A case of mistaken identity

One thing that can not be said about me is that I'm spontaneous. I have never been. I have also not been known for having a sense of humor or desire to play pranks on people. Some would call me pretty gullible in my younger years. Granted, some people at work feel I let a good joke out every now and again, but when I was younger, it was a rarity.

So let me setup the story. I guess I was around 10 or 11 years old and we were living in Durham, NC at the time. Every now and again we'd travel up to NJ to visit my Dad's father. My mom didn't particularly care for him and I think the feeling was reciprocated. So, the trip often was just my dad, my brother Mike and me.

Also, being young kids with small bladders we had to stop a lot along the way at rest stops. These handy little conveniences may be a foreign concept to many people. I know on the trip from Houston to OKC, we only saw one. But these rest stops were pretty nice until you got north of Virginia.

So here we were on our way north to NJ and we stopped to stretch our legs and take a "bio-break". I being the fast walker that I am was way ahead of the pack to get to the bathroom. I round the corner to the bathroom and had an idea pop into my head......

I'm going to jump out and scare the crap out of my dad and brother because they would never see it coming.

There was a little wall that shielded the entrance to the men's bathroom and I was hiding just behind it waiting for my dad and brother to spring my trap. I couldn't see through the wall and all I had was the shadows as my guide to tell me when to jump.

My dad and brother weren't far behind me so I didn't think I'd have to wait long. Then I saw the shadow. It was approaching fast but I didn't want to jump out too soon, but if I waited too long I'd just be some idiot hiding behind a wall.

I saw my moment of opportunity and sprung around the corning letting out a loud roar.

But.......

It wasn't my dad or my brother. It was some poor business man. All I remember is him screaming like a woman and throwing his briefcase up in the air. I don't remember much beyond the fact that my dad and brother were rolling in laughter. I, on the other hand was embarrassed.

As we were driving out of the Rest Area, my dad turned to me and said, "We will never look at a Rest Area the same and unfortunately, neither will that poor guy."