April fool's child

[Nihilio]

Είδος: Χιούμορ

Βία; Όχι

Σεξ; Όχι

Αριθμός Λέξεων:569

Αυτοτελής; Ναι

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Jonas was awake way past his alarm clock rang. Last night he hardly slept, because today was a special day. Today it was the day he would extract his revenge on his fool of a son. For the past twenty years his son never failed to fool him on an April fool's day. It was about time he would teach him a lesson.

 

His son, Albert, was an inventive prankster. Each and every year Jonas was prepared for the annual joke, yet his son would get him, making up a complex yet convincing prank to pull. This year Jonas knew his fool of a son would trick him and he was ready to counter it. He was ready to pull a fast one on him. He had spend most of the night awake, preparing himself for this.

 

Sitting on his sofa and sipping some hot coffee, he sighed. His son was a good boy, but a total fool. He was thirty years old, married and in two months' time he would be the father of a son, Jonas' grandson, yet he was foolish enough to think of pulling another of his pranks on his father.

 

His thoughts were cut abruptly when the phone rang. Steeling his resolve, he reached for it and answered.

 

“Hello dad,” he heard Albert telling him from the other end of the line, his voice joyous, “Mary gave birth to your grandson!”

 

You foxy bastard, thought Jonas, good thought, but I won't swallow your bait.

 

“How is that?” he asked, “were she not expected to give birth in two months time?”

 

“She was, but yesterday, two o clock in the morning the waters broke,” his son answered in a convincing tone, but not convincing enough to fool a fully alert Jonas. “Father,” Albert continued, his voice filled with emotion, “you have a grandson.”

 

“No I don't,” snapped Jonas.

 

“What do you mean?” Albert asked him, sounding discouraged

 

Good, he took the bait, thought Jonas and smiled to himself. “You see,” he told him, pulling a fast one, “I don't have a grandson because I do not have a son.”

 

“But...” stuttered Albert, but Jonas dropped his bomb: “Son, you are adopted.”

 

“You can't be serious,” said Albert, his voice breaking.

 

“Well, I think it was time to tell you son,” Jonas went on, “me and your mother could not have a child, so we adopted you. But we could not bring ourselves to tell you.”

 

This will teach him, thought Jonas, as an uneasy silence had fell on the line. Albert was still on the other end of the line and Jonas was sure he was struck dumb. It is time for the nail to seal this coffin, Jonas thought.

 

“Oh, and son,” he told in a soft voice, “happy April's fool day.” Then he hung up and sat on the couch gleaming with satisfaction. I actually made it, he congratulated himself.

 

 

 

 

Albert was standing speechless, his eyes stuck on the dial of the public phone he had just used. The hospital corridor was almost empty. He was exhausted, both from the lack of sleep and his anxiety during the birth, and the way his father had reacted to his news had left him totally speechless.

 

I tell him my wife just gave birth, he mused, and all he does is pulling an April fool's day prank on me.

 

The old fool.

[iliosporos]

Μια μικρή, όμορφη ιστορία, επίκαιρη και γραμμένη στην Αγγλική δεν μπορεί παρά να έχει ενδιαφέρον. Μας βάζει γρήγορα στο πνεύμα της αναμονής, την ψυχολογία του πατέρα "θύματος" και του γιου "θύτη" που επι χρόνια που περιμένει για το μάθημά του. Το τέλος αποδεικνύει περίτρανα πως ο γιος μάλλον δεν χρειαζόταν πολύ προσπάθεια για να δουλεύει τον πατέρα του επι τόσα χρόνια και πως ο πατέρας θα αργήσει πολύ να του την φέρει, αν τελικά το κάνει ποτέ.

Δεν είχε αίμα, αλλά είχε γέλιο...

 

I compromise

[RaspK]

Πάρα πολύ καλό - ίσως δε χρειάζεται το τελείωμα, όμως. Νομίζω ότι χωρίς αυτό μάλλον θα είναι καλύτερο.

[Nienor]

Χεχεχεχεχεχεχε, μπράβο ρε συ. Είναι δροσερό, ανθρώπινο, καλογραμμένο (φυσικά και πάντα) κι έχει ένα δυνατό νόημα μόλις μέσα σε καμιά πεντακοσαριά λεξούλες. Πολύ όμορφο, μίστερ, πραγματικά πολύ όμορφο. Ίσως δε χρειαζόσουν τη φράση στο τέλος, ίσως είναι λίγο πλεονασμός γιατί έχουμε καταλάβει ήδη, εφόσον μας δείχνεις προηγουμένως την εικόνα του νοσοκομείου, πως δεν ήταν φάρσα του γιου του η δήλωση, όμως θα χανόταν και το the old fool με τον τρόπο αυτό που μου αρέσει πολύ ως κλείσιμο. Πάντως με εντυπωσιάζεις, ούτε στάλα αίμα, ούτε στάλα βία και ταυτόχρονα «δικό σου». Μπράβο σου ξανά, πολύ μου άρεσε.

[Nihilio]

Ευχαριστώ παιδιά για τα σχόλια, αν και θα διαφωνήσω με την πρόταση να φύγει το τέλος: χωρίς αυτό δε βλέπουμε την ανοησία του παππού, αφού πράγματι θα μπορούσε να ήταν φάρσα.

[RaspK]

ΟΚ, δεκτό και πάσο.