The Surprise

Jill's inability to keep even the smallest secret is legendary. I find it endearing, personally. It's an almost childlike excitement that leads her to almost burst at the seems with the weight and responsibility of guarding any treasured information.

Therefore I was totally blindsided when she announced last night that she had a surprise, and proceeded to present me with a file folder full of cards and emails from friends, family and the like that she had covertly requested and gathered without my knowledge over the last few weeks. In addition, not only had she managed to keep quiet, but everyone who contributed were similarly silent, a remarkable feat given the range of personalities and ages of those involved. I am usually alert to underground dealings and like to think of myself as having a good nose for this kind of thing, but I was utterly in the dark.

The cards and emails were all good luck wishes and messages, and some were remarkably thoughtful, frequently hilarious and invariably touching. I had just told Jill how I was slightly jealous of the amount of good luck cards and so on that she'd received for her race, which she posted all over the hotel room when we arrived, and then she uncovered this little treasure trove.

Without wishing to be cliched, sometimes I feel I've grown quite cynical and perhaps a little too worldy-wise over the last few years, so when something like this happens, it's hard to even know what to say or do, but it's rare I'm so moved, and, whatever happens tomorrow, I'm a better person for knowing the people I do, and especially for having the partner that I have.