I couldn't believe it when I learned it was Mom — my very own mother — who urged Vira and Vince to humiliate me in front of my employees by forcing me to have a birthday party.

Am I not too old for this kind of shit?

When we finally arrived at Ayala Hall, I was completely mortified to find it already in full capacity. My siblings and my girlfriend, on the other hand, were clearly pleased at the sheer number of people who wanted to celebrate my special day.

"Mom is so brilliant, isn't she?" Vira giggled. "She called me a week ago, reminding me of your upcoming birthday. And she encouraged me to enlist Vince and Mira's help in planning a surprise party for you."

I groaned. "Did you really have to do it, though?"

"Come on, bro. Don't be such a party pooper." Tumawa si Vince.

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one being humiliated," I mumbled. "Hey, please tell me it wasn't Vira who did all the cooking. I don't want my employees to suffer from food poisoning."

"¡Tonto! Of course I didn't cook." Vira rolled her eyes. "Ever heard of catering, Vren Andrei?"

"You should've just donated everything to Angels' Cradle. Mas natuwa pa sana ako sa inyo."

"'Wag kang mag-alala. Pupunta rin ngayon ang mga bata," nakangiting sagot sa akin ni Mira.

"Seriously?"

"Uh-huh." My girlfriend chuckled at my reaction. "Ako ang nakipag-usap kay Sister Amy para imbitahan sila. Actually, malapit na raw sila dito."

"So, this is really a full-pledged birthday party." I sighed. "Someone slap me to wake me up from this horrible dream."

"You're not dreaming, bro." Si Vince naman ngayon ang tumawa. "Look." He pointed to Ayala Hall's enormous doors. "Your little visitors have arrived."

"Kuya Vren!" My mini-me, Vren Andrei, came running towards me, followed by a bunch of other kids.

"Hey! I missed you, kiddos." I knelt down to level with them, grinning, my aversion to birthday parties already forgotten.

"Happy birthday, Kuya Vren!" the kids chorused in their tiny voices. I managed to catch a glimpse of Sister Amy, who was trailing them, before the little ones had engulfed me in a group hug.

"Dito ka po pala nagtatrabaho, Kuya Vren?" one of the kids asked.

"That's right." I patted him on the head. "At masaya ako na nakadalaw kayo rito."

"Pwede po bang dito rin ako magtrabaho paglaki ko, Kuya?"

"Ako rin, Kuya Vren! Gusto ko ring magtrabaho rito."

"Sama ako! Ano bang gagawin natin dito?"

I let out a hearty laugh and heard Mira and my siblings do the same.

"Lahat kayo, pwedeng magtrabaho rito. Pero kailangan niyo munang mag-aral nang mabuti. Maaasahan ko ba 'yon?"

"Opo, Kuya!" sabay-sabay nilang sagot.

Suddenly, a high-pitched voice filled Ayala Hall. It was magnified by a microphone, which made it ten times more painful to the ears.

"¡Hola! Ladies, gentlemen, and kids, please take your seats dahil magsisimula na ang program natin. Kaya gora na, karaka-raka! Baka maubusan pa kayo ng upuan! Wiz tayong pinlano na Trip to Jerusalem para sa araw na ito."

"Please tell me this is just a mistake," I said, eyes widening in panic. "No way will Alexia be emceeing my party."

Pinagtawanan lang ako ng mga kapatid ko at ng girlfriend ko.

"Yes way, Mr. Montevilla. Si Alexia nga ang kinuha naming emcee at wala nang iba," Mira confirmed, thoroughly amused. "Siguradong hindi magiging boring ang party mo."

"This party will be a disaster." I covered my face with my hands, which earned me another round of chuckles.

****

Alright, slash that. I actually had an epic birthday party.

To my amusement, every Medialink department came up with a presentation for the program, each number ending up being hilariously funnier than the last. One group even mimicked Grey Light — composed of five male employees from the Accounting Department — and even without asking, I already knew my silly girlfriend was the mastermind behind it.

But there was a slight mishap when I had to personally step on stage to stop Alexia from doing a solo sexy dance number that, according to him, was choreographed especially for me.

"Are you crazy? This place is loaded with kids!" I had to make my voice louder to ensure that he could hear me amidst the roaring laughter of the audience.

"Ayaw mo ba talagang makita ang performance ko, Papa Vren? Final answer?" Alexia pouted.

"Not. Interested." I grabbed the sleeve of his sparkly pink costume and yanked him away from the spotlight.

Mercifully, the kids were there to save the day.

