One April Fool Read Online Free Page B

honestly didn’t think you would mind,” Derrick explained.

    “I could fix us some tea…?” Penelope offered.

    “No, thank you, Miss Winslow.”

    “Aunt Penny, April has something she wishes to say.”

    “Very well.  What is it, dear?  Is there a problem at work I should know about?” she asked, resigned to hearing whatever it was that April wanted.

    “Miss Winslow, I am the horrible person who played the April Fools prank on you and I want you to know that I am beyond sorry for humiliating you in that manner.  I didn’t mean to turn church members against you, or for Father Smith to get angry.  I just wasn’t thinking beyond the moment.”

    “It was you?” Penelope said quietly.

    “To my everlasting shame, yes.”  April started crying.  “I am so sorry.”

    “Why, April?  Why would you go to such extremes to embarrass me?”  There was no anger in Penelope’s voice, just resignation and sadness.  April felt even more guilty than before.  “Please tell me; I must have done something unforgiveable…?”

    April started crying so hard she couldn’t speak.  Her tear filled green eyes begged Derrick to speak for her, and he shook his head, but decided to get a few questions answered.

    “Aunt Penny, April was upset because she felt she was unfairly criticized by you at work.”

    “What…?  When…?”

    “Give Aunt Penny an example, April.  Stop crying now, and tell her,” he said a bit more firmly when she continued to cry without speaking.  “April, enough crying now.”

    April tried to pull herself together.  “The day that the Wolman report was due… You were upset that I didn’t have it on your desk, and you scolded me in front of everyone.  You didn’t ask why it wasn’t ready, and I had a darn good excuse.  I was on the telephone with another client we had a deadline with, and he was changing all sorts of things.  It took over an hour of my time, and I had to take care of it.  If he hadn’t called, I would have had the Wolman report on your desk early.”

    “I’m sorry; I didn’t know.”

    “You never ask, but you assume that we are always being irresponsible.  It isn’t fair.  And, when we do something really well, you never give us kudos.  Everyone wants to hear they’ve done well.  It’s as important as scolding when we mess up.”

    “I didn’t know.  Why didn’t anyone ever tell me how I was perceived?” Penelope asked.

    “You are feared,” April admitted.

    “Me…?”

    April nodded, but then she said, “I was so awful to you, and I know that saying ‘sorry’ isn’t enough.  I’m planning to go and speak with Father and tell him the truth, too.  I’ve also written a letter of apology to put in this week’s bulletin.  No one will blame you for anything once they read that.”

    “Oh my goodness, April…!  Please tell me that you didn’t mean any of those things you wrote in that awful program…?”

    “I got carried away,” April admitted.  “I thought that people would take it all in fun… I was laughing and giggling when I typed all of it.  I just didn’t think how it would sound.  It was so critical and mean.”

    “What you said about Cynthia’s singing was true, however,” Penelope said with a smile.

    “Aunt Penny!” Derrick sounded shocked.

    “The truth is the truth, honey.  And, I’ve told you for some time now that you should come and meet April.  Isn’t she very pretty?”

    Derrick blushed and so did April.  His Aunt made a big to-do of asking April more work-related questions and promised her she would think about everything that was said, and she also hugged her and said she was forgiven.  She thanked April for coming and apologizing in person, and for telling her ‘why’ she’d played such a prank on her.

    Derrick drove April next to Father Smith’s office at the parsonage, and the priest wasn’t nearly as understanding as Penelope Winslow, and sitting on the wooden chairs in his