Secrets

This afternoon, after Joseph used the bathroom, he came up to me.

"I want to tell you a secret." He then whispered in my ear, "I used soap."

I nodded with approval. Kevin asked if he could hear the secret too, so Joseph decided to whisper it to him, too.

Then I thought for a second. "Do you normally use soap?" I asked.

"Yes. I just don't want to tell you about it every time I do it."

Phew.

I guess we've sort of got an atmosphere of secrets around here. Christmas time is always like that, and this year Kevin's birthday had more secrets than usual.

I had decided to throw a surprise breakfast birthday party for him in honor of the big 3-0, and it involved a lot more secrets than I was used to.

"Kevin, with your birthday coming up, make sure you don't accidentally look at my email, okay? I'm coordinating with my mom a bit." I mean, I guess that was true, but in the end all he got was a phone case. What was really being protected was all the emails from guys in the ward.

"Why do you want to go shopping on my birthday? Is there something going on Saturday?" he asked once, his eyes narrowing.
"I want you to have Snickers for your birthday, and I may as well get other stuff while I'm out." I did get Snickers, but I also got supplies for his party.

Of course, I had to have reasons for those supplies.
"Did you mean to buy so many eggs?" he asked.
"I'm hoping we don't have to go shopping before our trip to Utah, so I got a lot."

"Why are you asking so many questions about what to make for breakfast Saturday?"
"I just want to make you something you'll really like."

"Why is there so much apple juice?"
"I really really like apple juice right now."

"Why are you vacuuming right now?"
"It has just been so cluttered all week and I want things totally clean for once."

"What are you looking for in the freezer?"
"Peas to cook with the hashbrowns. I can't find them." I eventually did find the secret stash of bacon though.

I had prepared an answer for all of his questions, but I still felt like the spider Joseph brought home from preschool on Thursday. He had had a lesson on honesty, and he had made a paper plate with yarn weaved all across it to look like a web, and in the middle was a spider. "Don't get caught in a web of lies!" it read on the spider. Good thing Joseph had other sources to learn honesty from this week besides me, I guess.

But finally this morning the secrets would be over. After a lackluster birthday for Kevin (I was gone for a Relief Society activity, for example), I was finally going to make his birthday feel special. A few minutes before 8, we heard the doorbell.

I answered it and there was one of Kevin's friends. Kevin looked at him in bewilderment.

"Surprise! You're having a birthday party right now! He's here to play games with you and eat breakfast." Kevin began to laugh. "Okay."

More people began to show up, and before too long there was Lord of the Rings risk in the living room and Dominion in the kitchen. They paused for some food and then kept playing til almost 11.

First time planning an Elders Quorum Activity was a success

He took the game very seriously.

After they left, Kevin turned to me with understanding.
"So that's why you put on jeans this morning."
"That's why you bought all the apple juice and eggs."
"That explains all the cleaning last night."
"That explains why I couldn't look at your email."

I explained that I had originally planned to have the party on his birthday at like 6 in the morning, and maybe arranging things so that he had to drive kids to seminary. Then he'd come back to a bunch of guys there to celebrate. But no one was keen on that idea, so we went for a Saturday party instead. 8 am was still pretty early for a party, but at least he wouldn't have all day to be suspicious.

"I had considered having you run to the store to get some orange juice or something so you'd be surprised when you got back, but I guess it sort of worked for you to just be surprised when the doorbell rang." He agreed.

All that had been secret had finally been revealed. The web of secrets and deception was finally dissolved.

Well, I guess there's still Christmas. And every time Joseph uses soap.