Double Surprise...

DISCLAIMER: This is a fictional story. All the characters are fictional. The incident itself is a creation. Any resemblance to people or to the situations in the real world, is purely coincidental.

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“I have been so worried. You could at least call”, she said as he opened the door looking slightly flustered.
“I am sorry”, he said, hugging her and whispered, “but, you just got in here, right?”
She flushed slowly and damn, this man can read her like a radar, she thought, wondering how in the blue hell he knew about it.

“Shall we get going? We don’t want to be late”, he said in a soft tone and leaned in and said, “We can have a tiff about how I know it when we get back”, and smiled.
“Don’t you want to fresh up?”, she asked, slightly frowning at his appearance, not because he was not looking the part of the crowd that they will join soon, but because he was wearing a neat white shirt that he liked rather than the blue one she presented this morning.
“We will be late by the time we got home and I don’t want that to happen”, he said.

She pouted slightly. They got out the door and he walked to the car opening the passenger door for her, while she locked their home behind him. She slid easily into the seat, still trying to hide her disappointment.

It was his birthday and he was treating her with dinner in the most expensive suburb in their neighbourhood, not because it was customary, but because he knew she loved long drives, particularly on occasions and this was an occasion she marked as the most important of their lives. A birthday is a celebration of life and every year we get closer to the end, we should celebrate it more, was her theory, not that she required a reason! But he celebrated it because, at the closure of his “celebration” is the beginning of hers, a symphony by Gods own hands, masterfully crafted, blending the two souls together into the celebration of love and life.

He knew that she was slightly disappointed, but that is something he would deal with, later. He switched on the music and while the car progressed smoothly he glanced sideways - yup, she was still disappointed. His lips curved slightly and knowing any moment now she would turn her face to see him, he composed a more sober face and concentrated on the drive.
Surely she did turn to look at him and said, “Did I see a glance and a smile?”.
It always amazed him that she caught on his pretence or glance and unlike him, she stared openly at him. Well, obvious, she was not the one driving the car!
“Did you?”, he said with a slight frown.
She rolled her eyes and looked out of her window. He smiled again.
“And again. What is so funny?”, she said, still staring out of the window.
“Are you pouting by chance?”, he said unable to hide his smile this time as she turned to face him.
“Why would I?”, she countered.
“Well… anyway, we are just round the corner. Smile darling, it suits you better than the frown. Remember that today is about a celebration?”, he teased her.

She checked herself in the mirror, while he pulled into the valet parking.
“Go into the restaurant, I will join you shortly”, he said, his tone indicating he would not want to have an argument. She raised an eyebrow at him, hesitated a second and got down and walked in to the restaurant and settled comfortably in their reserved table. The view from this table was particularly splendid. She looked around noticing the setting and was brimming with pride at the thought of the surprise on his way as he walked into the place. He would be wondering how they got this most sought out table and how the restaurant that had a long waiting list was a little vacant and the theme which was always warm is now slightly more flirtatious, with scented candles and more romantic lighting.

“Hello there, I see that we get a nice view.” She was startled at the soft voice behind her and looked around.
Surprise, surprise, he was wearing a different shirt, the one she presented him and he looked just perfect, with the warmth in his eyes and the smile rolling off his lips.
“I see we did”, she said, signalling to the waiter. For a change he ordered for them today. She raised her eyebrows appraisingly and smiled.
“Well, isn’t the mood just right to be romantic?” he stage whispered. He looked around, noticing that they were secluded and away from the usual humdrum of the place and was sure she was behind this and he did not want to even think about the money that would have exchanged hands, but then, he just cannot stop her, if she got her mind to it.
“Isn’t it a little too quiet?”, he said as he noticed the beginning of a soft music behind and stopped for a second as the music played on. His eyes widened in surprise and he looked at her.

“Do you like it?”, she asked.
He still gaped at her open mouthed. His wife’s voice filled the room, softly, bringing in a wave of joy. The chords echoed and as he was rendered speechless, “For you, my love, I walk through rags or riches.. but you do know that, right? So, let me surprise you with something you do not know. This song is dedicated to you”, her voice came over the music and the song continued. He looked at her and she smiled, “Happy Birthday!”

