When Maria arranged a surprise party for her husbandโs 40th birthday, she didnโt expect to see strangers walking through the door instead of him.
The surprising mix-up, which involved an unanticipated Airbnb rental, resulted in a memorable night of laughing and unexpected guests.
My husbandโs 40th birthday was approaching, and I wanted to throw him a surprise party.
To prepare, I informed him that I would be out of town on his birthday.
We decided to celebrate on another day instead.
On the evening before the big day, I pretended to pack my bags and head to the airport.
In truth, I stayed the night at my buddy Karenโs house.
โAre you sure this will work?โ Karen asked, raising an eyebrow as I stuffed clothes into my suitcase.
โAbsolutely,โ I replied.
โTom thinks Iโm going to visit my sister.โ
Karen chuckled.
โYouโre a sneaky one, Maria.โ
The next day, I awoke early to ensure that everything was perfect.
Tom always arrived home from work about 6 p.m., so I invited all of his friends and family around at 5.
That way, weโd have time to set up before he arrived.
By 4:45, people began to arrive.
His brother, Jim, came first.
โHey, Maria!
Need any help?โ Jim asked, carrying a box of decorations.
โSure, Jim.
Can you start hanging these streamers?โ I handed him a bundle of blue and gold streamers.
Next came Tomโs best friend, Dave, and his wife, Lisa.
โWow, youโve really outdone yourself, Maria,โ Lisa said, admiring the decorations.
โThanks, Lisa!
Can you guys help with the balloons?โ I handed them a bag of balloons.
Everybody pitched in.
By 5:30, the living room looked fantastic.
Blue and gold streamers draped from the ceiling, and balloons abound.
A large banner reading โHappy 40th, Tom!
โ hung across the wall.
At 5:45 p.m., I assembled everyone in the kitchen.
โOkay, everyone, Tom will be here soon.
Letโs turn off the lights and hide,โ I said, feeling the excitement build.
We all found hiding locations behind the kitchen counter and elsewhere.
My heart was beating while we waited in the dark.
I held my breath as I heard the key turn in the lock.
The door opened, and I could hear footsteps.
But then I heard a female voice.
โDo you think heโll like it?โ the voice said.
My heart sank.
So, who was she?
For a brief moment, I suspected Tom was แดสแดแดแดษชษดษข on me.
The lights went on, and the entire room gasped.
A young couple stood in the doorway, appearing just as astonished as we were.
The woman was holding a luggage, while the male held a pair of keys.
โWho are you?โ I blurted out, stepping forward.
The womanโs eyes widened.
โWho are we?
Who are you?โ she exclaimed.
Jim stepped out from behind the counter.
โWeโre here for a surprise party.
Who are you guys?โ
The man looked around, bewildered.
โWe rented this house on Airbnb.
We were supposed to stay here for a few days.โ
I felt the color drain from my face.
โAirbnb?
This is our house!
โ
Dave scratched his head.
โTom must have listed it after Maria said she was going out of town.โ
The woman looked at me sympathetically.
โOh my gosh, we had no idea.
Weโre so sorry.
Weโll leave right away.โ
โNo, no, itโs okay,โ I said quickly, trying to keep the situation calm.
โLetโs just figure this out.โ
The young couple, still perplexed, stepped inside and shut the door.
Everyone murmured, trying to figure out what was going on.
Karen came over to me.
โMaria, whatโs going on?โ
โI have no idea,โ I whispered back.
โTom must have put the house on Airbnb when I told him Iโd be out of town.โ
Tomโs sister, Susan, walked up to the couple.
โHey, why donโt we all sit down and talk this through?โ
We all migrated to the living room, and the decorations and party materials seemed weirdly out of place.
The young couple introduced themselves as Jake and Emily.
โWeโre really sorry about this,โ Jake said.
โWe thought the house was empty.โ
Emily nodded.
โYeah, we didnโt mean to crash your party.โ
I forced a smile.
โItโs not your fault.
This is just a big misunderstanding.โ
I took out my phone and dialed Tom.
He answered the second ring.
โHey, honey!
I thought youโd be on your flight by now,โ he said cheerfully.
โTom,โ I said, trying to keep my voice steady, โdid you list our house on Airbnb?โ
There was a pause.
โUh, yeah.
I figured since you were going to be out of town, we could make a little extra money.โ
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.
โTom, Iโm not out of town.
I was planning a surprise party for you.
And now weโve got a house full of guests and a couple who thought they rented our place.โ
Tomโs silence was palpable.
โOh no, Maria, Iโm so sorry.
I didnโt know.โ
I looked at Jake and Emily, who were awkwardly seated on the couch.
โWhat do we do now?โ
Tom sighed.
โIโm on my way home.
Weโll sort this out.โ
I hung up and turned to everyone.
โTomโs coming home.
Weโll figure this out when he gets here.โ
Jake stood up.
โWe can find another place to stay.
We donโt want to ruin your party.โ
Lisa shook her head.
โNo, stay.
Weโve got plenty of food and drinks.
Join us.โ
Emily smiled hesitantly.
โAre you sure?โ
โAbsolutely,โ I said.
โThe more, the merrier.โ
Tom showed up around fifteen minutes later, looking apologetic.
He entered and instantly apologized to everyone.
โIโm really sorry about this,โ he said.
โI was just trying to save up some money for a vacation for Maria and me.โ
Susan laughed.
โWell, you certainly surprised us, Tom.โ
Jake and Emily ended up staying, and the celebration continued.
They were excellent sports about the whole thing, and everyone was soon laughing and having a fantastic time.
โCheers to unexpected guests and surprise parties,โ Dave toasted, raising his glass.
โCheers!
โ we all echoed, clinking our glasses together.
As the night progressed, I could not help but smile.
Despite the turmoil, it was a night weโll never forget.
And as for the vacation, Tom and I would undoubtedly take one, with a story to share for years to come.
