COMEUPPANCE

The people next door to my client are having their front steps replaced. My client said, "Those guys do a good job--they're Amish." I said, "They can't be; they're driving vehicles." He said, "They're allowed to." I said, "No, the Mennonites do." He said he knew they were Amish because they'd done other work for the neighbors. I said, "I'll settle this, I'll go ask them."


When I approached the two men, one was clean shaven and the other had a beard about eight inches long but it was growing just from his chin and not from his entire face. I said, "The next-door neighbor says you're Amish, but I told him you couldn't be because you're using modern equipment." He answered, "I'm not going to talk about it and it's rude of you to ask."

RUDE? Of course he was right and I deserved to be upbraided.

Touche! to the Concrete Worker.

Did I apologize? Of course not; I just slunk away in embarrassment.

Recently an acquaintance asked what I considered an inopportune question and I answered, "Why do you want to know?"

"Same difference" as my oxymoronic friend would say.