April 7, 2007
On April Fool’s Day, I foolishly assumed that I would survive the day unscathed because the offspring who used to play the practical jokes around here have ‘flown the nest’.
Not to be. Grandson Halen came running across the yard to tell me there was a big red fox at the edge of the woods. Since he is young and presumably innocent, his was an absolutely believable story. Besides the fox usually appears around this time of year anyway. I wanted to believe him because I had not seen the fox this spring. He usually shows up by now, so off I went to the woods to look for myself.
Meanwhile from behind, I hear giggles and a small voice yelling, “April Fool.”
Wonderful, I think to myself. Here we go again. As the sayings go, the apple does not fall far from the tree or like father like son. Both apply here.
Let us just say I have seen this movie.
Halen’s father in his day was masterful at tricking me. He took great pride in this. In fact, he found it to be so much fun that he decided to make it a year-long event.
April Fool’s Day was not enough for him. Oh no. His pranks often turned into a long-running mini series of ruses, such as ‘The Great Pineapple Caper’.
His very first practical joke should have been warning enough.
He came running into the house that day, obviously wounded, with his hand wrapped in a towel. Blood was everywhere. Naturally, I began basic first aid, whereupon I soon discovered the blood to be catsup.
He should have been in the movies. I should have seen what was coming.
From that moment on his chicanery digressed into an elaborate and quite ingenious hoax, all of which I swallowed.
Keven convinced me over time that he could taste the difference between different brands of pineapple and could tell the difference between off-brands and Dole.
He started his deception by telling me one evening at dinner, “This pineapple upside-down cake tastes different.”
The next week, it was this: “Something in the fruit salad tastes funny. I think it is the pineapple.”
He played this well and would wait a few weeks before he commented that the pineapple in whatever dish I made that day tasted fine now and must be Dole.
He said he knew what had been wrong with the pineapple earlier. He claimed he could tell if I used a name brand or an off brand whether it was in the pineapple-orange salad, the cheesy fruit salad with pineapple, or the pineapple cream cheese dip.
“Keven, no one can tell the difference between pineapple brands”, I finally yelled in frustration.
The thing was that he was always correct. He could indeed tell the brand apparently by taste.
I could never figure out how.
This went on for months, and he never missed.
One day when he thought I was napping, I walked into the kitchen and noticed the light on in the pantry. There I found him going through the trash looking for the empty can of pineapple. I had made a fruit salad earlier in the day, and it had pineapple in it. He found the can.
Well, let us just say he was not Johnny Carson’s The Great Carnac after all.
What a scoundrel, but he is not alone.
Ancient Rome had a spring holiday for practical jokes--the Festival of Hilarity, a day of honoring foolishness.
Likewise, the French call April 1 their April Fish festival. School children tape a picture of a fish on someone’s back crying April Fish (Poisson d’Avril) until the prank is discovered.
Historians tell us that April Fool’s Day originated because Pope Gregory XIII created a new calendar changing New Year’s Day from April 1 to January 1. Some folks refused to accept the new date and continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1. Then others began to make fun of the people who celebrated on January 1 by sending them on ‘fool’s errands’ or tricking them with practical jokes.
Around our household, we do not need a special holiday to fool people. Ours is ongoing.
I have learned one thing though. Always check the trash.
