A Surprising and Classy Wedding Gift

My husband and I were married at the local courthouse.  No big affair.  After all, we'd be together for 8 or 9 years.  I think it was a Tuesday.  I know it was April 18th.  Only one person knew our plan, and that was a good friend of mine, our real estate office admin Donna Nobles.  Not even our families knew. 

Donna called me the day of the wedding and insisted I come to the office to borrow her pearls.  She was very concerned about the old some old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.  She loaned me her pearls.  All the while she kept the secret. 

After the ceremony, when my husband was home on the phone explaining to his Mom in Florida why we'd just ditched our families and run off to get married, I took Donna'a pearls back.  Eileen Durkan, our Broker walked in and asked why I was so dressed up.  I told her that James and I had just gotten married.  She was thrilled.  She asked what we were doing to celebrate.  I told her we'd made reservatons at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for dinner. She congratulated me again and I left.

James and I ordered a feast that evening.  Spare no expense.  We only planned on getting married once.  So we ordered several side dishes to sample with our steaks.  We also had champagne.

That night at dinner, there was confusion when it came time for the check.  After the meal, I went to the ladies room, leaving my new husband to ask for the check.  When I got back, he went to the men's room and I was sitting there when the waiter came back with an envelope and wished us congratulations.  Thinking my husband had paid, I opened the envelope and inside was a note from Eileen congratulating us. 

James came back and asked if I'd gotten the check.  I said no.  Neither of us felt comfortable leaving without one more conversaton with the waiter.   He expressed that the meal and the tip were on Eileen. When Eileen heard what we were doing, she'd called ahead and given her credit card.  She'd given strict instructions not to say the meal was on her at the outset, because she wanted us to order what we truly wanted.  Now that's class and one of the most surprising things anyone has ever done for me.