Is it ever okay to tell a lie?
I certainly hope so otherwise, Linda and I had better get fitted for asbestos underwear because we’ve been unloading some whoppers for the last several weeks.
As I mentioned in an earlier blog, our desert daughter, Christy, couldn’t make it home for Christmas this year..nor could her brother, James, so, about a month ago, we decided to head for Phoenix early and surprise Christy for her 40th birthday, January 1st.
James got in on it too and that’s when everyone started weaving this web of deceit.
Christy calls home to talk to her mother at least three times a week and always asks a lot of questions about what we’re doing, where we’ve been, what our plans are etc.
Last summer she had already started lobbying for us to come out early this year. So it’s been difficult, to say the least, for Linda to keep her stories straight and not let Christy suspect that mom has been frantically trying to get organized and packed for a December 29th departure in the big old red Lincoln and the three day trip to Arizona.
So, at about 1:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Linda gave Christy a call on her cell to chat about how cold it was in South Dakota and how we planned to ring-in the new year that evening..all the while, Linda and I, wearing Santa hats, were walking up to her front door in Fountain Hills.
The surprise was complete; mission accomplished. The lying can finally cease. "Who’s that knocking at my door?""Thank you, Santa, this is just what I wanted. James and sister, Christy at the birthday party Linda and Christy’s neighbor and pal, CarolSo here we are again..back where it’s warm and sunny; back where there’s an abundance of golf courses and casinos to make us both happy. The trick now is to convince Christy that staying an extra month this year is a good idea.