That said, after you read this letter, I hope you won’t take it the wrong way when I tell you that I will be spending the evening with my 19-year-old secretary at the Comfort Inn Hotel.
Please don’t be upset—I will be back home before midnight.”
The wife stood there for a moment, processing every word. She didn’t argue. She didn’t call. She simply folded the note and went on with her day.
Later that night, when the husband finally returned home—slightly later than he promised—he found a neatly written note waiting for him on the dining table.
He picked it up.
“My dear husband,
I received your letter, and I want to thank you for your honesty regarding my age of 57. However, I would also like to remind you that you are, in fact, 57 as well.
As you know, I teach mathematics at our local college. While you are reading this, I am currently at the Hotel Fiesta with Michael—one of my students, who also happens to be the assistant tennis coach.
He is young, energetic, and, just like your secretary… he is 19 years old.
Now, being the successful businessman you are, and someone with a solid understanding of numbers, you will surely appreciate this simple calculation:
19 goes into 57 far more times than 57 goes into 19.
So, based on that logic… I won’t be home until sometime tomorrow.”
The husband slowly lowered the note…
And in that moment, the math finally made perfect sense. 😳