The Sweetest Thing

A certain man had fallen into the habit of being less than attentive to his wife. Coming home from work, he would head straight for the refrigerator, grab something to drink, sink into a stuffed chair in the living room and watch TV until supper time. Then he would eat, go back to the TV, fall asleep and awaken just long enough to fall into bed. One day — shortly after he had received a strong heart-to-heart talk from a family friend — the man decided to stop at the florist and buy a bouquet of roses for his wife. Then he had another idea: why not a bottle of perfume, too! Rushing home, he greeted his wife with a big smile and handed her the gifts. She looked as if she had been struck by bad news and immediately burst into tears. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “It’s been a horrible day,” she sobbed. “First, Billy broke two front teeth. Then I lost my wallet…