The phone rang; it was the receptionist asking me to go to the front desk for a bit.
“Sure.” My name card order probably came through this time – there was a misprint on the first order they made.
I was greeted with a huge bouquet as I approached the front desk counter - a beautiful bundle of purple and pink surrounding a cute white teddy bear peeking out of a sea of white roses and cuddles of petite violet flowers.
Something like this.
“Your birthday ah? Special day today?” the receptionist nodded at the bouquet, leaning forward eagerly. I smiled politely as I took out the mini card that stuck out from the bouquet, although I was pretty sure what it was all about at that point.
DEAREST DEE
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
The familiar handwriting, the Ferrero Rochers placed meticulously in the midst of the flowers; I was staring at it for a few moments until I felt another presence right beside me.
It was one of my seniors. “Wah! So nice ah, your birthday?” She tiptoed to get a better look.
“Umm, nola…”
“Bring inside la! Put on your desk ma, let everybody see,” she wiggled her eyebrows mischievously.
“You leave it here, all your chocolates will end up missing.” The receptionist joked as she waved at one of the girls passing by to join in.
Even though all I really wanted to do was skip around the office with the gorgeous bouquet cradled in my arm, somehow I could already see the unimpressed looks on my bosses’ faces as they labeled me ‘unprofessional’. I gave the bouquet one last longing glance and put it behind the counter reluctantly.
“I’ll pick it up on my way out later,” I beamed at the girls.
“Shy pulak…” After a few more rounds of good-natured teasing, I returned to my desk, but it was all I could do to not appear ‘unprofessional’.
Then I stumbled upon what he wrote for me online… and it was all I could do not to start tearing up like an open faucet in the middle of the office.
I’m at my wit’s ends trying to describe this without sounding too lovey-dovey – I know what a hair-raising, eye-rolling feeling it is to read about other people’s intimate love life details. Especially when they gush and exaggerate.
But it was the sweetest words ever. It wasn’t all that eloquent, nor was it all that smooth (or grammatically correct, hehee), but it was more touching and meaningful than any one-liner I could ever come up with for a Hallmark ad.
I wish I can bottle up these feelings right now and keep them with us forever.
