The Surprise

The Surprise

“Don’t look now.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s a surprise!”

“But it isn’t a surprise… you just told me…”

“And I wasn’t supposed to. I just knew you were confused.”

“What is confused?”

“It’s when you know something is going on, but you don’t know what. You were nervous about it because nobody had told you anything.”

“How did you know?”

“About the surprise? Or both?”

“Well, I guess both…”

“I knew about the surprise because your mother told me about it. She is so excited to give you something she knows you really want! But she wanted to surprise you, which means you wouldn’t know about it till we all gave it to you. It makes some people happy that way, being surprised.”

“Not me…”

“I know, because not me either!”

“I know you don’t like surprises. That’s why I thought it was OK for me to tell people I don’t like surprises, but nobody listens to me. Well, except you.”

“People who like surprises can’t seem to understand that some people don’t. You’re a kid, they all think all kids like surprises!”

“Did you like them when you were a kid?”

“No. That’s why I told you what was happening. I know some kids don’t like them, because I didn’t when I was a kid, just like you.”

“Can you tell them to stop?”

“I have, they don’t understand. To people who like surprises, a surprise is wonderful! Pretty soon you’ll be old enough to help them believe that it isn’t true. And that you still love them, and whatever they are surprising you with, and even more, without the surprise scare!”

Jackson smiled.

From the doorway, Mom smiled too, and changed her plans completely. ‘Thank you, Grammie,’ she thought, as she went off to talk to the family.