Surprise

Jane found herself in an extremely good mood today. Usually around her birthday she would go into an unexplained funk.  She and Jack were having a grand-old time decorating Jack’s living room.  The music flowed and her good mood seemed to rub off on Jack. They stood on sofas and tables hanging balloons in every possible place a balloon could be hung. The roomed bordered on comical, with an edge.

Jack has always had a thing for Jane, and they seemed to have grown closer over the last couple of weeks. He was especially happy to be spending the day with her even though it was on a convoluted false pretense.  Impressed by his own cleverness, he hoped she appreciated his creativity toward her. His was a random mind, and usually when he had a half-baked idea, he usually ran with it. Why overthink anything.

More than likely unknown to Jane, was the fact that Jack had playfully fooled her into helping with a party he was throwing for her. The music of the Velvet Underground filled the room while they prepared the room with an abundance of color and splash. They both loved the music and much to his surprise she has kissed him warmly once or twice. They seemed to be melting together slowly.

Jack walked over to the kitchen cabinet and secured two small tumblers and a filled each, with a single sparkling ice cube as Jane continued preparing the room for the looming surprise party. She finished hanging a lime green Happy Birthday banner above the door leading into the kitchen and flashed Jack a suggestive grin.

“Suzanne will be here in an hour or so.  Hopefully Warren will get his act together and get here on time.” Jack said as he looked her directly in the eye while smiling nervously.

“Yeah I don’t anticipate her expecting anything. She is not the type to get caught up in birthdays.”  Jane added as she gestured toward the ice filled glasses sitting on the table.

“Fill up those glasses, I would like to take the edge off. surprise parties freak me out.” She said as she ran her hands through Jack’s thinning hair.

“Why are surprise parties such a spot of bother for you?” Jack said as he filled the glass from a collection he saved for special occasions, He lamented briefly how few special occasions he had recently.

She took a long slow slip letting the flavor  of the moment overtake her. Her belly tingled in a comfortable way.  She winked briefly at jack and grabbed him by his glass filled hand. He smiled and followed her to his bedroom, it was a quizzical unexpected turn of events in Jack’s hyperbolic world. Still he followed.

They were rather nervous around each other as they eagerly touched each other, unleashing either a sense of obligation or pent up building enthusiasm for each other.  Jane was surprised by how far she is letting herself go as Jack slid his hand tenderly up her dress.  It felt good to her as she set let herself relax allowing the afternoon to go where it was going to go. A ring of the doorbell brought her to her back to reality.

“Look at the time, it looks like the foreplay to the party have arrived.”  Jack said as he awkwardly, with a degree of difficulty,  zipped up his pants.  Jane adroitly brushed up, and quickly downed the drink Jack prepared twenty minutes prior. She picked up Jack’s drink from the bedside table, kissed Jack on the cheek, and walked toward the front door. She kicked a purple balloon that must have fallen from the wall. Soon after,  another violet balloon fell from the wall. The doorbell rang again above some cackles and guffaws.

She opened the door and there stood a gang of losers. There stood, people laughing and having a good time, showing up exactly as they had planned.

She gave them all a high five and told them the beer was on the cooler on the back deck.

Like a poorly placed hanging curveball,  Jessi her sassy work friend chortled back, – “I hear Jack has a very nice deck.”

Jane playfully glared back at Jessi and asked where Ahmed was with the rest of the beer.

“He’s standing on the corner suitcase in his hand. Ahmed was in a rock and roll band.”

“Of course, he is, that is what he does.”

Ahmed gave her a warm hug as he carried his suitcase into the house. “Sweet Jane, it is always good to see you. Suzanne should be here shortly; this should be an epic surprise.”

“I know, everything has worked to plan.” Jane said as she released Ahmed’s embrace.

“Surprise parties freak me out. If somebody threw me a surprise party, I would detest it.  I hate being the center of attention. It is inherently awkward.” Jane replied.

“Suzanne loves this kind of thing; she is going to dig the party.” They exchanged a furtive glance.

When they returned to the living room, Jack , noticing Warren and Suzanne getting out of their car.  You could always hear a Volkswagen bus coming a block away. He quietly ushered everybody to their seats and walked to meet Warren in the front yard. He nonchalantly  showed Warren and Susie, the spices he had planted a few weeks earlier.

The three walked in talking,  and Jane yelled out “SURPRISE”. Hers was the only voice to yell out SURPRISE.

There was awkward silence in the room until Jessi let out a slight giggle, then a little louder giggle. And soon others in the room started the same pattern of giggling. Soon most of them were laughing hysterically fueled by each other’s laughter.  As if by a silent signal, the laughter stopped somewhat suddenly.

As if on cue, everybody in the room turned toward jane and shouted ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’

It was Jane’s turn to laugh and that is what she did. She laughed hysterically and with great relief knowing Jack and her friends have played a damn clever joke on her.  She loved this kind of chicanery.

And it kind of hit her suddenly. “I think Jack really likes me.”

This made her giggle. It made her happy. She was surprised.

J