Mæander: Ringing in the New Year

Posted by Jenny

We rang in the 2011 in a very special way this year. It all started with surprising my Dad with an unexpected visit from my sister Trish a few days after Christmas. Immediately after The Great Elvis Sing-Along, David and I arranged to meet my parents at a local restaurant for dinner on the spur of the moment since we were “out driving around to look at all the beautiful snow” which we got about a foot of the day after Christmas and lingered around for several days. He and I were to entertain Mom and Dad until Trish and my other sister Sherri could arrive at the restaurant.

Just as we see Trish’s van pull up in the parking lot and the two of them get out, Dad suddenly stands up and turns around. Worried that the whole thing is about to be botched, suddenly a car alarm goes off adding to the melee. Dad fumbled in his pocket, turned off his car alarm which had gone off as he stood up, and then reached for the ketchup on the adjacent table. Meanwhile Trish and Sherri are already in the restaurant trying not to laugh as they waited for him to turn around. Trish walked up to him and the shock was all over his face. It was one of those priceless moments as the shock turned to joy and I think he might’ve even got a little teary-eyed.

Trish, being from Florida and never seeing something so ridiculous, was excited about going to the Mount Olive Pickle Drop for New Year’s Eve so the whole family went out and enjoyed free pickles, cocoa, and music by Samantha Casey and the Bluegrass Jam. At the dropping of the pickle at 7pm (Midnight, Greenwich Mean Time), a bagpiper piped Auld Lang Syne. After sharing dinner together, we parted ways as Trish had to “return to Florida” early the next morning.

Or so Dad thought. In reality, she was heading to the VFW hall in Mount Olive to get ready for Dad’s 75^th Birthday Surprise Party. It was the plan all along, and even amid several near-misses, somehow the secret managed to stay secret and Dad didn’t have a clue about the party. In fact, that became quite obvious as all the guests were gathered for the party and the guest of honor didn’t arrive on time. Finally I called Mom after they were several minutes late and here is how the conversation went:

Ring, Ring, Ring.
Mom: A scratchy voice whispers “Hello?”
Jenny: “Mom, what’s wrong with your voice? Are you sick?”
Mom: “No, it does that of a morning.”
Jenny: “Huh? Are you still in bed? You need to get out here, everybody’s waiting. You were supposed to get Dad here at 12:30!”
Mom: “Oh God I set the alarm and it didn’t go off! Barney, get up and get dressed, we’ve got to go to that luncheon!”
Click.

See, Dad was under the impression he was going to a free New Year’s Day luncheon for veterans at the VFW and had to provide proof of his veteran status. Mom had to figure a way to get him inside first- he’s such a gentleman that he always opens the door for her. She said, “You go first, I might not know any of those people.” It ended up being quite a joke later on since every one there was a dear friend. And when he finally arrived, wearing his VFW cap, boy was he surprised when everyone there started singing, “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow!” as he walked in the door.

He was in such a state of shock that he went around shaking hands with all the guests, including Trish who he shook hands with and didn’t even recognize. It wasn’t until he met up with his cousin and sister that he finally realized the party must actually be for him. After he had greeted everyone, I walked up to him to give him a hug and ask if he was surprised. He said, “Yeah. Boy it’s too bad Trish had to leave this morning, it would have been nice if she could have stayed.” I was so startled that he had missed her and I exclaimed, “Dad, she’s right over there! This is the whole reason she came up here at all!” Once it dawned on him and he saw her across the room he went right over for a hug.

After that, we had a delicious traditional New Year’s Day meal of ham, collards, and black eyed peas (made by my fantastic mother in law who can cook anything well even if she’s never done it before) and after lunch, all the friends gathered in a circle to play bluegrass and gospel tunes.