Surprise!


I hate surprises. I really do. The last time someone surprised me I . . . Well I’ll save that to the end.

I was on my way to my cousin’s surprise birthday party, reading a book about wizards. I couldn’t wait to see my cousins again. The last time we had seen them, we went to Michigan’s Adventure, and it was really fun.
I was starting to get a little carsick, so I asked my mom how much longer. “About 5 minutes honey, we’re almost there”.

As we pulled into the driveway, my uncle came running out in a fluster.
“Thank God you’re here, we need to get this show on the road. There’s so much to do and the party starts in 2 hours.”
“Well let’s get started ” my mom exclaimed.
We rushed in ready make this thing happen. I grabbed a tent, and my brother, and ran to the backyard. We set up the tent, sliding 8 tables and 60 chairs underneath. Since it was my cousin’s Sweet 16, my uncle had gone all out, inviting 60+ family and friends.
The tent went up with little difficulty, and my aunt recruited me to make the lemonade. As I was stirring the lemonade, I heard a bloodcurdling scream. Not again.
“WHAT IS UP FAMILY!!!” my crazy third cousin shouted. Ugh, not him again. The last time we got together with Matt was Fourth of July, and there he lost a finger with his homemade firecrackers. He wasn't fazed one bit.
I was hoping that my uncle hadn't invited him, but he did. Well, I would have to deal with it.
After another hour of setting up the party, with more and more people trickling in, my uncle called us all together. “Annie will be here in about 10 minutes so everyone find a place to hide to surprise her. Her mom will pull up into the driveway, and as the garage door opens up, we all jump out and surprise her. Places everyone!”
We all rushed to the garage, scrambling for cover. I hid behind the door. Others hid behind the car, behind workbenches, and under brooms. My crazy cousin Matt even hid in a half filled trash can, and closed the lid over top. We all craned our necks, trying to get a glimpse Annie’s blue Focus pulling into the driveway.
All of a sudden someone whispered urgently, “here she comes!!!”, and we all dove into our hiding places. The only sound was the small rattle of the trash can lid as Matt slid into place. We all held our breaths as Annie reached for the garage door opener, clicked it, and the motor started whirring. At about 3 feet off the ground, with the nose of the car in, we all jumped out.
“SURPRISE!!!”
Annie, scared out of her skin, honked the horn in return, then broke into an enormous smile. “Wow, what have I been missing?”
Then my uncle, going with the all out theme, brought a tiara and cape out on a pillow, and placed it on her head. “Happy Birthday my girl!” he shouted, and then the party really started.
The dance music began booming, the food was brought out and we had a great time. Everyone was smiling, especially Annie, laughing and dancing the night away. As the night wore on, the trash began piling up, so I decided to empty it and help my tipsy uncle out. I grabbed the heavy, slightly wet bag, and dragged it to the garage. I walked over to the trash can and opened the lid.
“AAAHHHHH” a screaming Matt jumped at me. As I swung the trash bag into his head, my soda filled bladder reached its maximum capacity, and decided to relieve itself then and there.
“Holy crap! You scared me!”, I muttered.
“Yeah I can see that! It’s all over you!” he laughed.
“Screw you”, I muttered under my breath as I hurried to a bathroom.