Punk'd - without the pleasure of Ashton

Seeing as today is April Fools Day, I thought I'd share the best trick anyone ever played on me. It happened about 6 years ago.   

One day I got to work and logged on to my computer to check my email, as I always did.  I saw an email marked "urgent" which was unusual.  It was from a name I'd never seen before.  I opened the email and my heart started to race.  It was from a man named Ugo in the "Audit and Investigations Department". The email read something like this: 

"From time to time we do random audits of employees internet usage.  A recent report shows that yours is excessively high.  I've arranged a meeting in my office with you and your Supervisor at 11:00am to discuss further." 

My heart was pounding and I almost threw up.  I showed my friend Jacqui who's worked at the company for over 20 years.  I asked her if she'd ever heard of this happening before and she said no.   It was only 8:00am, so I still had to wait 3 hours for this meeting.   My Supervisor at this time was a man named Pete.  We had a great, easy going relationship and he was someone I felt I could talk too.  I immediately went to him and nervously asked him if he had checked his emails yet.  He said he had and he saw that I was panicking.  I asked him if this had happened to him before.  He said no and assumed it was a new technology recently put into place.  I had worked the day before, which was a holiday.  Holidays are very quiet and the day goes by slowly. I truly had spent the entire day on the internet.  I told Pete this.  He told me to calm down, relax and that he would help me through the meeting.  

After three awful hours of built up anxiety it was time to go.  On the elevator down I made Pete PROMISE not to leave my side.  To sit beside me through the meeting and be there every step of the way.  He promised he would.  

We got to Ugo's office and I was a total wreck.  We sat down and I faced this man I had never seen before.  He was all business.  Immediately, Pete got up and left.  I stared at him leaving like a deer looking into the headlights of a transport - frozen and about to get creamed. 

Ugo then said "As you know, we are here to discuss your internet usage".  I nod in agreement. He says he noted I frequently visited 'www.cbs.com'.  I stuttered and explained that it was because I was part of a 'Survivor Pool' and I was following the show.  He then said "Before we continue, I need to give you this".  He handed me an envelope.  I opened it.  It contained well over $100 dollars.  I stared blankly at it and waited for him to continue.  

I then noticed Pete on the floor, on his hands and knees outside the door.   He was trying to hold it in but he had the belly laugh going.  You know the laugh that empowers your entire body? Ugo then looked at me and said "Congratulations! You won the Survivor Pool.  These are your winnings". 

Then Pete let out the laughs he'd been holding in, which then turned to tears.  I was still waiting for the other axe to fall.  I was thinking, 'okay, I won the pool.  Let's move on and get this over with'.  Ugo burst out laughing too.  They were waiting for me to laugh but I still hadn't figured it out.  Pete then told me "that was it...there was no internet audit".     

It took me awhile to comprehend that this was a joke.  I didn't know how to react.  I was waiting to laugh or to cry.  All I knew is I was more relieved than I can explain.  Ugo told me he felt bad playing this trick on me, as he didn't know me.  But Pete convinced him I had a good sense of humour and I could handle it.  

Here's how the story unfolded.  I was part of a large 'Survivor Pool' ran by a guy I'd never met who worked at our local college.  Somehow this pool made its way around our staff and many of us signed up. I guess at the very end, when he determined I'd won, he didn't know how to get me the money.  It turns out he knew Ugo.  Ugo then approached Pete to find out who I was to give me the money. And that's how this scheme was born.

I have vowed to someday get Pete back equally as good.  I've yet to plot my revenge.  But kudos to him.  I can appreciate the effort and the humour.  He got me -  more than I've ever been 'gotten' in my life.