A Somerville client, whom we assisted with overseeing his move to Boston last summer, called recently with a new request for help. The client’s wife’s birthday was coming up and he wanted to surprise her with flowers and the presents he bought; however, because he would have to travel for business on the day of the birthday, he asked for us to carry out the surprise on his behalf.
The task at hand would involve picking up a rainbow mix of flowers (pinks and yellows are some of the wife’s favorite colors) or a bunch of roses at a Whole Foods Market within a set budget, delivering them to the client’s condo, putting them in a vase, taking out the presents hidden in a closet and laying them out on a counter, so when the wife returns home from work she would see everything. The client’s wife leaves for work around 10AM and returns home around 4:30PM, so all of the purchasing and setting up for the surprise would have to occur between those hours while she is out of the house.
A few days before the birthday surprise, we traveled to the client’s office in Brighton to pick up a spare key to the condo.
On the morning of the birthday surprise, as we made our way through River Street, then Prospect Street in Cambridge towards Inman Square where the client and his wife lived, pedestrians could be seen filling out the sidewalks, pushing strollers with coffee in hand, and running their morning errands.
We made a stop at the Whole Foods Market in Somerville closest to the client’s condo. The flower selection at this store was small this morning, but we were thrilled to find what the client wanted: two dozen roses in a mix of colors and within budget. With flowers in hand, we left the car behind and walked three minutes to the client’s condo nearby. On this day, the elevator in the building was not in use due to repairs and although we had not been in the building since last summer, we recalled that there were stairs in the back that would allow us to reach the 4th level, which is the client’s floor.
Knowing that the client’s wife would have already left for work, we entered the condo as instructed and immediately went to work.
The client’s birthday presents for his wife were hidden inside a large Amazon.com shipping box inside the hall closet. Each gift was boxed already, so the client did not have to gift wrap anything. Because the kitchen counter was directly in front of the main door, anything placed there would be seen first upon entering. Knowing that fact, we placed the presents on the counter, arranged by size, because the wife will notice them when she returns home.
Next, we walked over to a bookcase and picked an appropriate-sized vase for displaying the flowers. We carefully removed the cellophane wrapper that came with the flowers, filling the vase with fresh tap water before putting in the flowers. When placed next to the presents, the vase towered over everything and commanded attention. We can only imagine the look of delight on the client’s wife’s face when she returns home from work on her birthday.
Satisfied with how everything was displayed, we returned the now-empty Amazon.com shipping box to its original spot inside the closet, locked up everything, and slid the client’s keys under the door upon leaving.
What a pleasure it was to be that extra pair of hands to this client, on a day he would have loved to celebrate a milestone with his wife but could not.
Images credit: Susan Ho
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