Is there such thing as party-karma? Party-planning karma? I believe there is general karma. Parking karma. I don't know how it would work, party-planning karma. But recent events make me think it, not only exists, but that it is rearing it's ugly head right now.
You see, my husband is a very smart man. He is not easily tricked. He's always calling the plot twists of tv shows and movies about 15 minutes in, and wouldn't you know, he's almost always 100% correct. Though I am fully aware of his keen ability to see through things, I still want to surprise him with something on his birthday. Even though it doesn't happen often, he LOVES surprises.
A couple of years ago, I planned an actual surprise party at our apartment. I even made it a murder-mystery party, set in the '20s. This way, even if his spidey-senses kicked in, he'd be surprised by something. The last thing I expected to happen was for one of our friends to say "See you Saturday night!"... But alas. They did. The jig was up. That's all it took. One person. He knew there was a surprise party for him and he knew that there was a theme. He appreciated the effort and was happy with the evening, but surprised, he was not.
Last year, for my birthday, I came back from breakfast with one of my best friends, only to find police tape strewn over my open door. Chairs were tossed aside and papers were everywhere. What was happening? Inside our apartment, were two "cops", though I recognized them as dear friends of ours (thank God!). They told me there was a struggle and a witness saw my husband being pulled into a white van. They then got a call and had to leave, only leaving me with information that there was heavy finger-print traffic around this one area on my bookshelf. When they left, I realized that area held a fake book, and inside was a clue to my husbands whereabouts! This went on all day, clue after clue. Characters played by friends at different locations all over Los Angeles. It ended at a restuarant with another bunch of friends yelling "Surprise!" as I ran in.
Surprised, I was.
For his birthday this year, I planned dinner with friends, followed by drinks with more friends at a separate location, with a Sunday trip to the electric Go-Kart races! I never called it a surprise party. I admit to that. Because it's not really. In my emails and facebook events, texts and phone calls, I DID say that my husband was not aware of who was coming and where anything was. He knew there was a dinner. He knew there would be drinks. He knew something was happening Sunday, but the Go-Karts were my big surprise.
His birthday was Thursday. That day, he received an email from a friend saying "Sorry I can't join you for Go-Karts on Sunday! Have fun!" ...Dammit! 1 surprise ruined.
Later that same day, he told a friend that story. The friend replied "Oh! That sucks! So, you probably know about (name of bar location)." ... 2 surprises ruined.
Talking business to his agent, she mentioned "Sorry I can't join you guys for Sushi!" ... Aaaaaand scene.
Seriously?! I mean, when did my life actually become a sitcom? I couldn't help but break down with laughter when my husband revealed it all to me. The humor of the situation is so great that I can't possibly be mad. There's nothing I can do about it now. All of the cats are out of their respective bags, and they're meowing like crazy.
We share the same community of friends, my husband and I. The same people invited to my secret-drive-around-town-solving-clues-ending-with-a-big-surprise-party birthday are the same ones invited to his birthdays. The friends that so casually brought up my husband's birthday plans, are the very same who didn't spoil the surprise of my husband asking for my hand in marriage.
He has managed to surprise me at every possible turn. Even when there's nothing to celebrate. I don't know if the party-karma Gods are punishing me, punishing him, punishing our friends. I still can't figure out how the scales have become so greatly unbalanced. All I know is, my husband cannot be surprised. Even when he's not trying to discover the plot. When he's really looking forward to being surprised. It just doesn't seem to be something we'll ever be able to pull off.
Not to say I won't try again. And again. And again. And again. And again...
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