Once it happened…An argument arose one evening between a husband and wife. The
argument was over the burning question: who should close the front door today?
Not a simple question. And not a laughing matter.
These are very serious issues in domestic
situations. Who should close the door today, who should switch off the garden lights this
evening, who should take the dog for a walk—these are questions that can drive couples to
divorce.
The argument grew more and more heated. The wife decided, “Every day, it is I who in the
end accepts defeat. Today, I am not going to give in.” The husband also grew equally
determined. “She pushes me around all the time. I am not going to give in to this woman
today, no matter what.”
It was one of those grand rows. Now, every home has its own system of resolving these
arguments. In this family, when confronted by an impasse, both husband and wife would sit
silently; the person who uttered the first word would have to go and close the door.
The two sat in stony silence. Minutes ticked on into hours.
Dinner was on the table. If the
husband said he wanted to eat, he would have to close the door. If the wife proposed dinner,
she would have to close the door.
Midnight. They were still sitting. A few rogues were passing by on the street. They saw the
doors of the house open, lights on, no party, nothing. Everything was quiet. They wanted to
see what was going on, so they looked into the sitting room. They saw two people sitting
there, steadfastly silent.
The rogues looked at the silent couple.
They were a little surprised.
They decided to take a
chance. They helped themselves to a few valuables in the sitting room. The two people said
nothing.
The rogues get amused. Emboldened, they sat at the dining table and served
themselves dinner. The couple sat heroically silent.
The rogues were hugely tickled. What the hell was happening here? They grew bolder still.
One of them kissed the wife. Still, the couple didn’t utter a word. The one who spoke would
have to close the door. The stakes were too high. Neither could risk it.
Now the rogues got a bit spooked. They decided it was time to leave this strange household.
But before they left, they wanted to leave their mark. They decided to shave off the husband’s
moustache. One of them approached him, razor in hand.
Then the husband finally spoke. He said, “Okay, damn it, I’ll close the door!”