Harry had a bit of a drinking problem.
Every night, after dinner, he took off for the local watering hole. He spent the
whole evening there, and arrived home, well inebriated, around midnight each night.
He always had trouble getting his key into
the keyhole, and getting the door opened. His wife, waiting up for him, would go to
the door and let him in. Then she would proceed to yell and scream at him, for his
constant nights out, and coming home in a drunken state. But, Harry continued his
nightly routine.
One day, the wife was talking to a friend
about her husband's behavior, and was particularly distraught by it all. The friend
listened to her, and then said, "Why don't you treat him a little differently
when he comes home? Instead of berating him, why don't you give him some loving
words, and welcome him home with a kiss? He then might change his ways."
The wife thought it was worth trying.
That night, Harry took off again,
after dinner. And, about midnight, he arrived home, in his usual
condition. His wife heard him at the door, quickly went to it, opened the
door, and let Harry in.
This time, instead of berating
him, as she had always done, she took his arm, and led him into the living
room. She sat him down in an easy chair, put his feet up on the ottoman and
took his shoes off. Then she went behind him, and started to cuddle him a
little. After a while, she said to him, "It's pretty late. I think
we had better go upstairs to bed now, don't you?"
At that, Harry replied, in his
inebriated state, "I guess we might as well. I'll get in trouble when I
get home anyway!"
