1st of April

(Couple in love at the beach)

It was my brother's birthday yesterday. No real big celebration, as he seemed a little 'distracted'. Perhaps the fact of turning 27 isn't something to look forward to. I can imagine, four years from now, how that must feel like.

Though I did get him some present. He may not have remembered my birthday, I did remember his. Because he loves to drink coffee, and makes huge mugs in the morning with those instant powdered coffee, I thought I'd get him a coffee maker. The latest 'sensation' is called Senseo, an invention made by Philips and Douwe Egberts, which is a famous Dutch brand of coffee. Basically, instead of coffee powder or beans, the coffee comes in pads that you put into the machine. With the help of high pressure and boiling water, a really aromatic blend of coffee comes out! Or so I hear... personally I don't really like coffee.

I had gotten the machine about a week ago. Went to a couple of stores to compare prices, and before buying I thought to myself I'll spend a maximum of around €50... But when I got to the store, I looked around and there were a couple of models on sale. The cheapest, and oldest model, was indeed around 50... but it was blue and plastic... the next best was 20Euros more, and the only difference was the water storage was bigger... and then I saw it. The very best, metalic coating, adjustable nozzle, extra, extra large water storage, coffee brewed in 30seconds... a must have! But the price....

I remember standing at the store, and the lady telling me all these functions. She could see that I was struggling, and that I probably wanted to spend only a little. I told her it was for my brother, and that actually birthdays come only once a year. She smiled, and sympathetically said it must be a hard choice. I stood in that showroom for like ten minutes... wondering whether my brother deserved such a nice present. To be honest, I can't remember the last time he did anything for me... I wondered if I would be a fool, and whether I would be, as always, much too nice to the point that people just take for granted the things I do... I thought about the kind of treatment I've be getting at home, and but balanced that thought against the fact that things have been going better between us recently... I thought about what someone once told me about how those instant coffee powder can be bad for your health, and reminded myself that brother's been drinking the same coffee day in and day out for years... I thought about how if you buy something, it'll be for a long time to come...

Later I would walk out that store parting with €130. Exactly enough to pay my mothly tuition fee instalment, but I was happy because I knew I could make someone else happy.

So the machine's been sitting in my room, hidden under some clothes for a week, and finally this morning I put it in the kitchen before brother went downstairs. I was excited, doing something so 'sneakily' without arousing any suspicion at all. Brother was of course very surprised, in a pleasant way, and kept saying I shouldn't have. Even just before bed, he thanked me again.

After all, it was his birthday, which really does come once in a year, and only once in a lifetime, if you think about it...