This was taken in 1998. I made a surprise visit to see my sister for her 50th Birthday.
My trip took me thru Reno Nevada, where she and her friend would be spending a few days at Circus, Circus. It was the surprise of her life and the best "practical joke" I've ever pulled off.
With the cooperation of the front desk staff I was able to have both Beverly and Susan summoned to the office. Fortunately Beverly came first and I was able to introduce myself, calm her down and proceed with my plans.
The staff then proceeded to call Susan, ask her to come down to the office for a minor concern on their billing and tryed to assure her it could be easily worked out if she could just come down for a few minutes. She was a little "miffed" and annoyed to be bothered but she was on her way down.
When she arrived she was ushered in the office behind the front desk, the manager trying to reassure her it would only take a few minutes, could she just come into his office.
So here is the scene as she steps inside: Sofa to her left, unknown woman sitting there. (That would be my friend Connie, who had made the trip with me) Looking thru the doorway past the sofa she could see into the front desk area. There's a lady there shuffling thru a file cabinet and looking up frequently to see the concern on my sister's face. In the corner, diagonally across for the door she just entered.....Beverly setting in chair, face bowed, seeming genuinely concerned and then...who is this???? With my back to Susan, facing Beverly, I had a suit jacket on, my hair is cut in a loose, layered, shoulder length cut. Couldn't tell if I was a man or woman and it appeared to Susan that I was confronting Beverly at this point.
Susan to motel manager "Could someone tell me what's going on here? We have other credit cards if there's a problem with this one. We can pay cash. I'm sure we can resolve this."
Motel manager "If you could just have a seat, I'm sure we can take care of this"
Susan "I can't imagine what the problem could be, I know we have good credit"
silence.......no one speaks.......she's surveying the room, wondering "Who the hell is the person in the suit jacket, why is Bev pushed in the corner, what!!! is going on here?"
with a crack in her voice "Would somebody talk to me?"
The tension was high, high, high in that small office space.
I had not seen my sister for at least 5 years. She couldn't even imagine that I would be there in Reno at Circus Circus.
The manager persuaded her to have a seat and we could get this taken care of. He carefully had her sit on sofa directly behind me......I was so pumped at what was about to take place....I sat looking at the wall, revelling in my accomplishment thus far.
Connie told me later at this point, the room was dead silence and no one was moving, she was wondering if I was going to move.........oh it was priceless.
I had the grey suit jacket and levis on, my foreboding shades and a cigar.....slowly, very slowly I swivled the chair to come face to face with my sister. I leaned towards her and with a tap on my cigar I say "I hear it's your birthday"
Total confusion across her face as she's staring hard to believe what I just said. We are staring into each other's faces, she's got the look of "total blank" going on. So I lean in a little closer, slowly pull off my shades, look closer into her face and calmly say, with another tap on my cigar, "Happy Birthday Sister Sue"........still she's blank...blank....blank. Not another sound could be heard in the room. Everyone is totally motionless.
All of a sudden she jumps to her feet, throws her arms out and shouts "Holy Shit!!! It's my sister!!!" The room erupted in squeals and laughter. What a "hoot".
My only mistake....I didn't have it recorded. It would have made the best "World's Funniest Video"
