I told my brother not everyone found his stupid pranks funny. He didn’t listen. He was always stubborn as a mule and hard headed as our Madear would often say. Madear would also say that “a hard head, makes a soft behind”.

My name is Macy and I have a brother named Mark. As kids, Mark would often go too far with a joke. He’d take it so far that it would sometimes cost him good friendships. This was because, he’d get so engulfed and focused on getting a laugh that he’d lose all sensibility towards how it would effect others. His ego would also prevent him from ever apologizing even when others would get hurt. It seemed as if Mark would find the prank extra funny, if the person appeared to really get hurt. Of course this type of attitude didn’t roll out the red carpet for a lot of friends. Either they were afraid that they’d be the main target of his latest prank or they’d end up hating him.

Twenty years later and Mark has 2 kids of his own. A boy and a girl. Michael and Missy are their names. Although he is still somewhat of a jokester, he has definitely gotten much better since we were kids.

The funny thing about life is that although we are able to evolve and sometimes become mentally mature, there’s always a reaction to every action and sometimes those reactions are delayed.

Mark had a friend named Johnny that would often spend the night at our home. Johnny was a very nervous and socially awkward kid but he was nice. One time, Johnny wet the bed when he spent the night at our home. I heard my parents whispering about it over coffee the following morning. They didn’t see me eavesdropping near the kitchen but from what I gathered, he was mortified and extremely apologetic. They stated that his parents died in a car accident and that he was adopted by his uncle who drank heavily and would beat him for both anything and nothing. Needless to say, I can understand why he was a nervous and awkward kid. My parents told my brother to not bring up the “bed wetting” incident to anyone. They made him promise to never mention it, not even to Johnny.

In true form, my brother Mark, saw it as an opportunity to get a laugh so the next week at school, when Johnny went to his locker between classes, a huge poster was taped to it that stated “Pissy Johnny”. The worst part was that somehow my brother had taken a picture of Johnny sleeping atop of the soiled sheets and taped it beneath the label. Most of the school received a good laugh at Johnny’s expense and many began to call him that throughout the school year until we no longer saw Johnny around the school anymore. He hadn’t talked to my brother since the embarrassing incident and it appeared as if Johnny disappeared off the face of the earth.

That is until today.

My niece didn’t come home from school at her normal time two days ago. Of course my family is in complete panic mode and the police are now involved. As we all sit together quietly in the living room, thinking the worst but hoping for the best, the police hands my brother a note that was recently found in her school locker.

The note stated, “Hi there Mark the Shark! It’s been a long time but not a day has gone by where I have not been reminded of your ruthless and careless words and actions. I wonder if you’re laughing now during this game that we’re playing? Yes, that’s right. This is a game that you will play if you care anything about your kid. I figured that now would be a good time for me to have a laugh..the last laugh. Your precious Missy is the lucky winner! Sincerely, “Pissy”

I look at my brother and he looks back at me with the expression of a brick. After what seemed like an eternity, the expression cracks, tears well up in his eyes, & he collapses into his wife’s arms who is surprisingly calm yet tearful. As we all shake with fear and weep, my brother and I both know that his years of chasing a laugh at the expense of others had finally caught up with him and this time the price was our entire family.