April Fools

By C. LaRene Hall

Today is the day set aside for good-hearted pranks, hoaxes, gags, and many laughs. As a kid, I could hardly wait for April 1st to arrive. Even as an adult, I’ve had great fun – usually at someone else’s expense. The best trick I ever played on April Fools was when I was the bookkeeper at a wholesale company. That eventful morning, I made up special bills for some of the employee’s including the big boss. I secretly distributed the bills to the designated people, and then I cleared the machine deleting all the fake bills and began my regular work.

The suspense was killing me and it was hard to concentrate. I didn’t have long to wait before employees started calling or showing up at the front desk confronting the office manager with their latest bill. Since she was a good friend of mine, and knew of my bad deed, she assured each person she didn’t know how this had happened and she would take care of it. After they left, we both giggled and waited for the next victim. Anxiously we were both watching for the Big Man to confront us.

It took a while, because unbeknownst to us, he had called his wife and was royally cussing her out. “How could you buy so many teddy bears,” he yelled.

Eventually he stormed to the front office, waving the bill, and yelling, “Barbara said she didn’t buy these.”

We both kept a straight face and watched him having his temper tantrum. After a few minutes, he stopped yelling. “Connie, my wife said this is a just a joke. Is she right?”

By this time, I was a bit scared, and meekly nodded my head. He burst out laughing. “I told Barbara she was wrong. No one would pull a joke like this on me.”

Word spread fast and soon everyone in the area was laughing with him. Later he told me that was the best joke anyone had every played on him. He was grateful for the fun I had created, and I certainly breathed a sigh of relief – I wouldn’t lose my job today. His wife even called later in the day and thanked me for bringing so much laughter to the office.

Now, I’m a little more careful when I unleash the devil inside me. Some people probably wish I would keep my pranks to only this one day of the year, but that’s not possible. I grew up in a family who liked to pull jokes frequently. Some of my mother’s party gag’s included a glass that leaked, a fork that bent when you picked it up, and a spoon with a clear seal over the top so no one could pick up anything. With parents like this, I didn’t have a chance to grow up normal.

Nope, this really doesn’t have anything to do with writing, other than the fact that I’m retelling a story and writing this. Have a happy April Fool’s Day.