The waiter approached with their order and noticed that he was her brother, Mark, and looked even more surprised.
“Happy Birthday”, he said and at his look of surprise, “I work part time here, for today.” As he opened the dishes to reveal a course different from the order, he just said, “Well, enjoy the surprise sir. I hope the delicacies will suit your taste, if not, there is a complaint book, right there”, pointing to the open book at the next table. He was still speechless and said nothing. Mark gave her the tape and left quietly. Mark worked here as a head chef before he moved out to start his own chain of hotels, two years ago, which she helped finance. She could feel the pride in her, as she looked at his retreating figure.

As they enjoyed the lavish spread of sumptuous dinner, their conversation slid into more comforting topics and in the end he got up to write a complimentary note to the chef. But before he proceeded further, he took his wife into this arms and said, “thank you, my love.” He walked to the next table, and was about to take the pen out of his pocket when he looked at the table more closely. The book was actually a very thin cheese cake, with a wink on it. He turned around and just stared at her, “did you?” and she just smiled. She was glad that the surprise turned out perfect.

“The dinner……”
“Well, except for the place, which you reserved for, sir, you need to pay me with more than a huge tip if you enjoyed your dinner”, she said.
He lifted her into his arms and kissed her and said, “I will, I promise” and kissed her again. He put her down, cut the cake and as it melted in his mouth, he thanked the heaven for more than just his lovely wife. As he glanced at his watch and noticed that it was close to eleven, he said, “Cheque please..”, with a grin.
“Oh .. well”, she said, leaning into him and smiling into his eyes, “What about a slow dance?”, she said.
“Long drive home and with the food in my tummy, I don’t think I will be good with the dance tonight, hon. How about when we get home, I pay twice the cheque and thrice the tip?”
She hid her disappointment as she bent down to pick her coat and the tape.
“You better”, she said in a mock threat.

As they drove home, he rolled the roof top of their car, knowing she loved the breeze.
“I don’t know what and how you pulled it off, I hope it is not on my credit card”, he teased her.
“Well, you never know…”, she said. “Thank you, Mark”, she thought. Mark owned a fifty percent share in this hotel, which he acquired recently, and that was why she could have her way today.
“I love you, do you know that?”, he said.
“Do you? I never realized..”, she said widening her eyes feigning surprise…
He smiled and looked out of his window with a wicked grin on his face.
As they pulled into the drive way, instead of stopping in front of the house as he usually did to let her out, he drove straight to the garage. They got out of the car and she was even more surprised when he walked her to the door that leads to the back yard. She opened the door and stared with eyes huge at the scene in front of her.
The clock ticked twelve and he walked along side her, “Happy Birthday, honey”, he said, pulling her into the back yard.

It was filled with snow, the fence was lit with lights, a small house that looked like it was made of snow was in the centre of the back yard. She walked quietly to it staring intently at it. It was beautiful. She touched it, and was shocked as it sung, “surprise!!” and pulled her hand away. He walked behind her and slowly took her hand again and made her remove the roof of the house. She looked in and noticed it was actually replicating a house completely, like a 3D blue print. It looked like a model house, with cars in the garage, sofas in the living room, utilities in the kitchen, queen size bed in the bedroom on the first floor and there was something on the bed. She stared in disbelief and wrapped her hands around it.
“Is this?”, she could not complete the sentence as tears brimmed her eyes and she looked at him.
“Yes”, he said simply.
“You did not, you did not…”
“Yes again, for you and for our future together”, he said.
“Oh My God, Rob, you are just brilliant, thank you”, she choked.
“I take it that you like it”, he said.
“I love it”, she said and hugged him tighter.

Now she knew how he knew that she just paced ten minutes in the living room before he walked in. He was working in the back yard, on this surprise. He knew she loved the snow and created a mini island of snow for her, even though the temperature could be turned a few degrees lower to create the right atmosphere for the ambience, but he ensured it would not, knowing that she loved the snow, but it would not be good for her throat, with her performance just a week from today. He just knew the way to her heart, this man, and she loved him with all her life, knowing that he loves her too….

