Don't you trust nobody, old chap!

A couple of weeks ago, I was an accomplice in someone's crime. A crime of a trivial nature meaning to do no one no harm but only a pleasant surprise. The intended victims are relatively young; hence their heart should be able to take the shock of the deceit!
The modus operandi was planned with the daughter of my friend (RM) calling to get contact numbers of my friend way back 6 months prior to the event. What event? My friend and wife's 50th birthday and 20th wedding anniversary. That was it. RM never called back.
She single handedly right under her parents' noses managed to arrange the venue, the caterers, contact all the relatives and friends secretly, sneak out some of the family photos for the slide presentation, organize the invitation cards, get the caterers, arrange the itinerary of the day and at the same time juggling with her work in college. She managed to cough off some of pocket money and squeeze out contributions from conniving relatives.
On D-day, her uncle, was to take the parents out a night out. In the pretext of wanting to check out the surprise party venue for his own social function, he managed to hoodwink my friend and his wife to the party and ....SURPRISE!!!!
My friend and his wife were flabbergasted, shell shocked but pleasantly surprised! They could not believe that their little girl had managed to contact all their old friends and relatives and arrange the whole event under the noses living under the same roof without the knowledge of her 16 year old sibling. My friend could not believe that his almost 80 year old who was ushering in the entire guest, whom my friend checks regularly for his well-being, decided to stay mum. And his mum too! All was forgiven in the name of meaning well.
RM handled the whole extremely well to earn complements from all attendees. My friend, who was undecided about sending RM to study overseas - being a young girl whose street-smartness was suspect, decided there and then she was up to it!
Talking of surprise birthday parties, I remember how my other half single-handedly (with the cooperation of friends and relatives, without the knowledge of my four then young blabber mouth kids) arranged my surprise 40th birthday party without inkling to any of the occupants of my home!
Lesson in life to learn - Like the cowboys in the Wild West would say, "Don't you trust nobody!'

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