Surprised Schoolgirl

I grew up solidly lower middle class. Which is to say...I didn't have everything I wanted, but I certainly had everything I needed. Both parents worked, my sister and I had our own bedrooms, we did a significant vacation once a year. It was a comfortable and safe place.

But somewhere along the way, a family tradition was born. In order to excite us about the things we needed, my parents would treat them as special, unannounced gifts. The new winter coat, a sturdy pair of shoes, an outfit to wear for class picture day, even hand-me-downs from my older glamorous cousin.

We would come bursting in from school and hear those magic words...'there's a surprise on your bed!' Lickety-split we would be there digging into whatever was laid out.

My favorite was a true schoolgirl outfit. A plaid skirt to the knee, with a matching navy plaid-trimmed jacket that had two pencil pockets. WITH plaid-printed pencils. I think I still have the pencils.

Now that I'm grown, the surprise on my bed has a different connotation. No less exciting, mind you.

Don't we all deserve a surprise on our beds?