Mother's Day
May. 12th, 2008 07:12 amFor Mother's Day, since hey, I now live in the same state as Mom, I arranged with Stepdad to visit her as a surprise. It's a long drive (six hours), so I sneakily arranged with him to arrive on Saturday night, spend the night, go out for breakfast Sunday morning, raid the storage locker, and drive home. Mom had, Stepdad assured me, no clue I was coming. He made reservations for brunch and warned the front gate of the complex I was coming.
I will now tell stories on Stepdad, who is a man of great accomplishment. He can command troops, run bureacracies, fly airplanes, deliver important speeches in a foreign language fluently, and face down cameras and reporters. (Get the picture? I listen to Stepdad. Someday I might learn something.)
Also, it's a sure bet that Mom will read this to him aloud, chortling occasionally.
In any case, I left Sunnyvale at 2:30 PM and rolled up to the complex front gate at 8:45, approximately as scheduled. The gate guard looked at me suspiciously when I said, "Don't tell them I'm coming-- it's a surprise!"
Uh oh. I tried again: "I'm ______, ________'s daughter. My stepdad knows I'm coming; he should have called you to warn you. It's a surprise for Mom."
That was better. "Oh! I LOVE your Mom! She's such a sweet lady."
Within minutes I had a parking pass and a map. Five minutes after that, I pulled in the driveway and there was Stepdad, lurking outside with a flashlight. (Timing!) "Hello! Come on in. Your Mom has not a clue that you are coming," he said.
Walk in the door and... "Hi Mom, Surprise! Happy Mother's Day!" Result: She looks... pleased to see me, but not stunned. In fact, Mom gives me a So-That's-What-Was-Up look. Huh?
Apparently Stepdad-of-great-ability had uncharacteristically decided to mow the lawn at 8:30 PM on Saturday night, making her wonder what he was up to. After doing so, he'd called the front gate, gleaning in whispers the information that I'd just been through there. (He was quiet, but apparently, sound travels well in their house.) After that, Mom knew something was up, but just didn't know.... what.
So... note to self... if you need an organization led, ask Stepdad. If you need to arrange a family surprise, though, bet on Mom.
I will now tell stories on Stepdad, who is a man of great accomplishment. He can command troops, run bureacracies, fly airplanes, deliver important speeches in a foreign language fluently, and face down cameras and reporters. (Get the picture? I listen to Stepdad. Someday I might learn something.)
Also, it's a sure bet that Mom will read this to him aloud, chortling occasionally.
In any case, I left Sunnyvale at 2:30 PM and rolled up to the complex front gate at 8:45, approximately as scheduled. The gate guard looked at me suspiciously when I said, "Don't tell them I'm coming-- it's a surprise!"
Uh oh. I tried again: "I'm ______, ________'s daughter. My stepdad knows I'm coming; he should have called you to warn you. It's a surprise for Mom."
That was better. "Oh! I LOVE your Mom! She's such a sweet lady."
Within minutes I had a parking pass and a map. Five minutes after that, I pulled in the driveway and there was Stepdad, lurking outside with a flashlight. (Timing!) "Hello! Come on in. Your Mom has not a clue that you are coming," he said.
Walk in the door and... "Hi Mom, Surprise! Happy Mother's Day!" Result: She looks... pleased to see me, but not stunned. In fact, Mom gives me a So-That's-What-Was-Up look. Huh?
Apparently Stepdad-of-great-ability had uncharacteristically decided to mow the lawn at 8:30 PM on Saturday night, making her wonder what he was up to. After doing so, he'd called the front gate, gleaning in whispers the information that I'd just been through there. (He was quiet, but apparently, sound travels well in their house.) After that, Mom knew something was up, but just didn't know.... what.
So... note to self... if you need an organization led, ask Stepdad. If you need to arrange a family surprise, though, bet on Mom.