A man calls his wife one morning, and his voice sounds both excited and urgent. He says, “Sweetheart, my boss wants me to go out of town for a week to go fishing with him.” It may be a tremendous break for me, and it could even lead to a promotion. Could you please bring enough clothes for the whole week? And don’t forget to get my fishing rod and gear box ready. One final thing: please pack my new blue silk pajamas.
The wife stops for a second. His tone or the fact that the trip came up so unexpectedly made her mind race. But she doesn’t say anything. She just nods, says something nice, and starts to work. She puts together all of the things he asked for, like clothes, socks, gear, and toiletries. Of course, the blue silk nightgown. But she doesn’t put them in his backpack; she puts them in the tackle box.
A week passes. He comes home looking a little fatigued but delighted with himself. He talks about his time outside and how well he gets along with his boss. She hugs him at the door and then starts to ask questions right away.
“How was the trip?” she asks.
“Great,” he says. “We went fishing every day and caught a lot of salmon, some bluegill, and even a few swordfish.”
She smiles and says, “Wow.” “Sounds like a lot of fun.”
He stops, squints his eyes, and says, “Hey… by the way…” I saw that you forgot something. Why didn’t you bring my blue silk pajamas?
She smirks and seems calm and cool. “Oh, I did,” she says. “They were in your fishing box.”
His look told the whole story. Every time he opened that tackle box, his mind traveled back over the whole trip for a single second. Any time his boss or coworkers might have been able to see him. As she went away, her smile got larger.
A simple act, full of meaning, sent a clear message that was as neatly wrapped as those pajamas.
A week later, at a neighborhood party, a lawyer and a doctor stood by the buffet with plates in hand, trying to relax. But people kept interrupting the doctor after five minutes of talking.
“Please take a look at this rash for a second.”
“My shoulder hurts a lot.”
“Do you think this mole is shady?”
At first, the doctor was nice and helpful, giving advice and comfort. But after an hour of unplanned visits, he was done. He sighed and turned to the lawyer next to him.
He asked, “Does this happen to you too?” “Do people always want free legal advice at parties?”
The lawyer grinned as he drank. “Of course,” he said. “But I’ve found a way to deal with it.”
The doctor said, “Oh?”
“I give them the advice,” the lawyer went on, pausing for effect, “and then I send them a bill.”
The doctor blinked. “You’re kidding.”
“Not at all.”
The doctor thought it was funny and maybe even a little inspiring, so he decided to give it a shot. He sat down at his workstation the next morning and printed up formal, businesslike bills for all the free medical advice he had given at the party. They printed them off, signed them, sealed them, and then they headed to the mailbox with a little bit of trouble in their hearts.
But before he could open the box, he observed that the lawyer had already put an envelope inside with his name on it.
He opened it.
There was a bill inside that was neatly folded.
To get help with the law.
Both anecdotes are humorous and have a sense of revenge. They remind us that sometimes the best way to teach someone a lesson is not to confront them directly, but to give them a quiet, smart twist. Whether it’s a dubious fishing trip or the never-ending free consultations that professionals have to deal with, there’s always room for humor and just the perfect amount of payback.
