How it Really Went

For his birthday Brock wanted to go to lunch at a Malaysian restaurant in Redwood City, so I met him at work and stole him away (not too difficult, since most of the firm was out of town). I brought him his watch at lunch so he could enjoy wearing it at work. He loved it and tried to wind it up, but it didn't work and now we have to send it back and get a new one. Oh well. Still, lunch was fantastic (Brock got green curry chicken and I had Pahd Thi-I have no idea how to spell that, but I think I'm close).

As soon as I left him at work, I raced home to pack us up for the Mansion. I had to check us in at 3:00 and I thought I'd do all the work of unpacking and settling in, so Brock would have a complete surprise. I managed to pack and get to the mansion on time, but when I got there I found a bit of a mix up. They gave us a room with broken plumbing and a view of the parking lot. I called Dad for advice and then went back to ask the manager for a new room. I got it. It still wasn't in the mansion, but it had a much better view and it was clean and comfortable. Still just a little disappointed, I unpacked and headed home.

I got home just in time to get ready for dinner. Just then a new problem surfaced. As I was getting ready, I figured out I was getting a little sick and I knew I would need a prescription. I called in to my doctor's office and told them what was going on. They had told me previously that they could diagnose and prescribe meds over the phone, so I thought I wouldn't have to come in. I was wrong. I had a bit of fever, so I had to see a doctor. I asked what they had open the next day, but they said I had to come in that night. Because of the nature of the illness, I had no choice. Great timing.

Brock walked in the door to find me furious, but he was such a good sport. We had time to go to dinner and then run to the doctors before we headed to the hotel. I was very glad I had already checked us in, since I had no idea how long the doctor visit would take.

The Melting Pot was perfect. It was better than I had hoped it would be, with rose petals and cider, balloons and chocolates. We had cheese and chocolate-peanut butter fondu, taking our time and enjoying the romantic atmosphere. I decided to tell Brock about the hotel, since he was driving, and he was really excited to see it. When I told him about the room mix-up earlier in the day, he decided he wanted to talk to them again.

After a quick stop at the doctor's office we headed out and in no time Brock and I had talked our way into one of the Mansion's most beautiful suites. It was called the "eucalyptus Suite" and came fully equipped with a sitting room, huge bathroom, bedroom, four-post bed, walk-in closet, and private balcony. So pretty and luxurious! We took baths, did crosswords, and slept very comfortably.

The next day we had a wonderful breakfast and then raced to Los Gatos to get Brock's hair cut. I then borrowed Alli's swim-suit and we went back to the mansion to spend the rest of the morning by the pool. We swam and sunned until check-out time. So, Brock seemed to enjoy his birthday, and that was the point, though it didn't work out just exactly the way I'd planned.