A genuine surprise

I don’t really like surprises. I know that makes me strange but it’s true. To be more specific, I don’t like big surprises like parties because they make me feel like people have been scheming behind my back. Surprises that come from just one person like flowers or presents or cupcakes are always welcome.

This comes up as a topic because last night I was surprised. I was surprised and I received a surprise. One word, both verb and noun. Way back in the mists of time in 2008, I worked for a while in the UK. I had hoped to stay in Europe for many years but that plan fell through and I came home in January 2009. Before leaving I filled out my tax forms as required by my employer and was told I should get most if not all of my tax back because I’d earnt such a pittance. Nothing came of it and I forgot about it.

Then last night I went to dinner at my parents’ house and there was a letter waiting for me from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. It contained a cheque for GBP100-73. That’s about $151.40. It had taken them almost 3 years but my tax return found me!

Surprise !