SURPRISED!!

Ever had the feeling you've done something worth remembering for the rest of your life? That everything you'd planned had gone exactly the way you wanted it...if not better? That's exactly the euphoric feeling I'm flying on right now. Remember, a few weeks ago I had been trying disparately to contain a secret, nay, a surprise I'd been planning for my children, in cohorts with my husband? Well, it finally came into fruition.

The surprise was an elaborately planned event that none of my three children had a clue about, and believe me when I tell you, it's near impossible, for me, to keep anything from them. The sequence I'm about to recite is as witnessed by me. I shall try not to exaggerate.

The day of the surprise was a flurry of activity, starting with a parent-teacher meeting followed by a last minute doctor's visit to make sure we had an "all systems go". The physician, unknowingly, blurted out the crux of the secret to my eldest...could have strangled the ******, but it just seemed to add to the child's already fever pitched excitement. So I'll let that one slide. The whole journey back home was a cascade of questions, the likes of which I'd never seen before (this coming from a child who I have to ask to shut-up to get a word in edge-wise, on a normal day). The other two joined in the interrogation as the day progressed.

Lunch was a hurried affair...we had a taxi waiting. The entire taxi ride could have passed for a scene from the movie "Are we there yet?" I must confess, by this time I was so excited, that I momentarily forgot that the worst was yet to come. We got to the airport in midst of shouts of jubilation. A plane ride! But to where? By this time my eldest couldn't keep the destination to herself, thank you doctor! Goa, here we come!
From take off to landing, the flight was filled with "we're going to Goa!" aimed at anyone who'd listen. And a lot of people listened. Why is it that flights to beach holiday destinations don't serve alcohol? I could have done with a couple of stiff drinks then.
Landed and armed with our one suitcase ( we travel light), I made arrangements to be picked up. Upon listening to my conversation with our ride, my eldest quizzed why I was talking to a taxi driver in Goa in Marathi (our mother tongue). Because Goa is right next to Mumbai...so everyone speaks Marathi here too. She looked totally unconvinced, but her hyper-stimulated brain let me have that point. Our ride pulled in a few minutes later, and out of the car stepped the grandparents. Each one of my children did a double take, unable to understand how granddad was the cab driver. My youngest was still unsure until my dad stood right in front of her, at which point she leaped at him as if he was the biggest teddy bear in the world (which he is).

Our ride to the resort seemed to take an eternity, especially with dad's navigation and mom's driving skills (my dad was driving and mom was in the back with us girls, so you can imagine). Finally with the destination underfoot, we (the adults) stood back, while the three children rand the bell to the condo we were in for the next seven days. Out of nowhere came the looming figures of my brother and his wife and that surprise hit the nail home.

In all there were 17 surprises that my children counted, most of which I've forgotten. But the seven days in the sun, sand, and water in Goa, surrounded by my family I will never forget. And the kids? They've told every single person at school and where we live, exactly what their surprises were, without forgetting a single detail. So I know, I've made a great memory for them too.