#004 Sneaky pokery daughters and dads

I have always had a soft spot for doing random unexpected things, and find it quite enjoyable to add unpredictable happiness to peoples lives. Sometimes it is the small things like mopping the floor or washing someone's dishes.... but I can't resist a good gob-smacking surprise!

Many years ago my sisters and I left home to pursue the adventures of our lives. While my parents were happy for us, they also missed us with their 3 daughters scattered across Australia like leaves in the wind.  When I decided to arrange a surprise visit from Townsville, it required some sneaky pokery to cross all the t's and dot all the i's of my plan. This is where my dad came in, a man who loves a good belly laugh and luckily for me, a co-conspirator at heart.

How it unfolded...
Step 1- Making time: For the week before my arrival, mum was taking bookings for her salon as usual, completely unaware of my plans. In the background dad was rearranging bookings and calling people to put on fake voices to make fake bookings. Would you believe the number of people wanting really long appointments (like wedding hair rehearsals) that weekend! It would be enough to make a gal suspicious you'd think, but no, so far so good.

Step 2- False pretences: Living 3 hours away from their nearest daughter (and coincidentally the Brisbane airport) is quite convenient if another daughter wants to sneak into town. So under the pretence of a nice dinner with my sister, mum and dad drove to Brisbane.

Step 3-Late flights: Now no one can predict flight delays, but I was on a tight deadline and ever so nervous about how many times we circled the landing strip. As I watched the city rotating slowly below me I knew the dinner would be getting close to over and my mum, still unaware, would likely be making moves to leave. When we hit the tarmac I flew through luggage collection and hot footed it to the restaurant. Quick, quick quick!!

Step 4-Just in time: As I approached the table I could hear my mum "but we never have dessert and coffee! ....should be going... long drive ahead ..." I crept up behind and gave her a mighty bear hug. With so much shock and surprise tears started rolling down mums face. Dad, Bronte and I were laughing and all mum could say between sobs was "What are you doing here?"

Image by Natsky Photography.

Step 5-One last surprise: Dad and I had arranged one final surprise. Tickets to the theatre. Not just any old theatre show, but 'Phantom of the Opera'. This was a musical my family had on CD and had listened to over and over and over. It had enormous sentimental value and mum was beside herself when we announced we were staying in Brisbane going to see 'the phantom'! tears continued to stream as we revealed the secretly sabotaged salon bookings, the hidden theatre clothes in the boot of the car and all the humps and bumps of the last week to make the surprise possible.

Even now, writing about it I can't help but smile remembering how happy it made my mum to have such a momentous joint effort from her husband and her daughters, all aimed at making her happy. It was magical. The whole weekend, a perfect act of kindness.