I guess I wasn’t really expecting anything when I walked into the office Friday evening. I only work 25 hours a week and I’m just a temp (though that’s supposed to be changing here soon), so I didn’t expect bells and whistles for my birthday. Or even verbal acknowledgment for that matter.

But as I rounded the wall to my desk, I saw three pink-glazed donuts next to my keyboard. A candle of varying colors jutted from the hole of each one, elevating them from morning snack to birthday cake status. Taped to my monitor was an orange sign that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERIN!

They remembered. I was touched.

Behind her desk, Kaitlin stood up. “Barb and I  tried to find you cupcakes, but we remembered that you hate Dozen.” (I do. They’re over-hyped and non-tasty saliva-suckers.

) “So I had to settle on donuts from Starbucks.”

I didn’t care what they were or where they were from. I was just so happy to be remembered.

One of my favorite analysts – Chris – kept coming over and salivating above them. Barb said he had been doing that even before I got there. “You better watch out,” she laughed.

“He might try and steal one.”

An hour later, another analyst came over while the donut-drooler was still skulking around my desk.

“Oh, is it your birthday? Happy birthday!” she exclaimed.

“Yeah, happy birthday!” Chris echoed.

“Seriously?” I laughed at Chris. “You’ve been over here like, ten times already, and you’re finally wishing me a happy birthday?”

It was a slow night. Three of the analysts working the evening shift began bowling with apples. Then two of them found a toy dart gun and by the end of the night, they had made up four different games revolving around that.

It wasn’t the worst way to spend my birthday evening, that’s for sure.