“Where is it?”
“Oh, just round the corner and we will go see it in the morning and I am sure you will love it, but now, we will go and look into the small matter of your lie earlier in the evening and my promise of the tips, shall we?”, as he took her into his arms, and lifting her off her feet and kissing her. Hmm.. looks like a long night…

He dropped her on their bed and came out to take the model house back into their house. He was an architect and he worked hard on this project, late into the night for almost a month before he could formulate the plan in his mind when he bought the plot downtown, a half hour drive from this place and he dedicated every spare minute of his, to get the plan into action. After ten months of solid effort, not just for getting the construction done by hiring separate contractors to get the job done, but he pulled the impossible off - he kept it quiet from his love.

“I love the model house, is this what you were working on all this year, burning midnight oil?”, she asked as he came into the bedroom.
He just smiled and sealed further questions by lowering himself onto the bed, and sealing her lips.

She woke up the next morning, content and spent and with a smile on her face. It was raining outside, the roof bore a hole, through which there was a leak into the room. The paint was coming off the walls. She stretched her arms and looked longingly, running her hands alongside the bed and sighed…

“Well, if I have to work every single day and sing every single night, I will make this dream come true”, she vowed silently. She was nineteen going on twenty and she read Barbara Taylor Bradford’s latest release and she dreamed of her life as a novel, with a Greek God waiting to wash her off her feet sometime in the future. Well, no one will blame her as long as she fulfils those fond dreams and unlikely probabilities, but then, that is what life is all about, to pull out an impossible. When impossible itself spells “I’m Possible”, there is nothing impossible.

“Coming, Mom”, she shouted as she got out of the bed. She walked into the room dazed.
“Look at you, sleeping like a princess. Could you not stop singing in your sleep? It’s bizarre. What do you dream of every day anyway?”, her mom said.
She blushed slightly and she heard her sister whisper, “Hmm, another knight in the shining armour, I hope there was something more than just a song in there, I want to hear about it.”
Her brother walked in beside her, “look at you, turning twenty today and already flushed with the dreams of smart boys..”, causing her to grow a shade of darker red. “Happy birthday little sis, as a gift, well, we thought you would like to take an hour off from the work today. Just so you remember, your hour will be up in the next twenty minutes”, he said. She looked at the clock in horror and realized it was past their opening time and that they would be completely occupied in the next hour or so and they would need her in the kitchen as she is the cook in the family and their bakery will require her to bake those delicacies she dreamed off. She sighed as the reality sunk in.

“Happy birthday, doll”, she heard her father from the door way, noticing the small gift wrap in his hands. She smiled and said, “Thanks Dad, is that for me?” she said, walking to take the gift. She opened to find a novel, “Just rewards” and knew she was in for another knight in the shining armour tonight.

After an exhausting day in the bakery, one would think her sleep would be sound and dreamless, little did they know that a heart that wants to leap and sour can’t rest while she rests, tired and exhausted. It pushes her through her dreams to the worlds she want to reach and one day, it is the rewards of these unforgotten dreams that will help her reach the stars she dreamt of.

“Happy Birthday Meg”, she heard a soft voice. She turned and looked at Rob standing near the back door. She blushed slightly, wondering if he knew that she dreamt of their future. She recalled the surprise and realized, she did make him a cake yesterday to celebrate his birthday and it turned out to be the finest ever chocolate cake he ever had, or so he said.
“Thank you”, she said.
“Would you like to look at your gift?”, he said.
“What is it?”, her heart pounding. She thought she knew what it would be, but she wanted to be sure.
“Back here”, he walked out into the back yard and as she moved alongside him, she gave a squeal of delight. It was a small house, made of clay. The tiny craft piece was so elegant and delicate that she was worried she would break it, if she touched it. “One day, Meg”, was all he said and she knew it in her heart then, that he loved her as much as she did and that they would fulfil their dream, together.

“Well, well, one day, I sure hope that they tie the knot and sooner too”, she heard her sister saying and turned to see her family standing in the back yard, smiling broadly.
“You two love birds need more than just dreams to soar high and that ain’t coming by dreaming, but by working, so, get back to it”, she heard her brother say. Two years older to her, but he was the man in charge of their little bakery with plans of turning it into something much bigger.

Well, dreams and dreams… of all kinds, nightmares or dejavu’s, all are part of one’s life. To ward off a bad dream or to fulfil a dejavu, it takes effort and consistency. But any dream is possible, as long as one has the will to achieve it. I believe Meg and Rob have a future, bigger than her dream…