Today is second of April, and by the time anyone reads this I’ll have been the victim of any number of devious pranks, mischievous jokes, and malicious trickery. I suppose I’ll have no one to blame but myself for falling for anything; after all, everyone should know that the biggest news of that introductory April day can never be trusted. Still, somehow I always fall for the gag. As luck would have it, I’m the guy who once said, “Really?” when a friend told me gullible was not listed in the dictionary.
I suppose my susceptibility comes from my being, by nature, an overly trusting person. A complete stranger behind a cash register will ask how I’m doing, and I’ll think, Wow, I’ve made a new friend, completely forgetting the fact that this person asks me that question strictly because his paycheck depends upon it. This is a fault which, I can only hope, will one day be remedied by years of built up cynicism, one April 1st after another.
Until then, I’ve resolved to lock myself away come April 1st, 2011. There will be no texting, no phone calls, no viewing of web pages or anything that might make me think, even for a second, Really?
