I don’t like surprises! But one time, on my 21st birthday, my mother threw me a surprise birthday party.
My aunt Cindy said to me “today, since it is your birthday, we will go and get you a present.”
We left home and went to Gimbels Department store. We looked around and I saw a barrette. It was pretty with gold in it. I told her I wanted that one and she bought it for me.
Then we went to a beauty shop and I tried on a wig. It looked good on me too, so Aunt Cindy also bought that for me. We went home and she opened our door. I went inside and all our friends and family were there with some church friends too.
“Surprise! Surprise!” They all said. All I could think of was ‘I see you at church 2 or 3 days a week, and now you’re at my birthday party?!’
My mother used to make me go to church so much.
-Patty Smith, Vendor/Artist
I was enjoying a nice bike ride.
It was night on dark sidewalk paths
I was moving at a pretty good clip.
The path did veer off a bit,
I didn’t see it that well,
as I was without my glasses.
All of a sudden I wasn’t pedaling anymore.
Surprise —I was swimming!
I went from the sidewalk straight into the canal.
Of course it took me a little while to realize
that the water wasn’t that deep.
I thought I was drowning,
‘till I stood up.
Richard Embden, Vendor/Artist