Not Lies and Pranks

“I’m not a black sheep. It’s just that, it is not good to prank someone out of fun,” I told the colleagues who told me that I was of no humor sense. It was not the first time that someone told me I was no fun at all. I’m dead in gay spirit and playful nature in pranking others to the bottom.

My family are Catholics; we are strictly in compliance with the teachings of the Catholic Church. We attend Sunday masses and Novena processions and volunteer to do good works and cleaning on the beachside. Everything we know and do is under the will of God. No pranks, no stupidity, and hysterical doings that would ruin our souls and body. Mom would never allow me to make nonsense acts and deeds towards my neighbors.

She would play wild once I do the things against her will.

She would say, “As Jesus says, “Father, thy will be done” so I will be done since God entrusted His beautifully made sons and daughters to us your parents.” Suddenly, we would just burst into laughter. Mom would also make a little spread in her rosy cheeks. Sometimes, we children play funny and fancy games to allure ourselves from boredom. Our home is not a house of hilarity or maybe pranks; only for serine, quiet, and meditative people to stay and pray throughout the hours of the day. Mom would never allow us to run and play hilariously inside the house. I would say it has become a secluded monastery where everyone remains silent and tranquil.

Every time I bring classmates and friends to our house, they would ironically declare, “Your house feels like a real horror. Who would sarcastically live in this place, Sam?” I would be suddenly stirred-up about it; they just didn’t know how sanctified is this place. Somehow, I sometimes heard guttural voices and an eccentric wisp of sounds plus, the house was designed odd as well, looking like a big old, empty house where ghosts dwell.

 I feel annoyed and afraid at the same time, blending in the unmounted echoing of my heartbeats as soon as I passed in our backyard. No one in our school would ever dare to ask me to stay up late in our home. According to them, they might find themselves meeting undesirable creatures around our backyard-like-cemetery once they walk out of our big open ancient door. Lucky for me, I do not believe in this mysticism; I truly trust in God.

There is one encounter that deeply prompts me to abhor performing pranks to other people or vice versa. I thought he was just facetious about what he told before my very presence.

It was a hefty evening, coming tired from school I was all by myself in going home. I feel to myself the loafing weight of the world as if it was laid around my back. I walk alone in the rain.

When I arrived home, everyone was in pause, no whispers nor hisses. Mom saw me, “Why are you coming late?” she said in distress with a waving tone of anger in her voice. “We have our Research project finalization, the Professor needs it badly for…” She suddenly blasted a wave of disapprovement that I stopped in talking, “Don’t you lie to me odds! I know those of God and evil.”

I am stuck, without any ideas on what more excuses I can tell her for me to be saved from mom jeopardy. I can’t just forget my classmates' incessant calls for me to stay up late. I anticipate that he would fulfill his oath to me.

“I promise to go with you to your house, in case your mom would ask for reasons for staying up late.” I almost forget it was the 1st day of April where tons of people are in the disguise of playing jackals and jokes. After 3 hours of gearing our papers, all of my groupmates salvage from the exceeding stress of analytical discernment. “Jay, your promise?” I appealingly told him. “Huh, what promise? I never pronounce promises to people. Should you not mind that today is April’s Fools Day?” I sank to deep bewilderment; a strong force floods me completely. Maybe, it was anger or resentment of believing him fully. He walks out as if nothing happened between us. I was left stunned with nothing to tell of what will follow next once I enter that door of our house.

Let us go back home. I was terrified and depressed about what I am going to do as an alibi. With no choice anymore, I decided to be in truth and light.

I told mom everything that happened to me, of how Jay played a prank on me, not fulfilling his oathed choice. “You should never believe the words of a liar and a deceit tounges. It is okay. You better do good things so that no bad things will come your way. Jesus solemnly declared, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you,” she said with a bit of humor, knowing what I have just experienced in the school.

On that evening, mom retells some of the most treasured events in her life. I don’t think if you can cherish awful and embarrassing events that if once recount, it will give you ugly picturesque of yourselves.

“One time, one of my colleagues asked me to take his lunch out of his Jordan bag. I did get it since he is my hobby but little did I know there was a big patterned color of snake that lurks inside the bag. I jumped in dreadful fear and screamed as loud as I can. All of my classmates just jump wildly in ecstatic contempt. I was clueless about what is happening. I look at him, but he just burst into extreme laughter. He teasingly told me that it was just a toy, insisting that today is April Fools' Day. I was put to shame before them, knowing that I am the only person who is naïve about it.” We all laugh hard at hearing that from our very mother. “Anyway, Life goes on. It’s in the past, I am already immune to people’s tragedy of playing fun to others' life.”

From that day, instead of having hang-outs with my peers during April 1, I freely offered myself as a tutor in San Frances Sunday Catechism. I also volunteered once in the San Raphael Orphanage, where mom usually gives the old clothes and toys that of no use to us. I had so much fun and learning in every good deed that I do, maybe because I learned to value truth over lies or help asides from pranks.