April Fools Day

Today is April fool’s day. It should be a national holiday for my family; growing up my mother instilled in me a hatred and then love of April Fool’s day that made the anticipation of it almost as exciting as Easter or Thanksgiving. Alas, I have yet to successfully dupe the QUEEN of April Fools pranks (my mother), but enjoy the annual challenge it presents. I have had some success over the years with my friends, but each successful deception ensures an even more challenging task for the following years, as my group of friends grows more and more leery of me as the years go by.

I knew I had just about used up all of my April Fools innocence when I called my best friend this morning and not 2 minutes into the conversation did she warn, “don’t even bother- - I know what day it is and I don’t believe anything you’re about to tell me”

See what I mean by challenging?

So today, after I called my mom to tell her about my victorious prank that I played on my resident, she told me about her plans for the day. I knew right away that, once again, she had won with the simpler, but somewhat more ingenious idea. It may not seem fair that her victim was an 83-year-old man with a short-term memory the size of a gnat, while I was faced with a brilliant medical doctor student. But I got to hand it to her and give praise where it’s warranted.

Before I explain to you the prank I need to give you some pertinent facts about my father:

1. He showers on Fridays

2. He HATES showering on Fridays.

3. Every Friday my mom puts a yellow sticky note on his bathroom mirror that says, “Harry, Today is Friday. You have to have a Shower” and then stands outside and listens to him curse and swear until he turns the water on.

4. His favourite question, “what day is it” is usually asked hourly throughout the course of the day. Which is funny because it’s not really relevant to his day-to-day routine. Unless, of course, it’s Friday.

5. Today is Thursday

And with that lead up, can you guess what my mother did to my poor father for April Fool’s day this year?

She told him it was Friday.