Practical jokes. In the early days of my working career, rarely did a day go by where you wouldn’t hear – or see – a good practical joke.

From the simplest to the most carefully thought out, they all made our days a little brighter.

Most mornings wouldn’t pass without someone laying down a strip of clear tape on a fellow employee’s phone button (the one you’d engage to start and stop a conversation, common in the old phone design).

It made for great fun especially if the first call of the day was incoming.

Over the partition you’d hear the victim’s phone ring, followed by a pleasant “Hello.”

At that point you’d hear another ring, followed by a few choice words.

Ultimately they’d realize what was happening but not before half the office was in stitches.

Another classic occurred while a number of us were out of town attending a trade show.

After a night of socializing, sales rep “Willie” phoned sales rep “Bob” to arrange to meet for breakfast.

Bob forgot to put in a wake-up call the night before and was running late.

He immediately jumped in the shower and left his room door slightly ajar, since Willie was on his way to meet him. What happened next is nothing short of brilliant.

When Willie arrived and heard the shower running, he immediately grabbed the garbage can. Quietly, he crept into the bathroom and began to fill it with cold water.

Since the shower curtain was drawn, Bob had no idea he had company.

When the can was full, our mastermind grabbed the curtain, pulled it back and wham, a sheet of ice cold water hit Bob with heart-stopping impact.

Willie tossed the can on the counter and ran out while the victim cursed him up and down.

Knowing that Bob was going to get back at him, Willie sat on the bed pondering his options.

Should he run, hide or wait and take it like a man? A few minutes later, the bathroom door slowly opened.

As Willie told it, he remembers seeing that same garbage can, full of water, travelling straight for his head. A second later, dripping from head to toe, he stood up and started laughing hysterically. It took a moment but Bob soon discovered why.

It turns out that in anticipation of the attack, Willie had changed into Bob’s suit…shirt, tie and all! Talk about being quick minded.

– Rob Wilkins is the publisher of Truck News and he can be reached at 416-510-5123.