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Every year, Faith Harper makes it his mission to catch his grandfather, Darnell Groom, outside guard with a surprise visit home. But this time, what started as a playful prank between grandchildren and grandfather turned into a viral ticto moment.
“I live in New York City, but I grew up in Los Angeles, and my whole family is in Los Angeles,” Faith explains to people.
“Every time I go to LA I have this thing where I never tell my grandfather that I will,” she continues. “I will only show up somewhere randomly, whether in his house or brunch or in any car, because I just like to surprise him.”
This year Faith and her boyfriend, Mauricio, decided to take the tradition to a new level, shouted in her uncle and set up a scenario where Darnell would be asked by a “random couple” to take his photo – unconscious that the couple was actually his grandchild and her boyfriend.
In the meantime, Darnell ended just a movie excursion with her son as the Prank developed. “We had just come from the theater, and for some reason we had just been in a game recently, and (my son) wanted to go and take some pictures of himself with the statues,” remembers Darnell and remember that I felt suspicion but decided to roll with the flow regardless.
Harper is believed
As Mauricio approached and asked him to take a photo, Darnell was too caught in the moment to notice that something was up. “To begin with, I thought to myself,” he looks a bit like Faith’s boyfriend. “But I was too committed to my son and what we did to really pay attention to who he was,” he shares.
Faith and Mauricio stood, suffocating laughter when Darnell snapped their photo, completely unaware of their real identity.
“In the video you can see that we are standing there, and we laugh and think, ‘Oh, he will notice for a second now.’ And he didn’t, ”says Faith. “Then I started to get confused. Like, is he okay? Like, how doesn’t he know? I just couldn’t believe he didn’t recognize that it was me.”
It wasn’t until the photos were done and faith and Mauricio gave Darnell the phone that it all clicked on. “I didn’t really realize until I started focusing with the camera. I didn’t realize it was faith and Mauricio,” Darnell admits.
“You didn’t even realize the camera,” faith clocks in. “You didn’t realize until after you put down the phone and you will give us the phone back.”
Darnell’s reaction – equal parts shock and entertainment – was a highlight for the Tiktok viewers. Despite the first confusion, Darnell was overjoyed by the surprise. “When I see my granddaughter, it’s just the biggest in the world, and especially when she surprised me in recent times. My heart gets filled with joy.”
The faith credits his grandfather for being a constant source of support and love in his life. “He is always believed to me and in every way he can help me. He always makes sure to do everything he can,” she says.
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“I wasn’t really close to my dad who grew up, so it was important for me to have a grandfather and male figures in my life who just showed me that they really care and lead me in the right direction,” she continues. “And Grandpa always made me feel loved and cared about, nor let anyone mess with me and told me not to let anyone mess with me or my dreams.”
Harper is believed
The Tiktok video quickly went viral, with many who pointed out Darnell’s potential need for glasses, including faith. (She even formed the clip, “Maybe it’s time for Grandpa to get glasses.”) But, Darnell, who actually wears glasses, took everything in steps and said, “Yes. I deserve it. I really deserve it.”
For both Faith and Darnell, the viral moment is proof of their playful bands and the joy they give each other. “I think this video just shows that we are really stupid with each other all the time, and we like to have fun,” says Faith. Darnell agrees: “I just love the fact that she surprises me.”
When it comes to what is next, Faith is already planning his next surprise. “I don’t know what to do for the next,” she says, teasing, “it must be crazy.”