When I decided to surprise my fiancé’s grandmother with a birthday gift, I envisioned a joyful celebration of her 80th birthday. Instead, I found myself in a nightmarish misunderstanding that landed his grandmother in hospital.
My fiance, Jake and I have been together for five years and engaged for about six months. There are many things I appreciate about our relationship but I am mostly grateful for the great relationship I have with his family.
They welcomed me with open arms from the very beginning and treated me more like a family member than an in-law. I even built a personal and special relationship with Jake’s grandmother. She is just a wonderfully sweet lady who always went out of her way to make me feel at home.
So, her warmth and kindness have been a constant source of comfort in my life, and I truly adore her. Recently, she faced the heartbreaking loss of her husband. The loss was difficult for everyone in the family since they were all so close.
However, Jake and his family had her 80th birthday to look forward to and since things had not been easy in the last couple of weeks, the family wanted to plan a small and intimate birthday celebration for his grandmother.
I really wanted to be there for her milestone birthday but unfortunately, I had an urgent business trip. However, I was determined to make my presence felt by arranging a heartfelt surprise that I hoped would brighten her milestone celebration.
Knowing how much she loved fresh blooms and sweet treats, I arranged for a big, beautiful bundle of her favorite flowers along with a luxurious box of chocolates to be delivered to her home on the morning of her birthday. I hoped that this small gesture would brighten up her day while letting her know that I still thought of her even if I could not attend.
On the morning of Jake’s grandmother’s birthday, I was anxiously awaiting a call to hear about her reaction to my gift. Instead, my phone rang with Jake’s name flashing on the screen much earlier than expected. My heart sank a little, fearing something was wrong.
“Hello?” I answered, trying to keep my voice cheerful.
Jake’s voice was strained, furious, a tone I’d rarely heard from him. “I DON’T WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN!”
I froze. “WHAT! WHY, Jake, what happened?” I responded.
I really did not know what to expect because I could not think of what I could have done wrong, but Jake continued to shout, “Because my grandma is in the hospital after she received your gift.”
“My gift? Jake, it was just flowers and chocolates. How could that possibly—” But before I could finish my sentence he cut me off.