Surprise Graduation
I'll never forget the day my older sister embarrassed me in front of all of my friends. Brooke was twenty-four when I graduated from college. She decided to throw me a surprise graduation party, with the help of my mom, grandmother, and girlfriend Renee. Instead of it being a normal party with my close friends and relatives all just mingling, she decided to give the party a theme.
It all started two weeks after graduation. Since I had been accepted into one of the top medical schools, my sister, mother, and grandmother had purchased a pair of scrubs and a white jacket that they had embroidered with Dr. J Clark. Early that morning they gave me the hideous outfit and insisted that I wear it over to our grandmother's house. I thought we were just going to her house to pick up another graduation gift, but they had me fooled. I was a little hesitant to go out in public with the scrubs on, but I knew that if I refused they all would give me the biggest guilt trip.
A month prior to my graduation party, Brooke had asked my girlfriend Renee for a list of my friends and their addresses, along with some incriminating photos. They sent out invitations to everyone I knew and I was amazed that no one ruined the surprise. Especially my friend Chris who couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on it.
After Brooke convinced me to put the scrubs on we finally drove to my grandmother's. When I opened the front door I was greeted by all of my college friends, fraternity brothers, and relatives. I could feel my face turning red, not only because I was wearing a pair of scrubs, but also because my sister had blown up pictures of me and posted them all throughout the house. Then all of a sudden I was bombarded with the flashing of cameras left and right, and I had to listen to my fraternity brothers who were laughing hysterically. And since I knew my sister, I could already tell that I was in for more surprises.
Not only did the pictures cover almost every inch of the wall, but they also had a banner made that hung outside in the backyard. Fortunately it was a simple banner that said Congratulations Graduate. But my sister and mom had also made signs and hung them up around the house turning the place into a mini hospital. On the front door the sign read Clark's Medical Center. The living room was the patient's waiting room, the kitchen was the pharmacy, the bathroom was the radiology unit, and the backyard served as my private office. It was actually very creative, and I was impressed by how much time Brooke put in to everything.
They had also filled the entire house with maroon and grey balloons, which just happened to be the colors of the graduate school I would be attending in the fall. They had my favorite chocolate cake made from the local bakery, but the best part was that the bakery had re-created a picture of my sister and me when we were younger and put it on the top of the cake. In chocolate frosting they had written, 'To my younger brother, may you cure the world.' It was sweet and all, but Brooke was not off the hook yet.
About two hours into the party, Brooke invited all my friends and family into the living room. She announced that she had put together a tribute to me and all my accomplishments. She had made a video combining home videos and photos. My friends enjoyed seeing me as the goofy little kid I was, as she showed pictures of me being potty trained, falling off my scooter and picture after picture of me crying. My relatives were in for a shock when she cut to my college years, there were pictures of me running around half naked, drinking with my fraternity brothers, there were even pictures of when we all decided to dress up as cheerleaders for Halloween. I was mortified. To end the show Brooke had found a video of when I was about ten, my best friend Sam and I were playing outside, and goofing around for the camera. Well Sam tripped and got a really small cut on his knee. Nothing major, he didn't need stitches, just a band aid and there was barely any blood. However as soon as I got one look at his knee I fainted. Brooke had so kindly edited the video to show me fainting over and over and over. And then to top it all off she added a message. 'John, Good Luck in medical school…but are you sure you want to be a doctor!' Everyone in the room was rolling on the ground laughing.
The rest of the evening was a lot more laid back. I opened my gifts. Renee had given me a watch and had my initials engraved. My mom had purchased me a roundtrip ticket to New York so I could go visit Sam who had moved away five years prior. Brooke and my Grandmother bought me a new laptop. And most of my relatives gave me lots of cash with the request that I spend it on books for school. Of course I told them I would, knowing that I would spend the money on a new car. Later we had cake, and most of my relatives left leaving my friends and I to freely party in the backyard. However my very old Uncle Jake stayed and hit on all of the girls.
In the end after all the embarrassing moments I really did have a good time. However I'm still trying to figure out a way to get my sister back. I was thinking about making copies of her diary from high school, but that's just too mean, but hey that's what younger brothers are for. The day after the party I found the video my sister made, and made sure to lock it away where she can never use it for evil, ever again. It was by far the best surprise party, and definitely the most embarrassing event of my life.
