NEWLYWED CHICKEN*

Ann was a new bride, young and inexperienced in the kitchen.  Jack was a new husband, eager to please his bride’s efforts.  One week into the marriage, Ann ventured to try a chicken recipe she had found in a cookbook given to them for their wedding.  At the table, Jack was effusive in his compliments, vowing that it was the best thing he had ever eaten.  Ann, encouraged, continued to use the chicken recipe once a week, assured that she had achieved at least some culinary success.  One year into the marriage, after finishing yet another chicken dinner, Jack finally mustered the courage to confess to his bride that he actually hated chicken.  He expected a response of rage, resentment, or at least irritation.  Instead, all he got was surprise.  “I only cooked it because I thought you liked it,” said Ann.  “I didn’t care for it much myself.”  That evening the cookbook went into the waste basket along with the chicken bones.  Jack and Ann had taken a step beyond being newlyweds and a step closer to each other.

*based on a true account I heard many years ago . . .