“You’ve got to understand, George,” she said, “there are two kinds of people in the world: Us and Them—the Upper-Class, and the Joes.”
George groaned and shook his head. "Here we go again!" he thought.
Undaunted, Maria continued, “All our kind wants is to live our lives peacefully and use our money to keep us happy. But the Joes! They’re never happy unless we’re unhappy! They want what is rightfully ours, and they can come up with a million different ways to get it—welfare...Medicare...Social Security...pensions...charity—the list goes on and on! You’ve always got to be on the lookout, George—sleep with one eye open!”
George loved his wife, but he had had enough.
“Mary, he asked her, “Did you ever wonder why they want what we’ve got?”
Mary was genuinely taken aback by the question.
Finally, she replied, “No!”...then quickly added, “It doesn’t really matter...”
George rose in indignation and stormed out of the room.
“Once a Joe, always a Joe!” Mary muttered under her breath.
© 1998 Randy Bone