December Stories (A Memoir)

6. THE BISCUIT CASE

     My former and all-time favorite seatmate Kay Karen, gave me a gift during our December 26th shift.  I was then working at one of the top BPO companies and there were no such thing as Holiday for us to take a rest, what at least not in our account. 

      When she gave me a gift, I was like an impatient kid, I couldn't help wait for the end of our shift to check what's inside of it. Just like the rest of the gifts, I was curious with the gift she sent me, I took  a peek at it and then my heart sank. 

      I don't want to sound ungrateful, I mean whatever gift you receive at Christmas you have to remember it's always "the thought that counts".    But I guess, being immature at my age,  I expected something more, at least something NOT EDIBLE, I thought. The gift was a large cookie.  The case said CHOCOLATE BISCUIT though  weirdly enough, the said cookie was more like Mocha flavored because of it light brown color, and not chocolate dark brown. 

     The reason for my disappointment is because, I just thought; well after I "devour" this humongous biscuit as big as my palm, what is next? I wish the gift was more, well---lasting or at least non-consumable.  

     Time passed  and incoming calls for the shift poured down like rain, correction, like a hale of storm. Bombarded with them, my food and drink supply at my work station have depleted.   I was famished and dehydrated during my last break and now I have nothing to eat.  

      I have to munch something fast, I told myself.  Like everyone else, I can be a Grinch when I'm hungry.   Tired of leaving my workstation, I saw Karen's gift and I had a brilliant idea. Blinded by my hunger, I tore the gift wrapper that covered my seatmate's gift and took a bite. 

      

       Wham! The the scent of a strange odor reached my nose. It smelled like plastic and my teeth hurt as they hit the "biscuit".   It was then that I found out, that Karen's gift was actually a pocket mirror. For the second time that night, and with the same gift no less, my heart sank.  The irony is, the disappointment I had was of the opposite reason - I wanted the biscuit to be edible. 

   LESSON LEARNED: I should be grateful for what I have. I should not be expecting anything especially if it was just given to me. 

    But then again, I am human, I should not be too hard on myself.  I mean people makes mistakes and it's not like what I did was so sacrilegious unlike the people in Jesus' time. I mean, remember how they were rooting for military Messiah they got disappointed because Jesus was "meh" couldn't even hurt a fly. He was amongst them and what did they do instead, they crucified Him, simply because He was not what they expected!  They did not see that God had other plans, and that God's ways are not human ways. 

    I guess I could be crazy and gullible lots of times, and because God knows me pretty well that I'm like that, I guess he humored me with this incident. A bit wicked, but as I look back it was ridiculously funny. This brief incident reminded me, to whom something was given, embraced and appreciate it with all your heart.