The Office Prank That Went Too Far

Theo had been planning his April Fools' prank on Reem for exactly three weeks. She had replaced his stapler with a slightly heavier one weeks earlier and never confessed to it. His plan was simple: swap the sugar in the break room with salt, just for the first cup of coffee she made that morning.

Theo sudah merencanakan keisengan April Mop untuk Reem selama tepat tiga minggu. Beberapa minggu lalu Reem mengganti stapler-nya dengan yang sedikit lebih berat dan tak pernah mengaku. Rencananya sederhana: menukar gula di ruang istirahat dengan garam, hanya untuk cangkir kopi pertama yang dibuat Reem pagi itu.

What Theo hadn't accounted for was that their new office manager, Victor, always arrived early and always made the first pot of coffee. By the time Reem walked in, half the office had already been served, and complaints were spreading faster than Theo could explain himself.

Yang tidak diperhitungkan Theo adalah bahwa manajer kantor baru mereka, Victor, selalu datang pagi-pagi dan selalu menyeduh seteko kopi pertama. Saat Reem masuk, setengah kantor sudah terlayani, dan keluhan menyebar lebih cepat daripada Theo bisa menjelaskan.

"Someone," Victor announced at the ten o'clock meeting, holding up a mug like evidence, "has replaced the sugar with salt." He said he wanted to know who thought that was funny.

"Seseorang," umum Victor dalam rapat pukul sepuluh sambil mengangkat sebuah cangkir seperti barang bukti, "telah mengganti gula dengan garam." Ia berkata ingin tahu siapa yang menganggap itu lucu.

Theo considered confessing immediately. Instead, watching Reem's face carefully to see if she suspected him, he said nothing. That turned out to be a mistake, because his silence read as guilt to at least three coworkers.

Theo sempat berpikir untuk langsung mengaku. Sebaliknya, sambil mengamati wajah Reem dengan saksama untuk melihat apakah ia curiga, Theo diam saja. Itu ternyata keliru, karena diamnya dibaca sebagai bukti bersalah oleh sedikitnya tiga rekan kerja.

By lunchtime, a rumor had spread that Theo was retaliating against the whole office for something unrelated to Reem entirely. Someone suggested it was about a parking spot. Someone else was certain it involved the printer.

Menjelang makan siang, beredar kabar bahwa Theo sedang membalas dendam kepada seisi kantor atas sesuatu yang sama sekali tak berhubungan dengan Reem. Ada yang mengira soal tempat parkir. Ada yang yakin itu menyangkut mesin pencetak.

Reem cornered him near the copier. "Was this about the stapler?"

Reem menyudutkannya di dekat mesin fotokopi. "Ini gara-gara stapler, ya?"

"Maybe," Theo admitted. "It was supposed to be a joke, just for you. I didn't think Victor would drink the first cup."

"Mungkin," Theo mengaku. "Itu seharusnya hanya lelucon, khusus untukmu. Aku tidak mengira Victor yang minum cangkir pertama."

"You should have tested it on someone who wasn't in charge of our performance reviews," Reem said, though she was clearly fighting a smile.

"Seharusnya kamu mengujinya pada orang yang tidak mengurusi penilaian kinerja kita," kata Reem, walau jelas sedang menahan senyum.

"In hindsight, yes."

"Kalau dipikir-pikir lagi, iya."

They agreed, quietly, to tell Victor the truth before the rumors grew any larger, though neither of them was eager to volunteer first. In the end, they walked into his office together. Reem did most of the talking, explaining the stapler, the salt, and the accidental scale of the whole disaster.

Mereka diam-diam sepakat untuk mengatakan yang sebenarnya kepada Victor sebelum kabar burung itu makin besar, meski tak satu pun bersemangat menjadi yang pertama maju. Akhirnya, mereka masuk ke ruangannya bersama-sama. Reem yang paling banyak bicara, menjelaskan soal stapler, garam, dan skala bencana tak sengaja itu.

Victor listened, unreadable, for a long moment. "I'm not angry," he finally said. "I'm just disappointed that a simple prank turned into a security incident by ten fifteen."

Victor mendengarkan, tak terbaca ekspresinya, cukup lama. "Saya tidak marah," akhirnya ia berkata. "Saya hanya kecewa karena keisengan sederhana berubah menjadi insiden keamanan pada pukul sepuluh lewat lima belas."

Theo and Reem exchanged a look of mutual, silent apology. Neither of them touched the sugar again for the rest of the year.

Theo dan Reem bertukar pandang, saling meminta maaf dalam diam. Tak seorang pun dari mereka menyentuh gula lagi sepanjang sisa tahun itu.