Practical Joke

From James Jones by Willie Morris:

Jean Castel, a friend of novelist James Jones (From Here to Eternity) and his wife in Paris, ran a popular bar and restaurant in St. Germain. The establishment and its owner for a long time had been terrorized by an old Rumanian woman, who stood outside in a dirty flowing dress and played an out-of-tune mandolin, occasionally shouting obscenities through the doorway at Castel.

Castel complained about this woman to one and all. She was ruining his business, and her awful din was driving him crazy. He even talked of a lawsuit.

Then Castel announced to his friends that he was going to take a vacation to Tahiti - he needed one badly. A long ways from Paris.

Then, led by the Joneses, 25 of Castel's friends put up $100 apiece…and bought the Rumanian woman a round-trip ticket to Tahiti the day before Castel was to leave Paris.

He boarded his plane, and many hours later landed at the airport in Tahiti. He descended the ramp and almost collapsed at the sight that greeted him: the Rumanian woman plucking her mandolin and saying, Welcome to Tahiti, Mr. Castel.

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COMMENTS: So, did they fall in love and get married?

Also: That was so cruel!