the surprise tuxedo

My uncle Mark came to my wedding in a tuxedo. It wasn't a black tie event, but Uncle Mark saw a great opportunity to get to wear his tux and I found it pretty funny. He also wore his tuxedo to my sister's masters graduation ceremony.

On Sunday I called Uncle Mark and Aunt Jane and he told me that last Tuesday he got in the car and drove from St. Louis to Dysart, Iowa to celebrate my Great Aunt Stella's 92nd Birthday. (This is the same Great Aunt Stella I wrote about on Valentine's day.)

He arrived as a surprise to his aunt's house, and of course was wearing his tuxedo. After a while Stella's other nephew Jerry showed up with Stella's 93 year old brother-in-law. And then the four of them went to the nearby town for fried chicken at the bowling alley.

I am envisioning these four, Mark in his Tux, along with Jerry helping these two 90-somethings who rarely get out of their own homes, sharing a meal of greasy chicken in a hazy bowling alley. And somehow it completely works. Uncle Mark said the bowling alley attendant asked him if he was the entertainment for the celebration.

I called Aunt Stella after talking to Uncle Mark and she told me, in great detail, all about this most wonderful birthday party. She added that she was so pleased because she had wanted to turn in her income taxes in person, and her accountant was right next to the bowling alley. It was hard to figure out if she was more happy about hand-delivering her taxes or the fried chicken.

At any rate, she felt celebrated and I began to think more events need to be celebrated with a surprise tuxedo.