she grabbed the jack handle with just enough suddenness that the
young man lost his balance and fell over backward into a patiently
waiting mud hole.
While these events came into being to form a permanent, though
small, part of the history of the universe, the young driver of the
second car was, not many miles away, even then climbing out of his
vehicle into the rain and opening the trunk. His date, in a very
ladylike manner, and with due concern for her precious gown, stayed
in the car with her hands folded in her lap. She generously took
care to look away from the young man's labors in order not to cause
him embarrassment, and, when he slipped down and bumped his head on
the fender as he tried to loosen a particularly intransigent lug
nut, she very kindly turned on the radio.
The third young man, though he encountered different raindrops on a
different road on this night, realized similarly that he, too, was
destined to be wet, and pushed open the door with resolve. However,
as he climbed out of the car, the young lady he had been driving
home got out also. "Get back in the car," he told her, "or you'll
get wet."
"I'll help," the young lady said.
"There's nothing you can do," replied the young man as he reached
for the spare in the trunk. "It's really a job for one person, and
I've done it before."
"Then I'll watch," replied the young lady. And watch she did. Oh,
she held the lug nuts to keep them from getting lost, but to speak
truly, she was not really of any help and she did get drenched. As
he changed the tire, the young man looked at the young lady once or
twice, only to see her gown melting and her hair dripping down her
face, and no doubt he thought, "What a sight she is."
Well, I've told you this story as evidence of the foolishness and
irrationality of the human heart. For now observe the consequent:
The first young lady, naturally concerned for her safety and
realizing that she possessed knowledge that her young man did not,
quite reasonably chose to change the tire. However, the young man,
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