No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Jennifer Bettelyoun

“Jenny, it’s time to wake up” I heard my mother shout from the bottom of the stairs. I pulled the blanket up over my head to shield my eyes from the rays of sun beaming into my room through my bedroom window. “Yeah, yeah” I mumbled in response to my mothers’ annoying cheery disposition. I closed my eyes to listen for the typical sounds that filled my house every morning; my father humming “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”, my little sister bounding the stairs, and my two brothers, one older, and one younger, arguing over who got more to eat for breakfast. I strained to hear but was met with an eerie silence. "That's odd." I thought to myself as I slowly sat up in bed. The last time I heard it completely quiet in my house was, well, never.

 I got out of bed and grabbed my cell phone to see what drama may have unfolded throughout the night, like what couples up, who was throwing shade on Twitter or cheated on who, and with who, and that’s when I saw it. It flashed up on the screen in big white print, the date. April 1, 2021. I could feel my heart sink a bit, I hated April Fools Day more than any other day of the year. Maybe it was because I had two brothers who felt that pranking me was their reason for existing, or maybe it was because my dad has made me look overly stupid in front of my classmates by pranking me in public on every April 1^st for the last 5 years, or maybe it is just because I hate pranks in general.” I guess I could try being more aware, and not so gullible, or hell, I could prank back” I thought. I sat there staring out my window, trying to mentally prepare myself for this ridiculous day, when I decided that I would not become a victim of the prankster's holiday, not this year. "I will do everything in my power to avoid having a prank pulled on me, and, as a matter of fact, I will go out of my way to do good deeds for people" I declared to my reflection bouncing back at me thru the window. I turned on my heel and made a beeline for the bathroom. I didn’t know why the house was quiet, I didn’t know what they had up their sleeves, or what they were planning. What I did know, was that I wasn’t going to find out.

 I spent most of my shower brainstorming how I was going to possibly avoid my family for the remainder of the day, and the rest of it trying to come up with some good deeds to do for people. This day has left such a sour taste in my mouth, I was determined to change it for myself. As I went through my daily morning routine, I would pause to listen for any sounds emerging from the house and was met with silence every time. When I was done getting ready, I stuck my head out of my bedroom door, gave a quick look around, the coast was clear, and I made a beeline down the stairs and out the front door. If they were planning a prank on me, they didn’t get the chance to pull it! I walked down the sidewalk towards the high school, with a grin on my face. Me-1, Pranksters-0.

               "What would be classified as a good deed," I asked Siri, on my walk to school. "A good deed is the simple fact of doing something kind for a person, animal, or the earth. Some examples would include offering someone a smile, picking up trash, holding the door for someone, or offering a compliment” Siri responded. I passed a few classmates on the way to school being careful not to engage in any kind of lengthy conversation to be sure I wouldn’t open myself up to becoming a victim of this day. I did, however, offer up three genuine smiles, and one I love your earrings to a girl who I know doesn’t hear many compliments. I was feeling pretty good about how the day was starting to shape up. "Maybe avoiding being pranked wouldn't be so hard after all," I thought to myself, and that's when I saw them. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the bill of a bright orange Salt Life visor and the toes of my brother's bright red Nike’s poking out from behind the bushes a block ahead. “These little snakes, they are never going to stop” I mumbled under my breath. I took a quick right into old man Tucker’s yard, I knew a shortcut from middle school, and I knew the boys didn’t know it. I left them patiently waiting in the bushes to scare their sister, who wouldn’t walk by! Another win for me.

               I spent my school day barely speaking to anyone, which was hard for me, seeing as how I am a social butterfly, not really belonging to any certain social circle, but belonging to all of them at the same time. I performed a good deed every time an opportunity presented itself. I carried a girl who was on crutches, due to a broken leg, books, I ate lunch with a loner, and I graded papers for 3 of my teachers. I avoided my brothers, my ex-boyfriend, and my best friends. It's always the people closest to you that want to make you look stupid for some reason. I think they do it out of love, but still, it's twisted. Why embarrass someone you're supposed to care about? When the final bell rang for dismissal, I was relieved. I made it halfway through the day. No pranks, plenty of good deeds, and feeling pretty good. Maybe next year when I wake up, I won’t have the looming feeling of dread hanging over me, maybe I’ve broken the stigma of being the family joke on April Fools Day. I was feeling pretty good, but I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, I still another 8 hours to go. I decided I would head to the local retirement home to spend some time with the folks there. I knew they would love the company, and it seemed like it would be less risky than heading home, where anything is possible. Or would it be?

               I arrived at the retirement home at 4:30. I stopped off at a local pharmacy and grabbed up some magazines, a few notebooks, some markers, and of course, some sugar-free candy. I spent my time there visiting grandmas, and grandpas and mother's and father's, some who very seldom had visitors, and I listened to their stories, hugged them, and chatted with them quietly. It made me feel good to see the happiness that something as simple as giving them my time brought them. To be honest, I had completely forgotten it was April Fool's Day while I was there.

 It was approaching 8:00 and visiting hours were ending, so I started to gather up my things and head out. As I was leaving a little old man, named Tom, slightly shorter than me, with a lot less hair, grabbed my arm. "Jenny," he said, "Could you help me get my slippers out of my cabinet? They are on the top shelf and I can't quite reach them." I grinned "Of Course I can Mr. Tom. Lead the way." He led me into his room and pointed to a large oak cabinet with two doors that pulled open. I grabbed the handles and gave them a yank, as I did, a bucket of water, ice-cold water, spilled down from atop the cabinet, directly onto my head, soaking me from head to toe. "Oh…." Tom sputtered. I stood there, my mouth open, but no words able to come out. Tom stood next to me with a look of surprise mixed with caution, trying to gauge what my reaction may be. He finally broke the silence by throwing his hands up in the air and saying, “April Fool’s”! I stood there in disbelief. I had been so careful to avoid getting pranked and going the extra mile to do good deeds, and in the end, my good deed ultimately led to me being pranked. I stood there, taking in the scene, the joy I could see in Tom’s eyes because he pulled off a prank, he hasn’t been able to pull off in years, my clothes dripping wet, and the crowd of residents crowded around the door grinning, laughing, and smiling, and I busted out laughing. “You got me. You got me.” I shook my head. I gave Mr. Tom a big hug, making sure to get him as wet as I could, and he handed me a towel. I dried off and said my goodbyes and headed for home.

 Thinking about my day on my walk home, I started to realize how silly I had been for feeling the way I did about April Fools Day. If someone pulling a prank on me brought them even an ounce of happiness, why should I do my best to avoid it? As a matter of fact, maybe I should try a prank or two myself. I hated being embarrassed when someone pulled a prank on me, but if I wouldn't care so much about what other people thought and if I could learn to laugh at myself, April Fool's would take on a whole new meaning for me. It would no longer be a day I dread but become I day I can't wait to participate in. With a new take on the day, I walked thru my front door, shouted "I'm home", and braced myself for the pranks that I knew my family had waiting for me. That night, as I laid in bed trying to fall asleep, I began brainstorming. I had one year to plan the greatest April Fools joke to ever go down in my family’s history. The countdown began…they would never see it coming.