The Husband Material Test
A young man went to see a famous divorce lawyer for advice before proposing to his girlfriend. He asked:
- “Sir, you’ve handled thousands of divorces. In your opinion, what is the biggest secret to a long and happy marriage?”
The old lawyer smiled, adjusted his glasses, and said:
- “My boy, the secret is not about love, it’s about endurance and resourcefulness. Let me tell you about a test I always make young men take before they sign a marriage certificate.”
The lawyer continued:
- “There was a couple who had been married for 50 years without a single argument. On their golden wedding anniversary, a reporter came to interview the husband about his secret. The old man slowly recalled:‘On our wedding day, we rode two horses for our honeymoon. Along the way, my wife’s horse suddenly tripped. My wife didn’t get angry at all; she just looked at the horse and said quietly: “First time”.After a short distance, the horse tripped again. My wife remained calm, looked straight into the horse’s eyes, and said: “Second time”.The third time the horse tripped, my wife immediately pulled a gun out of her bag and shot the horse dead on the spot!’“
The young man shuddered upon hearing this and asked the lawyer:
- “Good heavens! How did the husband react?”
The lawyer laughed out loud:
- “The husband was just as panicked as you are right now. He rushed over and yelled at his wife: ‘Are you crazy?! How could you brutally shoot a poor horse like that?!’ Do you know what the wife did? She didn’t say a word; she just turned around, looked straight into her husband’s eyes, and whispered: “First time”.”
The lawyer patted the young man’s shoulder:
- “And that husband has lived happily and obediently for the past 50 years without daring to utter a single complaint. Are you ready to hear your “First time”?”
