They all think they are so clever. They thought they were gonna have me all upset and scared with their little pranks this year. Well, the joke is on them because I was prepared this year. I learned from April 1 last year that my friends can never let an opportunity for foolishness pass by without doing something dumb to try and mess with me. The whoopie cushions, fake spiders and banana peels are not going to have me fooled this time.
Last night, I made sure to remind myself of the ambush of practical jokes, pranks and lies I was going to be faced with today. In addition to checking where I sit and looking for any traps and triggers that may be set up in my house or at work, I made sure to be especially wary of what people tried to tell me.
The first instance of avoiding April foolery came as I went down to the mailboxes in my apartment building and saw a bogus red letter claiming to be an eviction notice for past due bills. To be honest, this one did have me worried for a split second before my training in preparation for April Fools’ Day kicked in.
I opened the envelope and saw in bold letters that I was allegedly being kicked out because the last check I had written to pay for my apartment had bounced. The letter went on and claimed I had 72 hours to either get my finances in order and pay the rent, or I would have to vacate the building with any personal belongings I did not want to be thrown out by the landlord.
I kept reading and found out where my friends had messed up in making their prank convincing. At the bottom of the letter, detail was added that the landlord had already called my bank, and the bank had told them that my accounts had been cleared out at an establishment called Riverside Derby Links, which was supposed to have horse racing and gambling. I knew this could not be true since I do not gamble and am the only one who has access to my bank accounts, other than my dad, whose vice of choice is drinking, not gambling.
I did not need to read the envelope from my bank, and since I knew it was just a continuation of the prank, I was able to focus on getting to work. I was met with a second attempt at a sort of prank when my sister, who lives across the hall from me, texted me as I was about to leave that she had taken my car keys and car because she was meeting “somebody special” for coffee that morning, adding that she had taken the day off from work.
I knew this could not be entirely true since my sister was still recovering from a gruesome breakup, and although it had been several months since then, I doubted she would be ready to date already. Additionally, I knew how much of a workaholic she was, and there was no shot she was missing an opportunity to clock in more hours over some 9 a.m. coffee with a mystery man.
So, I just texted her saying, “Yeah, right😂” and took the train to work. Surprisingly, work lacked pranks, even from my closest friends there. The only attempt at an April Fools’ Day joke was when my boss told me that although I had performed very well in my sales job this year, management had decided to make personnel cuts, and since I was the newest employee, I would have to be terminated. I just smiled, shook her hand, and complimented her on the cute attempt at a joke, but I was ready for the jokes this year. All she could do was scoff and shake her head in defeat.
I went home and got a call from my sister, who seemed mad at me for whatever reason. Perhaps, for me, not falling for her earlier April Fools’ Day joke like she wanted. This time, she told me that she brought the car back to the apartment but told me not to drive it since her “date” noticed the car’s suspension and brake pads seemed to be wearing out despite the warning lights on the dashboard not coming on. She told me not to drive far tonight without it getting repaired since the brake lines could tear at any moment.
I laughed at her and told her nice try and that I was already heading out to watch a movie at my favorite old-school theater. She started to get even more upset and told me the theater was too far away to go safely. I then said that she should just give up the façade since I was not going to be fooled this year. Before hanging up, I told my sister that I had been preparing during the 30 days of March so that I would not be the butt of any jokes today, and I was going to enjoy my April 1 for once.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.