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| Co-workers from First Financial Bank who took me out to lunch for my birthday in 2001 - oh where does the time go? |
Well folks, my birthday has come and gone.
First, I want to thank all my friends who commented on my previous "birthday" blog wishing me well. It is always heartening to know that so many really nice people read and appreciate my blog. You know that kind of response just encourages me to blog more. (smile)
At this time of my life I prefer quiet birthdays. No fuss and definitely no surprise parties. Absolutely not. So I was just a little bit annoyed and perturbed when I arrived at work yesterday and even before I got my coat off, my co-worker Monica told me "You have to go to Nectar. There is something there for you."
Oh no. Give me a break. "Something there for me." Uh huh, an obvious device to deliver me to a surprise birthday party. Folks, I really wasn't in the mood for a SURPRISE birthday party.
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| My last surprise birthday party - 1979 at "The Ranch" |
Besides, this wouldn't be much of a surprise since my sharp brain already figured out that was going to happen.
So I keep my coat on and walk the two blocks to the Nectar restaurant. One if not my favorite restaurant in Lewes and in this area for that matter. It is the restaurant where Pat and I have breakfast when he visits me in Delaware in the spring and summer. It's "our" restaurant.
I arrive at the restaurant and as soon as I walk into the door, a woman approaches me and asks "What kind of juice do you want?" I'm a little befuddled (not all that unusual for me), but I respond "heavy metal detox."
The woman behind the counter reaches under the counter and brings up a plastic container with the unmistakable green color of my favorite juice drink, Heavy Metal Detox.
Now I'm thoroughly confused. Who arranged these elaborate plans? Who knows that Heavy Metal Detox is my favorite drink (other than Pat - by the way do you see where this is going? I didn't).
I look around and the restaurant is fairly full but I don't see anyone from work. What kind of surprise birthday party is this anyway?
The woman behind the counter recaches under the counter again and brings up a bag containing a plastic box with a veggie "Powerhouse" sandwich in it. No folks, I still don't get it but I am pleased because that would be my dinner for that night's shift. Not my usual pack of Lance peanut butter cookies.
She then asks me to sign a charge slip. What is going on here? I hesitate then when I realize I'm not paying the $18.95 total bill (costly yes? But this IS downtown Lewes DE - high rent district. Those prices certainly don't reflect what they pay the service help, that's for sure).
I leave the restaurant with my drink and sandwich bag in had and a smile on my face. I take advantage of the straw protruding from the plastic drink container and take a sip. Ah, springtime!
Hey folks, I'm still thinking where I work, they surprised me with my favorite meal from my favorite restaurant. I still didn't get it! Oh yes, I will be the first to admit sometimes I am really thick. Slow on the upbeat. But I'm sure the more perceptive of my readers have already figured out what's going on.
I arrive back at my place of part-time employment as a hotel front desk agent (forget that "clerk" stuff), happy faced with my birthday surprise
dinner.
When I arrived back at work, Monica told me what happened. My friend Pat from Toronto had called Nectar and arranged for my birthday surprise.
Wow! I just had to laugh out loud. And here I thought the folks where I worked had arranged for my Birthday Surprise. I did laugh out loud. I am SOOO naive. Sometimes my naiveté knows no bounds. Now I know why Nectar knew to make a Heavy Metal Detox juice. I should've known that my pal Pat was involved.
Thus this series of short videos that I made as this drama unfolded. Short videos like this are my usual method of daily communication with my friend Pat. By the way, the previous video was sort of jumbled up. That was because another co-worker of mine happened to walk by. This particular co-worker doesn't want me to take any videos of pictures of him and he thought I was doing that when I recording. I had to hastily tell him that I had the camera reversed while taking the video. Ah, the perils of memorializing my daily life on video.
What a nice birthday surprise. As I said before, I'm not big on surprise birthday parties but I liked this. Thanks Pat!