Hi, I’m Carla Roma and welcome to the Powder Horn Saloon – home to country music and cold beer in Bandit Creek, Montana. I’m seated beside Trip Williams, one of the seven writers whose short stories comprise the Fool’s Gold Anthology to be released April 1, 2012. I recognized Alyssa Linn Palmer and Victoria Chatham from previous interviews, but Trip introduced me to Louise Behiel, Julie Rowe, Sheila Seabrook, and Brenda Sinclair.
Carla: Hello everyone. I’m delighted to meet with you today.
Cotton: <bartender approaches table> I turned the music down as Trip requested. Just wave if you folks want a second round.
Carla: Thank you, Cotton. <bartender saunters back behind bar> Let’s get started, shall we? Now, today you’re sharing April Fool’s jokes that you’ve pulled on someone or been caught by yourself. Shall we start with Victoria?
Victoria: Years ago I worked in a bookstore in England. A new title on the history of transvestism came in. I composed a letter, supposedly from the publisher, congratulating my boss on purchasing ‘this new and exciting social treatise’. He called friends and family, asked my colleagues if they were responsible. I carried on working, and somehow he missed me altogether. His wife came in later, took one look at the letter, and said ‘Oh, that’s Victoria’. It took awhile to live that one down, but he had to admit he’d been fooled. <chuckles>
Carla: What about you, Brenda?
Brenda: Unlike Victoria, I was on the receiving end. Several years ago, The Red Deer Advocate printed a front page story about the City of Red Deer issuing special bags for collecting doggie poop – blue for boy dogs and pink for girl dogs – and I read most of the darn thing, totally annoyed at the idea, until I caught on I was reading an April Fool’s story. I felt rather silly. <chuckles and smiles>
Trip: I got caught by a newspaper item, too, Brenda. About six years ago, we had a winter packed with heavy snowfalls late into the season. The sides of my driveway were piled to five feet and the snow kept coming. Unfolding the morning Sun, I was beside myself! The city declared that all streets in front of homes were now the responsibility of homeowners to keep clear. I was spitting mad and would not stand for this! By 9:00, I had written letters to my MLA and Alderman. This, I would not tolerate! At lunch I was informed it was April 1st. Man, did I feel stupid. Laughing at myself, I could only hope the recipients of my letters found the same humor in them as well. <everyone laughs and sips their beer>
Carla: I travel the world, avoiding cold weather, preferring to lie on a sunny beach. But then I meet with friends for a ski week in Switzerland every year. <chuckles and shakes her head> Whose next? How about you, Sheila?
Sheila: We “sent” 12 employees to a conference at $500/person and stuck the requisition in a stack of paperwork for approval. Our boss marched out of his office, face sweating, hair on end, and told us we couldn’t spend this much money without head office approval or he was going to get fired. When we told him we’d already paid with the company credit card, he looked ready to have a heart attack. Finally we yelled, “April Fool’s Day!” and his chin hit his chest.
Carla: Six thousand dollars! No wonder he almost had a heart attack. <joins laughter> Alyssa, what happened to you?
Alyssa: A friend of mine once blogged about learning he was a father, from a relationship he’d had nine years prior. Of course I believed him, since it wasn’t something anyone would joke about. And later that day, he owned up: it was only a joke. I’d never been so annoyed. I still can’t believe anyone would joke about such a thing.
Carla: Men aren’t always the most sensitive beings on earth.
Trip: Hey, I don’t agree with that.
Carla: You’re an exception, Trip. <smiles> Who’d like to share next?
Louise: I will. My department doesn’t play pranks on each other. One morning my office door was unexpectedly locked. I had a big presentation to finalize for the executive committee, and needed to work on my unnetworked desktop. But my secretary couldn’t find the key, so called maintenance. He couldn’t open it either. I steamed from both ears and sweat pooled everywhere. The key guru came but couldn’t open the door. Panic overwhelmed me. Finally an hour later, my secretary dangled the key in front of me. “April Fool’s” she yelled. She’d been notified that morning the meeting was re-scheduled. <smiles and chuckles>
Carla: Julie, finish our interview off. What happened to you?
Julie: The best April Fool’s joke I’ve ever witnessed is one a good friend of mine played on her husband. My friends have four kids. The first two were planned, but #3 happened when the IUD failed and #4 happened when the condom failed. They decided he better have a vasectomy before #5 ‘happened’. April Fool’s day fell shortly before his surgery. She phoned him at work to say her period was late. His response: total silence. So, she went on to say she’d done a pregnancy test. It was positive. He broke his silence at that point with some very creative remarks, which I won’t repeat. Then he hung up. She called him back and as soon as he answered the phone said, “Honey, what day is today?” Then SHE hung up. <lots of smiles and laughter>
Carla: Thank you for sharing these wonderful pranks with me. And I look forward to seeing all of you again one day.
For more fun and famous April Fool’s jokes and pranks, please check out this website:
Top 100 April Fool’s Day Hoaxes of All Time.
Pick up a copy of the Fool’s Gold Anthology to be released on April 1, 2012 .
