REVEAL

I set my alarm extra early and tiptoed around the house obsessively checking and re-checking everything. I only had one chance to execute my plan and everything had to be perfect.

I set out breakfast on the dinning room table, placed our luggage by the front door and collected Diana for our big reveal: Get up, boys. We are going to Disneyworld. Di started taping and we gently rousted the boys from bed. The Disney corporation may want this footage for their future advertisements. It was going to be that spectacular.

For better lighting, we made them stand side by side in the hallway. They both refused. Elijah slumped down, eyes closed and Luca assumed a ball-like position on the floor, with his butt in the air.

Diana gave me the thumbs up from behind the camera and I went into my big reveal. I fought back tears of joy as I said, “Guys. Guess what? We are getting on an airplane today and going to DISNEYWORLD!”

Silence.

Maybe they were too stunned to speak. “Guys. I said we are going to Disney today. To-day. As in right now.”

“You’re lying,” Luca said. And we immediately went back to bed.

Eli merely said, “Okay.” And slumped over onto his side.

Diana subtly turned off her phone’s camera and she slid it into her pocket. She backed away from the scene and looked around for a window to jump out of.

After a few minutes, Luca came out of his room and said, “Wait. Are you lying dad or telling the truth?” I told him it was the honest to God truth. He seemed to take in this information soberly. As if I had just informed him we would be going pants shopping.

But then my ace in the hole arrived: the limousine. Our stretch limo, piloted by a man who held the expression of a man who hoped he would be driving a bachelorette party, arrived in all its hot pink and white glory.

The boys went berserk.

Ah ha. Our adventure had officially begun.