The Angels' Cradle bunch prepared a lively dance number, their steps synchronized to a popular K-pop song. Juli and Miggie followed this with a piano and violin duet of a Disney track, which earned them an applause from the mystified crowd, much to Vira's pride and delight.

Once the presentations were over, Vince called for a toast. Glasses were raised and clinked, then the real party — the foodfest — began.

I was smiling from ear to ear as I watched my employees and visitors getting served with lunch.

"Ngiting-ngiti ang birthday boy, ah," Mira commented, elbowing me good-naturedly. "Nag-e-enjoy ka ba?"

"As a matter of fact, I am," I answered. "Thank you for taking time to organize this for me."

"Tumulong lang naman ako," she replied, unpresuming as ever. "Mas dapat mong pasalamatan sina Ate Vira at Vince, pati na ang nanay niyo."

"I will. Thank them, I mean." Still grinning, I glanced at Vira and Vince who were across the table, busy chatting with each other. "My siblings can be infuriating at times, but I'd give it to them — they know how to make me feel that they care about me."

"Of course." Mira gently squeezed my hand. "Kahit anong mangyari, kasangga mo ang mga kapatid mo."

"Ehem!" We both looked at Alexia — now back to wearing decent clothes, thank goodness — who had just approached our table. "Mira, sis... it's time to give your message to the birthday boy."

"You're giving me a message? On stage?" I asked my girlfriend, surprised.

Mira started to rise from her seat. "Siyempre! Pwede ba namang mawalan ako ng participation sa mismong party mo?" she added with a wink.

I watched in anticipation as she made her way to the stage, closely followed by Alexia.

"Everyone, please continue enjoying your lunch," our emcee reminded. "Pero habang lumalafang tayo, pakinggan din natin ang message ng babaeng bumihag sa maselang puso ng ating birthday boy. I give you, Ms. Mirathea Custodio!"

A mixture of clapping and giggling ensued, caused by the hilarity of Alexia's introduction for Mira.

"Thank you, Mr. Pinpin. That was a nice intro." Maging ang girlfriend ko ay natawa matapos siyang ipakilala ng kanyang kaibigan. "First of all, gusto kong magpasalamat sa inyo dahil sinamahan niyo kaming i-celebrate ang birthday ni Vren. Alam kong masaya ang karamihan sa inyo dahil nagkaroon kayo ng paid half-day off sa work."

Our co-workers at Medialink chuckled.

"Having said that, let me greet our big boss a very happy birthday," Mira continued, zeroing in on me. "Maligayang kaarawan, Ginoong Montevilla."

"Salamat, Binibining Custodio," pagsakay ko naman sa biruan. Muling tumawa ang mga nakapaligid sa amin.

"Only a handful of people know exactly how Vren and I met. Masyado kasing epic ang first meeting naming dalawa, at dahil pinapahalagahan ko pa ang dignidad ko ay hindi ko na lang 'yon ikukwento sa inyo." At these words, my siblings and Mira's three best friends snickered. Sila-sila lang kasi ang mga nakakaalam kung ano ang totoong nangyari nang una kaming magkita ng girlfriend ko.

"But even without knowing that story," Mira plowed on, "alam kong makaka-relate kayo sa first impression ko kay Vren. To me, he was this handsome yet terrifyingly serious guy. We are, in a lot of ways, complete opposites — kaya hindi na rin nakapagtataka na bwisit na bwisit kami sa isa't isa. Sabi ko nga noon sa sarili ko, kahit gwapong-gwapo ako sa mokong na 'to ay hinding-hindi ako magkakagusto sa kanya, dahil siguradong siya ang magiging dahilan ng maaga kong kamatayan."

The crowd let out another chorus of laughter.

"But as I got to know him better, I learned there's more to Vren than his repelling front. As it turned out, Mr. Terrifyingly Serious has a lighter side. And I consider myself very lucky to be among the few people who know that side of him."

"The Vren I know — the Vren I love — happens to enjoy singing. In fact, he used to be the vocalist of Grey Light, a band that could have given The Script a run for their money and career."

Mira paused, her eyes on mine. I smiled.

"He's the type of sibling who always looks out for his brother and sister, and while he's not expressive about it, I'm sure this is his way of showing how much he loves them. He also adores kids, and is a loving uncle to his niece and nephew."

Juli and Miggie, who were seated on Vince's and Vira's laps, glanced at me, beaming.

"But above all, for me, he is the best boyfriend. Not perfect, because let's face it, nobody is — but best nonetheless. After I witnessed how well he treated my family, I knew that this guy is for keeps." The tenderness in Mira's expression was impossible to miss. "You, Vren, are the best thing that's ever happened to me. No matter how many years should add up to your age, that will never, ever change. And that's a promise."