“Pranks, Panic, and a Hole in My Vanilla”

Sometimes I Forget I’m Supposed to Be a “Proper” 50-Year-Old Lady

The other day, I was riding the Whoosh 🚄—Indonesia’s sleek answer to the bullet train—minding my own business, when the man in the next row gave me the perfect opportunity to forget my age (and my manners, apparently).

He was deep in the kind of sleep only the truly exhausted achieve: head lolling, mouth open, legs sprawled into the aisle like he owned it. Then came the announcement: “Next stop: Karawang.”

He jolted upright, eyes wide with panic, and turned to me: “This is where?”

Without missing a beat, I deadpanned: “Tegalluar, Sir.” (That’s the final stop—miles past where he needed to be.)

The horror on his face! I let it linger for just a heartbeat… then grinned: “Just kidding! We’re only at Karawang.”

His relief was so profound, he practically melted back into his seat, muttering about nearly missing Padalarang. I promised to wake him next time—and just like that, a sleepy stranger and I shared a tiny, human moment of laughter and trust.

So maybe I’m not the dignified, reserved lady society expects at 50. But if a little mischief can turn someone’s panic into a smile, I’ll take it.

And then… there’s the ice cream.

Later that evening, I opened a brand-new tub of vanilla—only to find a suspicious, perfectly round hole right in the center. Not a dent. Not a scoop mark. A hole.

My imagination spiraled: rodents? freezer gremlins? interdimensional dessert thieves? In that frozen second, I saw my entire tub engulfed in a 10-foot inferno of betrayal.

Instead, I did the only rational thing: took a photo, sealed it shut, and returned it to the freezer—evidence preserved, suspect still at large.

I ate a banana instead.

Some days, you prank a stranger on a train. Other days, your dessert gaslights you. Either way—it’s never dull being me. And honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way. 😏🍦

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