athletic skills, but socially...still a bit awkward. I remember one of the cool 7th graders making fun of me saying I had a 10 pound head. My response was just, "well I probably do." When I agreed with him, it wasn't so funny anymore. Not that I intended that as a brilliant comeback or anything. I just figured that the human head probably weighed about that much and he thought that a 10 pound head was a big head I guess. Whatever...I ddigress...again.

I probably lacked a fair bit of maturity. I see 12 year olds and 14 year olds at church and I can tell a real difference. So no wonder I was in awe of the 8th graders.

Anyway, it was my birthday. I don't know how it got out. But one of the "cool" kids in the 8th grade found out. I had talked to him before a time or two--maybe I had a science or math class with him or something, I don't remember. I don't remember his name anymore either. But he was cool. And the guys he hung with were cool. And the girls in the group were pretty. And I was way out of my league with them in my mind. He came up to me before school that day and said something like this:

"Hey Devin, Happy Birthday man!"
(accompanied by appropriate handshakes and slaps and so forth)
"Thanks"

"Hey, ya know what I am going to do for your birthday?"

"No, what?"

"I am going to let you hang with us for the day. How would you like that?"

"That would be cool"

"Yeah, man...come hang between classes with us near the wall (there was a wall where all the cool kids leaned against during the time in between classes) and then come eat with us at lunch."

"Alright. Thanks!"

As I look back I find it funny. One, I was so in awe of these guys and girls. And two, this guy really had some power in the school. And three, even though reading that it comes off a more than a bit pompous on his part and a bit weak on my part, it was a nice thing. I think he was trying to be genuinely nice and I think he took pity on me for some reason. I was a nice kid I think, even if I was a geek.

So I went and hung with him and his buddies, one of which was this guy named David Bigelow who once tried to punch me for no good reason on the way home from school several months later. I believe he was totally on something else at the time because it made absolutely no sense (I think that guys like that need pick on what they see as an easy mark to make themselves feel a bit better). He missed me and I could run faster than he could. On that day, everything was great. Everyone was nice. Everyone said happy birthday and I felt like the big man on campus for a day. It was a cool thing to have happen in my sometimes pathetic world back then.

I remembered that day today while driving and I wanted to make sure I wrote it down for some reason. It was a pretty memorable birthday, more memorable than any gifts that I received that year apparently. Which supports my thing...I don't need gifts, just make a bit of a fuss over me and I am good. And yes, I am still a geek. Often socially awkward. But I am used to it now.