It turned out not to be the Aprilia Primero Fullery model that everyone was expecting, as judged by all the Facebook comments.
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“Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you…” I hear singing coming from the outside as I open the garage door. Why are Alice and my parents there? Andy and I are about to get in my car and drive down to pick them up and go out for dinner.
Just a few seconds prior, Andy pointed to the trunk of my old car of sixteen years, “Hey, what happened to your car?”
The planning had been going on for weeks. We’ve been discussing the fact that my car has been patched up so many times; it’s probably time to update and upgrade. Even my friend and colleague, Barth, asked me when I was going to get a new car and what kind it will be. “Maybe something eco, like a Volt or the Leaf,” I said.
“You can’t do that!” Barth exclaimed, “You just can’t do that!”
Then, my siblings also kept asking me about my car color preference—not that it mattered, because I wasn’t planning on buying one soon. Andy made several trips to the dealership and arranged to have it picked up on April Fools’ Day. Apparently, the plan was to have the car picked up on the Thursday before, but that would risk me discovering it.
Yesterday, Andy, Alice, and I drove out to lunch for Jayce’s birthday with a group of friends, and afterwards, I went to the gym to do a leg and abs workout. It was good, and I came home mid-afternoon. In the meantime, Andy went to the dealership, picked up the car, and drove it home, all the while checking to see what I was up to. I happened to be busy futzing with my camera’s autofocus settings. Then, we planned to go out for dinner, like an early birthday meal. I wanted coffee first, and while I was making the French press, my dad drove the car and positioned it outside the closed garage door, right behind my old car.
After coffee, my parents and Alice went out and asked to be picked up down the driveway, while Andy and I would get into my car first. Andy had to get his shoes, which was a stall tactic. By the time we made it to the garage, Alice and my parents were already outside next to the new car, ready to sing.
“Hey, what happened to your car?” Andy says, pointing to the trunk corner.
I lean over, not really seeing what he is supposedly pointing at, “What?”
Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, I turn back, open the driver’s door, and click the garage opener. Suddenly, there’s singing. Then, “Surprise!!!!!”
We drive out to dinner in this car that has eco settings, and as we wait for our table at Niko Niko Sushi, I hear about all the scheming that was going on over the last several weeks. Thank you to Andy and Alice! What an early birthday surprise!
