Liz was just about finished wrapping up the final details for the surprise party she was planning for her husband. She had been meticulously preparing for this event, and was very excited about it.

Family members who Guermo hadn’t seen in years were flying in from Peru in a few days. Liz had tracked down several college friends, and they were coming in from various places across the country. The caterer and band were set.

The best part for Liz: she knew Guermo had not a clue about the party. She could not wait to see the look on his face when he walked into a big “Surprise!” in his own home.

The party was to be on Saturday. As Liz was daydreaming about picking relatives up at the airport the next day and taking them to their hotel, Guermo walked into the kitchen and said, quite certainly, “Sweetheart, I don’t want anything special done for my birthday.”

“What do you mean?” Liz responded nonchalantly, though her heart was beginning to pound.

“I mean that I don’t want a surprise party.”

“Okay,” Liz said with a shrug. “Not a problem.”

Liz’s mind raced. There was nothing she could do about Guermo’s request now. And, frankly, she didn’t want to. Liz had been planning this for more than a year. The party would go off as she intended. She did not want all of her effort to be for naught.

When Guermo came home Saturday evening from playing soccer with friends, he was shocked. Tears filled his eyes. (This response had been something Liz had not predicted). He saw among the crowd friends who he had not seen in nearly 20 years and family members who had come from Peru just for this evening.

But along with being deeply moved, he was also angry with his wife. He felt ambushed. He knew he could be emotional, and he did not like people to see him that way. That’s why he did not like being surprised.

Salsa music filled the home of Liz and Guermo. Guests filled up on ceviche, lomo soltado and empanadas. Liz whispered an “I love you” in Guermo’s ear, they shared a kiss, and the two danced the night away.