Blackberry Pearl

The email message said -

"I want to steal you this Friday afternoon for lunch and an adventure. Can that be arranged with the powers that be?

C"

I let my supervisor know that on Friday I was leaving for the day at noon. No problem - I would be working extra hours on Thursday anyway, so it was not a problem.

Something was up. [The Man I Love] had done it a couple times before - on my 50th birthday he and Our Son snuck around my back and arranged with my boss to allow them to whisk me away on an impulse trip. Another time, he organized a weekend trip to Wine Country to celebrate his own birthday.

But this time, I wasn't quite sure what he had in mind.

What was it? I grew suspicious. One evening, he read out loud review from the internet about hotels in Paris. Hmmm....had he arranged a weekend trip to Paris?

I checked news listings. Were there any special concerts or events this Friday? Any festivals?

This morning, he offered to take me in to work. He said it would be easier that way when he took me to lunch. Uh huh, I thought.

Something was up.

So at noon he picked me up for lunch. We enjoyed delicious sandwiches at a Venice wine bar. An appetizer of wonderful green olives tasted great with the wine.

"So," I said. "This is a lovely lunch. What kind of adventure did you have in mind?" My mind was busy ticking off other possibilities. A spa escape in Ojai? A trip to Santa Barbara? A night at a luxury hotel? Camping in the desert?

"Well," he said, "first we need to swing by the Credit Union to get some cash."

Off we went to the Credit Union. We pulled in the lot and parked. "Are you going to the machine, or inside?" I asked. "Should I come with you or stay here?"

"I have to go inside, so I think you should come with," he said.

As we walked through the Credit Union parking lot, "Hey," said [The Man I Love]. He indicated a shiny purple Honda Fit parked nearby. "Pretty car."

Then, "Hi, [Our Son]!" There was Our Son! He handed [The Man I Love] the keys to the old Volkswagen and took the keys to [The Man I Love]'s car.

Suddenly it all came together. "You didn't," I said.

He did.

My new Honda Fit. Sport model. Blackberry Pearl - a lovely sparkly purple color!


He's a sneaky one, isn't he?

I'll tell you about my new hat later.