A woman was left screaming in shock as she opened the trunk of her car to be surprised by her best friend, who she had not seen since before the pandemic.
Cecilia Blanco, 29, moved from Boston to Austin, Texas, just a few months before the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S., and it had always been her best friend Gabriela Coletta’s intention to pay her a visit.
But during the pandemic, Gabriela’s mom was incubated with COVID, Cecilia said, and with her friend also working in politics, traveling was simply not an option.
Cecilia and Gabriela, 28, who goes by Gigi, lived two blocks away from each other growing up, and the 29-year-old’s friend was determined to pay a visit to her friend’s new home as soon as possible.
The separation was tough, Cecilia said, as this was the first time she had lived away from home, and she was missing her East Coast friends.
Ahead of Cecilia’s birthday on July 8, though, Gabriela reached out to Cecilia’s boyfriend, Colin, to help plan a surprise trip, as coronavirus restrictions had started to be lifted.
On the day of Cecilia’s birthday, Colin asked his girlfriend to step outside, guiding her to the car.
There, Cecilia opened the trunk to discover a box-like shape with a blanket draped over it.
As Cecilia pulled back the blanket, her friend jumped out, causing the 29-year-old to scream in complete shock.
The friends then hugged in an embrace that brought birthday girl Cecilia to happy tears on Gabriela’s shoulder.
Cecilia said: “Not being able to be close to my east coast friends and family was incredibly hard for me especially since this was my first time moving away from home.”
“We have been looking at dogs from local animal shelters for a while so I honestly thought he got me a dog as a birthday surprise.
“I was a little anxious because I really want a dog but I also wanted to be involved in the process of picking out a potential new member of our family.
“Then, I was in complete shock. I still am.
“Every time I watch the video I still cry because two people I love so much planned something to genuinely make me happy.
“It really puts into perspective what’s truly important to have on your birthday – it’s not about the gifts but rather the people you spend it with.”
Story courtesy of T&T Creative Media