More Than Pulling My Legs 

My annoyance knew no bounds when my husband played me a costly prank I had not expected.

Werner Pfennig

I cannot and have not even once joked with my kids because I knew how hard it took me to give birth to each of them. My husband also would have known the stress I went through and would not joke with any of my kids, not even using them as a prank on me.

I guess my husband was doing that to pay me back for what I had pranked him with. I was just seated in my shop very early in the morning when my husband came to me, saying he was hungry. Likewise, I asked him to help me stay in the shop so that I could go to the house to get something prepared. He has favorite food he always takes in the morning as well as the evening. Although, both morning and evening, he ate the same kind of food.

I left the house to prepare the dish for him. As I got home, I prepared the food he had wanted and dished it on a plate. I have similar types of plates in my house on which I dish his food. I dished rice on the second plate and covered it in the parlor while the food was covered in the kitchen. He had been escaping by going to serve food. He can only serve food when he prepares it himself.

He has been saying that his mom trained him not to dish food from the pot, even though he is the one who prepared it. He must call me to serve him food after cooking it himself. The only happiness I have is that my husband always helps me in the kitchen. He is not like other men who detest going to the kitchen except their wives.

He got home and was ready to eat. He washed his hands before opening the plate. There were two plates. The first one contains soup (on a similar plate), while the second one contains prepared cassava flakes.

He opened the plate that contained the cassava flake first (he had told me that) before opening the second plate that contained the presumed soup, whereas rice. When he saw that it was rice instead of soup, I guess, I immediately picked up his phone and dialed my number.

“What is this I'm seeing here?” He yelled. I was busy smiling at my end since I knew the reason for calling me.

“I don't understand," I replied.

“Didn't you know what I asked you to prepare? Why did you serve cassava flake somewhere and rice on another plate? How would you expect me to eat rice and cassava flakes together? Or were you sleeping while preparing the food?” He asked in anger, but I was busy smiling.

“What kind of prank is this?” He asked. I began to smile and laugh my head off before telling him to check the second plate in the kitchen. He was not happy, but then I had achieved my goal.

Just some days after the day I pranked him, he was at home with my last born while others were with me in my shop. He made him sleep and came down to meet with me. He asked, “Where is Japheth?”

“I don't understand what you are saying. I left him with you some hours ago," I said, while in a state of confusion.

“I'm just coming from home, and Japheth is not at home," my husband said.

I began crying and began to search for him. We both searched and searched all the corners where he would be found, yet he was not found.

“Have you gone to your friend's place to check if he's there?” my husband asked.

“Let me call her," I said while in tears. My face was watery, and I even had a plan to call the police.

I began to shout, “Kidnappers have carried my son. Where should I run to? Who should I cry to?” I cried out loudly. My landlord came out of his house, and those around me came out and began to help me search for my boy. We searched the bed and searched every nook and cranny without finding him.

I only have a little money with me, and I must get to the police station instead of calling them just to complain. I was searching for my husband just to help me go home to bring me some money, but it was as if he had carried out his search to another end. Likewise, I had to go home myself to get money that could transport me to the station. Not only that, but I was weeping profusely, just like a Christmas cow. On getting home, I met my boy, who was busy enjoying sleep. I wiped my face just to be sure of who I was seeing in bed. I thought my eyes were deceiving me, but to my surprise, it was my boy. “Does it mean my husband was trying to prank me just the way I had done to him some days ago?” I asked myself.

Somehow, I saw my husband smiling while standing by the doorstep. “First things to do can be so painful, but second things to do are the most painful aspects of life,” my husband replied.

I was now ready to take it; instead, I grabbed him, and immediately, he began to apologize. “I'm sorry, but remember, you did not apologize when you first pranked me.”.

We both hugged each other and promised not to play pranks again.

“I have seen my boy.” I smiled outside while those outside were so happy with me.