Somewhat deceitful, but not really..

I’m not sure if I should be ashamed of what I did, or proud of myself for my quick thinking and face-saving actions! Let me explain.

My dear friend and I went for a morning walk the other day, after which I invited her over for a cup of coffee. She’d been away for about 4 or 5 days and we’ve both been busy with stuff, so we hadn’t really seen each other much lately. As we were chatting over a cup of coffee, she mentioned that she couldn’t stay long because another friend was taking her out for a birthday lunch.

There was about a 4 second delay before my brain computed… a Birthday lunch …how nice… BIRTHDAY!!! --  FORGOTTEN BY ME!!!! Not only that, but her birthday was on the same day as my son’s, and I remember telling her a few weeks ago that I would never forget her birthday because of that. Yeah, right. So much for counting on my  perimenopausal brain to be there for me just when I needed it most!

So, I sat there across from her, profusely apologizing for being so forgetful of such an important event. We laughed together, but I still felt about as low and brainless as an earthworm. I said I’d be getting her something soon and we’d go out for lunch or something next week,  and asked what she’d like? Oh, a coffee card would be great, she said. Yes, she really did say that.

Then a thought popped into my head. I glanced around my kitchen and spotted it. Perfect!! I had just purchased a  Starbucks gift card and a generic card (blank inside) for another person the day before. This is where it gets a little tricky… . You be the judge.

I looked at her and burst out laughing. “Oh, you silly girl!” I said. “Do you really think I’d forget your birthday?! Give me a second…I’ll be right back!” and I jumped off my chair, grabbed the card and left the room. I quickly wrote down some sincere words of congratulations, inserted the gift card, and sealed the envelope.  I reappeared, laughing (somewhat giddily) and she laughed, too.

“You mean you didn’t forget?!” she asked as she happily reached for the gift.

“Would I forget your birthday?”, I replied. We looked at each other and both continued chuckling.

“If you didn’t really forget, you are the best actor in the world!”, she said, “because I really believed that you had forgotten.”

I looked her straight in the eyes. I think at this point, she wasn’t sure what to believe. I was toying with her and she knew it. I’m terrible.

Then I confessed.

And we both shared another laugh.

But isn’t it great how it all worked out?