A Lovely Surprise

I already mentioned that when I was in D.C. this past weekend, I stayed with the illustrious Carolyn McCulley. I enjoyed every moment with Carolyn, a friend and fellow writer. Thursday night after I braved the traffic on the Beltway, I met Carolyn for dinner at a Lebanese Restaurant called Bacchus. (The lamb was fantastic!) She listened with enthusiasm as I shared all my news.

Now I should tell you that from interviewing Carolyn, I know that she has a huge heart for hospitality. And indeed, she made my stay completely lovely in every way (even helping me plan my navigation downtown). So when I arrived at her house, and she led me to my accomodations downstairs, I thought nothing of the vase of white roses occupying the end table — except, a passing — Wow! She wasn't kidding when she said she was into hospitality!

After explaining where I could find a hairdryer and how to work the shower, Carolyn stood by the end table and kind of looked down at the flowers in a knowing way. It was then that I noticed there was also a package.


Turns out she and Josh had been in cahoots for several weeks. The flowers (and the package containing The Bible Experience) were from Josh (Thank you, Josh!), not my wonderful hostess. Still, Carolyn's role added to the fun of the surprise.

I laughed when she described the last phone conversation she'd had with Josh, which had occurred that afternoon. "Alright, I'll talk to you later," she'd said. "Oh wait, actually I may never talk to you again. Have a nice life!"