A mom of three, whose middle child was deployed to Germany with the U.S. Army, got the surprise of her life when he popped up during a family vacation to surprise her. The magical moment was caught on camera.
Middle school Spanish teacher Monica Palao, 55, was on vacation in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, when her daughter Cristina Peters, 27, suggested the family record a video for 24-year-old William Peters, her younger brother who was deployed to Vilseck, Germany, and could not join them, or so Ms. Palao thought.
“My daughter and her fiancé ... had invited us to visit this beautiful town before they were going to move to Texas, so my husband arranged everything,” Ms. Palao told The Epoch Times. “We got up at 3:30 a.m. to catch an early flight to Queretaro. From there, we rode in a shuttle to San Miguel. ... We walked through the house gate, tired but excited.”
As soon as they put their bags down, Ms. Peters suggested that they should send a message to Mr. Peters.
“By then, the reality that he was going to be the only one not there had sunk in,” Ms. Palao said.
The family began recording their sweet message for Mr. Peters. Then, as Mr. Peters entered the room, Ms. Palao saw his reflection on the phone screen before reality hit, and the clip captured her shriek of surprise.
“I thought I was going to pass out,” she said. “I felt dizzy for a while afterwards, and he had to keep holding me so that I would not fall. I told him he could not play those tricks on me anymore, or I may not make it!
Everyone else was extremely happy and confused. It was amazing to be together,” Ms. Palao said.
Mr. Peters has been in the Army for the last five years. During this time, his family has stayed in touch with him via WhatsApp. Other times, they have written letters to him.
“Sometimes there’s no communication because there’s no signal, or he’s in training, and those are terrible times,” Ms. Palao said.
Mr. Peters is a joker but never lies, said his mom, so when he explained that he couldn’t join his family because he had forfeited his right to vacation for the sake of fellow soldiers with children, his mom believed him. However, her husband and daughter made arrangements, with her husband keeping it a secret.
While Mr. Peters’s big surprise took place in December 2022, it took Ms. Palao months to share the sweet clip on social media. She remembered the clip while reminiscing about their Mexican vacation with her family.
“I literally said to Cristina and William, ‘I love our video and I think it would make other people happy. Would it be okay if I shared it on Instagram? Would you get in trouble for being in Mexico, William?’ and he replied, ‘Oh Mom, no one is going to watch it!’” she said.
Sharing more about Mr. Peter’s personality, Ms. Palao said: “William was smiling from the moment he could. He was always daring, and very coordinated, often finding treasures or helping people who had lost things. My friends would tell me, ‘Monica, may I borrow William? I lost an earring!’”
Mr. Peters didn’t enjoy school, so when he finished high school he said that he needed a break.
“When he told us he wanted to join the Army I thought it would never work, but it has been good for him, even though we miss him terribly,” Ms. Palao said.
Mr. Peters has missed his birthday with his family for five years in a row. Every time his family says goodbye, they’re unaware of when they would next see him. But owing to his Army career, Mr. Peters has friends all over the world, but none are as precious as the loved ones at home.
