A Push

SOURCE:  “The Postlogue.”  The Prologue.   December 6, 2002.

A man and his wife are awakened at 3 o’clock in the morning by a loud pounding on the door.  The man gets up and goes to the door where a down-on-his-luck stranger is standing in the pouring rain, asking for a push.

“Not a chance!”  says the husband, “It’s three o’clock in the morning!”  He slams the door and returns to bed.

“Who was it?” asks the wife.

“Just a stranger asking for a push,” he answers.

“Did you help him?” she asks.

“NO, I did not! It’s three o’clock in the morning and it’s pouring out!”

“Well, you’ve got a short memory,” says his wife.  “Can’t you remember time about three months ago when we broke down on holiday and those two guys helped us by giving us a push?  I think you should help him.”

The man does as she says and gets dressed and goes out into the pounding rain and calls out into the dark:  “Hello, are you still there?”

“Yes,” comes the answer.

“Do you still need a push?”  calls out the husband.

“Yes, please!” comes the reply from the dark.”

“Where are you?” asks the husband.

“Over here, on the swing,” the stranger replies.