Ahh...the joy of a good practical joke!

Poor Beau. He had been looking forward to a trip to the beach for months. Seriously. Every week, we heard how he wanted to go to the beach. And then it wouldn't happen. So, here he was, a week at the beach planned with friends. Room rented. Plane ticket purchased. Leaving tomorrow. Maybe not, if I had anything to do with it.

Jeremy thought it would be fun for me to tell him that because we were behind, we needed him to stay. I wasn't sure I could pull it off, but I got my game face on and called him in to meet.

Jeremy was there too as I explained to them that we couldn't let Beau go on vacation. I explained I had already discussed it with HR and we would reimburse him for any deposits or tickets he could not get refunded. I wouldn't do it if we didn't absolutely need to, but it just wasn't a good time. He started to barter with me, explaining how friends were going, everything was paid for, etc. In the end, we agreed that he could still go, but he would need to bring his laptop and be available to work during the days, but then at least he would still be able to go out with his friends in the evenings.

As we finished, I thanked him and handed him a piece of paper that I said listed the items I needed him to work on that week. He went to read it over and it was the email from Jeremy asking me to help him with this prank. Then, a personal note from Jeremy that said he promised he would always get the last laugh.

Ah...these are the things that make work more enjoyable. Good people. Good times. Sorry, Beau. And yes, I'm watching my back.