So as it Turns Out...

So today we all showed up at their doorstep. They were surprised to see us all standing there. We tumbled in and advised them to start packing for an overnight stay. A car would be arriving in an hour to take them to their hotel. They seemed strangely unsurprised. They sat there for a minute, and then went, "OK."

Now for my dad to do something like that is expected. But my mother, she should have been asking fifty questions about everything and then fifty more. But she just kind of shrugged her shoulders and set off to pack. She came in a few minutes later and said, "I thought it was strange when a car company left a message saying they were coming to pick us up last Saturday."

WHAAAA?

The look exchanged between my sister and I could have melted ice. We pressed for details, which car company? Did they specifically ask for you? My mother answered in the most vague and noncommital way possible. We were perturbed, to say the least.

The car arrived, and the driver knocked on the door saying "Surprise!"

Again, my sister and I looked at each other.

They indeed were whisked away in high style, and as soon as we closed the front door, we were all over it. Various cuss words were stated, and we stewed for a couple minutes.

Then, I thought, why not check the answering machine? My mom had said they left a message, and my parents are not great at deleting messages. Really, who is? So, after a couple of false starts, we retrieved their old messages.

"Yes, this is Jan and I am calling from X Car Company for Mr/Mrs. Gina's Parents. We are sending you a driver today to take you to X City. Just wanted to make sure you are there when we pick you up."

GEEZ-O-PETE! Could she have given away any more information? The company screwed up royally. Not only did THEY get the date wrong, they had to go ahead and announce all the pertinent details on an answering machine. We heard the driver say "Surprise!" so the company knew it was supposed to be on the down-low. My parents had suspected something probably all week, and then when we all came, the pieces clicked together.

So, almost five months of secrecy blown to smithereens by an incompetent dispatcher. This company was even recommended and booked by a travel agent friend, so we trusted them since she has a good history with them.

Sigh... Not completely clueless after all.

Well, we are pretty sure they don't know about all the people coming for brunch tomorrow. That's something, anyway.