The surprise that wasn't.

So. Aaron’s birthday. STINKIN’ Aaron’s birthday. Months ago, August 10 to be exact, I bought tickets for the David Gray concert in Atlanta on November 6. It was going to be perfect, because Aaron’s birthday is November 1, and a little weekend getaway to the ATL would be a great gift. David Gray is one of his very very favorites, and our last trip to see him was tainted by the group behind us, who mistakenly thought they were at a Dave MATTHEWS show. But I digress. I have the tickets. I have the hotel reservation. I have THREE MONTHS to keep a secret. I am a terrible secret keeper. One summer, early in our relationship, I tried to surprise Aaron with David Gray tickets. All I’d told him was not to make plans for May 13. (Yes, I remember the date.) He promised not to try and figure it out, and I kept my mouth shut. Then his good-for-nothing brother, Chad, called. “Dude, David Gray is coming to the Bronco Bowl on May 13! We should go!” Surprise ruined. I’m cruising along, working HARD to keep things on the downlow. The Rock plans a block party for November 5. Any other date and we’d be all over it, and as far as Aaron knows, we are. We help with planning and sign up for day-of projects, all the while I’m emailing Steve that we will NOT be there, and please don’t tell Aaron. I thought Steve was going to be my downfall, but he held strong. His other dirty-rotten-scoundrel brother, Brian, calls. Wants the two of them to fly to Indiana to watch Notre Dame play Tennessee. When? November 5. I have to shoot it down, but I can’t say why. Secret averted, but just barely. So there I am, November 1. Aaron’s birthday. I’VE DONE IT. I’ve got giant tickets my friend Brad made so I would have something to wrap. I’ve got the new David Gray CD. I’ve got cheesecake. I’m ready. And then I check my email. Dear Fan, We have been informed by the promoter that the David Gray 11/6/2005 show at the Tabernacle has been postponed and may be rescheduled for a later date. Please hold on to your tickets while a rescheduled date is being confirmed. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. We will be happy to assist you. Thank you, Musictoday, LLC Postponed. POSTPONED. All my planning. My painstaking secret keeping. And David Gray has to go and get sick. What do I do? Level-headed girl that I am, I panic. I cry. I call Brian to see if there’s any way they can still go to the football game. (There’s not.) I call the hotel to see if I can change my reservation. (I can’t.) I cry again. I call my mom. It’s not helping. Can Musictoday, LLC assist me in piecing together a last minute birthday awesomefest? I’m thinking no. I realize, of course, that the whole point of a birthday is to celebrate the person. And the whole reason I put so much planning into it is because Aaron is special to me and I want to make a big deal out of the fact that he was born. I’m glad he was born. However, birthdays are a big deal to me. Huge. And a night in Atlanta with the maybe promise of a someday concert was NOT going to satiate my desire for a big fat exciting birthday surprise. But I was going to have to make do. And I did, and it was great. Deep down I knew it would be. But just once, I would like for a surprise I plan to actually work out. Is that too much to ask? Stupid David Gray and his stupid infection.