Son’s prank a cat-koozie doozie
I’m guessing that because Easter fell on April Fools’ Day, the pranks were kept to a minimum.
That’s why my older son started early this year.
John has always loved pulling tricks on people. Growing up, I’d find a plastic spider or roach in one of my drawers or a cereal box. The screams may still be reverberating around the planet from the huge snake he put on plastic wrap across my toilet.
Before Easter, he hid the sacks of candy I’d bought for the baskets, making my husband and me think he’d taken them. I may have had choice words for John before finding out the sacks were behind a chair.
My daughter-in-law has not quite forgiven him for the trick he played on her last week.
She loves some highly soughtafter baby slings that are organic and expensive. There is even a Facebook group for this addiction, and when new colors go on sale, it’s a frenzy.
She ordered a beautiful blue one for our June beach trip, and she couldn’t wait to get it. She was notified that the package had been delivered, and she was excited to get home from work and open the package.
When she did, instead of an $80 sling that she’d already paid for, she found two cheap kitchen towels and a crazy cats-in-space koozie. The “seller” had enclosed a handwritten note: “I’m so sorry. I needed the money. My weenie dog just had puppies.” And she drew a sad face.
My daughter-in-law was in shock. She was outraged. She wanted the woman kicked out of the sling group. She collected herself enough to text the seller and ask, “I’m confused — are you going to send the sling?”
The seller was very confused and responded that she HAD sent the sling.
My son walked out of the bedroom holding the sling just when my DIL was responding to the seller’s text. He had taken the sling out of the package, bought the items to stick inside and had his father-in-law’s fiancee, who keeps my granddaughter, write the note.
Before my DIL really let the seller have it, he explained.
My DIL texted: “OMG — I’m so sorry — my husband pranked me! Please, please, please forgive me!”
She posted it to the sling Facebook group, adding: “Currently seeking revenge ideas.”
The reactions were swift. Most people found it funny, but other hard-core sling supporters were not amused.
One asked my DIL: “What are you going to do with all that extra room in your bed?”
When my husband heard of this trick, it reminded him of something similar. Many years ago, when we were reporters in Jonesboro, a photographer/reporter had sent off his camera for repairs. It took forever with a lot of back-and-forth conversation with the company. He was thrilled when the camera finally arrived.
When he opened it, the box was empty, except for a packing slip and plastic-foam peanuts. He was fuming.
Just as the guy was dialing the company, my husband stopped him. My joker husband had cut open the bottom of the box and taken out the camera before resealing the box.
I have never liked pranks. The only one I remember is hiding another reporter’s shoes in my desk drawer, and he never suspected me because I wasn’t the type.
The funniest thing to me about my son’s sling surprise was all the Facebook love the stupid cat koozie got.
We might have found our next business venture — selling cat koozies. My DIL can buy all the slings she wants when we become millionaires.