The GREAT Christmas lie(s)

First and foremost, from the beginning of this blog, everyone can tell that I love my Manumanum! This post is dedicated to her as an "apology for all the lies I told her in the last three weeks", and as a Christmas present to her! Manumanum, Manumanum!

I received a call from Amanda (Manumanum's daughter-in-law) in mid-November telling me that she and Curtis (Manumanum's son) wanted to come home for Christmas...and they wanted to surprise the family...would I be willing to be a part of it? Well....of course my answer was YES!

So for the last three weeks I have lied to Rhea pratically on a daily basis. I convinced her that I had to go to Halifax shopping and that she should come with me....then Amanda thought that Rhea might be suspicious...so I called the trip off telling Rhea that my boss had cancelled my vacation (work was calling). :-)

Then 3 or 4 days later I told Rhea that the trip was back on but that I would have to work for an hour or so on Saturday!...I had a couple of clients that I would have to meet with to show them reports that needed to be filled out.

The plan was that I would drop Rhea off at Frenchy's or some other destination of her choice around noon, drive to the hotel where Amnada and Curtis were checked into (they would have arrived late on Friday night)...pick them up, then call Amanda's brother "D" who lives in lower Sackville...tell him that Amanda had sent something for him in my Christmas package...could I please drop it off....then Amanda and Curtis would surprise him first. "D" would then be in on the plan, I would go back and pick up Rhea and we would continue shopping. "D" would phone Amanda's mother who was on her way to lower Sackville to babysit for "D"'s Christmas Party....ask her to meet him at East Side Mario's for supper....I had already made reservations for 10. Hope (Amanda's mother) and Dave would drive to East Side's for 3:00, I would take Rhea there for the same time and then "D" would arrive with Curtis and Amanda....and the big family reunion would happen. Not to difficult a plan right? Not too many lies involved in that right? Well....then life happened.

Friday night we stayed all night at Rhea's mom's house. Around 11:00 my dad called on my cell phone...and around midnight Amanda called. Their flight was cancelled in New York and they couldn't find a flight out....she'd call me in the morning and let me know what was happening. I then get up to go to the washroom...Rhea's still up...so I fell the need to explain why my phone is ringing into the night! Lie # 20 or so..."My dad has been calling me (he only called once).

In the morning...while at the Sears Bargain basement, the phone rings and it is Amanda....Lie #21 (or so)...Hello Marcel...how are you? Amanda is saying...we don't have a flight until tonight...can you talk mom into staying? I say..."Call me back in a couple of hours and i'll tell you what i've worked out."

Lie #22 (or so)...Rhea...Marcel wants to meet with me tomorrow instead of today...they are caught up in their meetings with HC...would you mind staying overnight again tonight? Rhea said she would rather go home...I said..."no worries..." I won't stay.

Sitting at East Side Mario's....my phone rings again....I said "hello Marcel, (Amanada is on the other end of the phone)...excuse me Rhea I can't hear anything...I'll go by the door...and talk to Marcel...(what number lie is this now? I've lost count!) I tell Amanda that I plan to take Rhea home and then come back to the airport to pick her and Curtis up when their flight gets in around 10:40 p.m.

So Rhea and I eat our supper and continue on to a couple more stores....then I start driving her home. We're going through the notorious Cobequid pass....up until now the weather is fine, however through the pass it's a regular blizzard. I called my Dad..."watch the news and tell me what the weather is supposed to be"....He calls me back...not going to storm until tomorrow...you're ok...! I practically yell back at him..."no, I'm not ok...It's storming!"

While driving home, Rhea and I are doing what all friends do...we're talking! She told me about a time when she went to bed early one evening and told Richard before she went that she only wanted to be woken up if her children called.....well...I happened to call later that evening and Richard automatically brought the phone in to her. I'm thinking to myself....that's good...cause he's going to be bringing it to you at 2:30 this morning! LOL

Then she said...a good friend is one that always tells the truth even though it hurts....I try to explain to her that sometimes a friend has to lie to a friend....but she was having none of that....I told her that "some day" I would explain it to her....(she told me afterward that I really baffled her with the comment about friends lieing to a friend)

I get Manumanum home safely, drop my parcels off in my kitchen and then go up to my parents house. I crash on their couch for about an hour or so...and then call Mel...please check the flights..."their early" she says....So dad and I leave immediately for Halifax, knowing that we are now going to be late to meet the flight.

When we arrive at the Halifax airport, the board states that the flight from New York is in customs...so I proceed to "WAIT"....I wait for about 30 - 40 minutes and no-one comes out of customs....finally, I go into the customs office and ask about the flight. Customs tells me that they cannot tell me if my friends are on the flight...but they have NO flights in customs and according to their board, no flight has even left New York yet!

Dad and I head down to the Tim Hortons and WAIT some more....and then back to the airport to WAIT again! The flight arrives at 1:22 a.m. and is now in customs! About 15 minutes after the flight arrives in customs, Amanda and Curtis come through the doors! A grin starts on my face that is there until 4:00 a.m.!

We drive home from Halifax around 3:30 a.m., drop my dad off at his apartment and then....I call Manumanum! This is how the coversation goes...(please pretend that there is a little tear in my voice as I am talking!)...."Rhea?" Yes, Dear? "Can I come over?" Sure dear, come on! And so I drive over.....Curtis and Amanda stay in the van....I go right into Rhea's house...walk straight to the couch and bury my head in my coat (don't forget, I have a permanent grin on my face!

Rhea says to me..."Whats the matter dear?" and I say..."Oh Rhea...when will it ever stop?"....."What dear?...is it the kids?" I say "Yes!" She says...."Is it Scott?" I say "yes" (How many lies is this?)...and then I hear a gasp...and then another gasp...and then...she's off and crying! She has seen her Christmas surprise!

I will tell you that this moment made my Christmas! And Rhea thought that this moment also made her Christmas....but then the next day, she finds out her Christmas surprise is not complete....She's going to be a Grandma!..and for the first time! Yes...the Christmas surprise is now complete!

Isn't God Good! And isn't Miracles what Christmas is all about?

Love Carolyn