Funny little story that shows how important communication is in a marriage … or, heck, any relationship.
When some folks I know were newlyweds … less than a couple of months … the guy was leaving for work one morning when his wife told him that she was going to make some pies that day.
“Good!” He said. “I like pie!”
“What kind of pie do you want?” She asked.
“Oh, it doesn’t matter.” He replied as he went out the door. “I like everything EXCEPT mince-meat.”
When he came home from work that afternoon, he went into the kitchen to find four mince-meat pies on the counter. Figuring to himself that – if you specifically tell someone that you don’t like something and they go out of their way to provide you with FOUR of them, then you must have pissed them off in some way – she was mad at him, he decided not to make it any worse by mentioning his dislike for the pies.
After dinner that night, she presented him with a huge piece of mince-meat pie, and sat expectantly as he ate it.
Not wanting to upset his new wife, he picked at it.
“What’s the matter?” She asked. “Isn’t it any good?”
“No, it’s fine.” He said quietly as he took another minuscule bite.
“You don’t seem to be enjoying it,” she said. “Is there something wrong?”
He decided that he’d better go ahead and speak up, or have to keep his mouth shut the rest of the marriage.
“I suppose it’s a good mince-meat pie … I just don’t know why you made mince-meat pies, especially four of them, when I don’t like them.”
“This morning you said you liked any kind of pie, ESPECIALLY mince-meat! I decided to make four since the kitchen was already going to be hot.”
Since that time – twenty plus years ago – he has made damned sure that he does not say anything as he’s walking out the door … that all communications are clear.
They gave the three remaining pies away to people who actually liked mince-meat.
