Man, I got punked.

Yesterday I was sucked into probably the best April Fool's joke ever. Not because it was exceedingly embarassing for me -- I didn't end up crying, or wetting myself in public or anything -- but just because it was so close to reality that I believed the big lie, hook, line and sinker.

The setup: My girlfriend Lora has had a HUGE crush on a boy named Rob for years. She's told me so. And the more she claims that she's over this "silly little crush," the less I believe her, because, well, she's simply not over it.

Well, on Wednesday night, Lora and Rob, as well as a few other people, went out for dinner at some big party-type thingee (which I declined to attend, for a variety of reasons). At this party, I was told, Lora got a bit drunk and was out alone with Rob when she impulsively planted a wet one right on the lips.

Reportedly, there was much fallout, including the disappointment of a gay guy who also has a huge crush on (presumably) straight Rob.

Of course, this was all a lie. No kiss ever took place. I fell for this entire story simply because, well, I wouldn't put any of it past Lora at all. I mean, it's not like some April Fool's joke where I was successfully led to believe that I was being sent to Hollywood to star in a movie or something. I didn't fall for a completely outlandish prank. I fell for a prank that hews completely to actual objective facts. You can't call me too terribly gullible for that, now can you?

Here's the kicker: she managed to get all kinds of people in on this joke. Debra (who also went to the party event) emailed me to ask me if I had heard the "drama" from that night. Joe, Lora's roommate who did not attend the party, emailed me to ask if anything was "up" with Lora, because she just didn't seem like herself lately. Even Rob emailed me to ask me for "advice" about Lora's not-so-subtle romantic advance. Oy.

Of course, if Lora wants to make her schoolgirl crush the center of an April Fool's joke -- even to where she's involving the object of that crush in that joke -- there's really no telling how I'll react to it. I mean, I could very well tell Rob A LOT about Lora's neverending pining process. There's no end to what mischief this could result in....

Yes, I took the bait. Luckily for Lora, I didn't run with it. However, I do think a practical joke that's based so tightly upon actual facts (which have immense embarassment potential) is ill-advised.

Speaking of practical jokes, I find this web site immensely entertaining. If I had had the time, I would have tried some of the pranks here on my officemates yesterday. And check out the series of essays on "Bob the Anal Fissure." I busted a gut laughing my ass off.