Weekly Amusement (17mar05)

The groom at a wedding banquet rose to toast his young wife. He prefaced the tribute: “Honey, I need to make a confession. Before we met, I spent many happy hours in the arms of another woman . . .” -- the bride paled, her father’s face flashed fire and everyone drew in a collective gasp -- “my mother.” The toast was completed amid peals of laughter and poignant appreciation for the young man’s wit and maternal respect.

An elderly man at the gathering thought it particularly clever. Several months later, celebrating his golden wedding anniversary at a similar banquet, he rose and turned smiling to his wife, glass upraised. “My dear,” he began, “I have a confession to make. Before I met and fell in love with you all those years ago, you should know there was another woman in whose arms I spent many a happy hour. . . .” And for the life of him, he couldn’t remember how the line ended.