“The next time he comes in here shaking his nuts…”

Being an aspiring author means I have the pleasure of working a real 8 to 5, while trying to break into the literary world. It’s not the most stimulating career in the world, but it has it’s up sides. For one, I have an awesome boss. He’s the kind of boss that is funny, laid back, but still gets the job done. He’s also the kind of guy who likes a good practical joke.

Now, I am not normally one to participate in practical jokes, because honestly, I’m a weenie. I don’t want the payback. So, I stay out of it. Except, a few weeks ago, my boss thought it would be a great idea to leave me a present.

Let me preface this story with the fact that I work in a really old building. And really old buildings have friends. We came in one Monday morning to find a lovely, rather large, cockroach belly up in my office doorway. We had a training that morning, and of course I was running late, so I dropped my bag in my office and headed to the training. When I walked in, my co-workers asked if I like my “friend”. I, of course, being in a hurry, hadn’t seen him at all. But, boy did I see him when I came back.

Apparently, when my co-worker had asked my boss to “remove” our “friend” he thought it would be funnier to leave him (on a white piece of paper) on my desk. I almost had a heart attack, no lie.

Turn About Is Fair Play

Like I said, I don’t normally get involved, because I don’t like the payback, but this meant war.

Meet Ralph…

Ralph came in a goodie bag my daughter got for Halloween this past weekend. He’s rubber, and not diseased, but he looks real enough. And he will serve his purpose well.

My boss loves nuts. You know the cans of mix nuts. He can’t resist. Anytime there are nuts in my office (the leftovers from trainings seem to hang out in my office), he always comes in, shakes a handful of nuts in his hands and devours them. Repeat the process a few times, and in minutes he’s eaten a quarter of the can. Well, my good friend Ralph is now buried somewhere in the middle of the can, waiting to make his grand appearance.

I warned my coworkers not to eat the nuts, but I am not sure which they found more hilarious…the prank, or the fact that I said “the next time he comes in here shaking his nuts…” Either way, I can’t wait for him to find Ralph!