Charlotte Hagerman’s blindfolded face met the curb.
I heard her call out and turned around to see her on the ground. Laughing, I helped her up, apologizing for not informing her of the presence of the curb. I continued leading her into La Tolteca, where, unbeknownst to Hagerman, over a dozen of her friends were waiting in a huddle to yell, “Surprise!”
I still wasn’t sure if this would work. What if she removed her blindfold? The surprise would be ruined. Anxiously I pulled her towards the restaurant. Only a hundred more feet to go…
STEP 1: PICK THE DATE
Charlotte’s birthday was that Monday. I told her that I wanted to take her out to dinner later that week, and we decided that Thursday would be a good night.
STEP 2: MAKE PLANS
It was as we were making dinner plans that the idea for a surprise party came into my head. I mean, why not?
The good-intentioned lies began there. When Charlotte asked me where I wanted to take her, I told her it was a surprise.
STEP 3: PICK A PLACE AND INVITE FRIENDS
I thought about good restaurants in Bel Air where we could fit a bunch of people at one table comfortably. La Tolteca happens to specialize in accommodating large groups. Plus, it gives the birthday guest a sombrero to wear. I called La Tolteca that night, and even though they do not take reservations, I told the manager about the surprise and he agreed to push a few tables together around 6:30.
Now how to tell everyone? Three words: chain Facebook message. Most people check their Facebook daily, and that way I wouldn’t miss anyone. If you have talkative friends, make it clear that the party will be a surprise.
STEP 4: PULL THROUGH
After making the plans with everyone, I had to decide how I would carry the surprise out. I had Charlotte meet me in the JC parking lot. As she pulled up next to my car, I sent a text to my friend at the restaurant: ten minutes. Every second counted now. Charlotte got in my car and I put her blindfold on. On the way to the restaurant, I made lots of unnecessary turns, just to confuse her. When we finally got to La Tolteca, I encountered my first obstacle. Since everyone was already there, the parking lot was entirely full.
STEP 5: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION
As I did a three point turn in the parking lot, I decided to have a little fun. I began to beep the horn loudly. Then I informed a panicky Charlotte that I was three-pointing in the middle of the road as cars were zooming past. I made sure to sound scared and confused.
I ended up having to park two parking lots away from the restaurant, so we would have to walk. I led a blindfolded Charlotte only a few hundred feet, but to her it seemed like a mile. To make it interesting, I told her that we were crossing a busy intersection. We were walking through an empty parking lot, but the sounds of the cars from Route 1 were right next to us.
STEP 6: YELL “SURPRISE”
As mentioned earlier, Charlotte did end up tripping over a curb, and—one hundred feet later—falling into the lap of a middle-aged stranger as she blindly stumbled into the restaurant. But it was worth it.
I led her to the middle of the restaurant, where all her friends had sat waiting for about fifteen minutes. I removed the blindfold. And I’m not sure who was more surprised: Charlotte, at the fact that she was standing in the middle of her first surprise party ever, or me, at the fact that I actually pulled this off.
Alex Bahr can be reached for comment at [email protected]