SURPRISE!

I love surprises – usually.

I got two Tuesday.

The first one came just before Isaac left for school. The PSEO student announced he wouldn’t go to the college for his American-Sign-Language play practice that evening. Instead, he’d perform at the high-school music concert, playing numbers the senior-high band would perform for contest late Wednesday afternoon.

“YOU have a concert TONIGHT?” I sputtered.


Usually at the start of each school year,
families receive a concert schedule.
Our family didn’t get one this year.
Neither Isaac nor Aaron had signed up for band
at the year’s start due to class-scheduling conflicts.

However, Isaac decided to participate in band
on a part-time basis opposite his Monday-Wednesday-Friday college class. While our high-school senior succeeded in taking on a new position as the band’s tenor saxophonist, he failed to bring home a concert schedule.

First I emailed Dan. Then I phoned both sets of grandparents. We like to support our boys in their activities, but this last-minute notice would make things difficult. Dan had work up-to-his-ears. His folks had wee-hours-of-the-morning travel plans on Wednesday. Early Tuesday bedtime required.

My folks had already made a three-hour-round-trip visit for other activities twice in two weeks and have a third one on the calendar at this month’s end. Plus, today they planned to visit my mom’s cousin who was recovering from knee-replacement surgery. I understood everyone’s conflicts.

After school, I received the second surprise. My mom called to say, they finished their visit with her cousin.  In conversation, they’d mentioned Isaac’s concert – a surprise they’d declined. Her cousin said, “You know, you’re already half-way there.” Mom said his encouragement convinced them to drive the other 45 minutes for their grandson’s performance.

“I’ve got three Little Caesar’s pizzas here that I picked up for supper,” I said. “Come join us.” Mom declined saying she and Dad wanted to try out our town café instead. When I recommended their chef’s salad, she invited me and whoever-else-wanted-to-come-along to join them for supper. I knew Dan, Isaac and Aaron would be busy with work and basketball practice. And Noah – well, his love of Little Caesar's pizza was the reason I was a few minutes late in picking up him and his tuba after school today. Mom said, “Well, you come then. We'll call you when we come into town.”

I was just finishing supper-table preparations for the others, when Mom called, “We’re at the top of the hill,” she said. (See my blog’s banner photo? That was their vantage point!)  I replied, “I’m on my way.”

Together we sat down in a booth, ordered, ate our meals and chatted. Just me and my parents! When the waitress asked if we wanted dessert, they declined. As she walked away to total the bill, I pointed to red lettering in the window – “Special: Homemade Pie and Coffee Special $3.00” –and said, “They’re famous for their pie.” Mom and Dad looked at each other and asked, “What kind of pie?” I read off the flavors of the day. Coconut cream made Mom hold up her finger, wave the waitress back to the table.

“We’d like pie before we go to our grandson’s concert.”

Both the meal and the concert were a delight. Spending time with my parents was the à la mode to my slice of blueberry.

This morning, Isaac surprised me again. He said their band received a "Superior" rating from each of the four contest judges for their performance of "Novena." Afterwards, one judge came over to the 27-member band to confess, "I didn't know what to expect from a band this size. Yours was one of the most musical bands here!"    

SURPRISE! I love this sort.