Jackets off

Several years ago, we went to Boston for a family wedding. While we were getting dressed for the evening event my son asked me if I had a safety pin. He was 16 at the time and of course I asked him why he needed it. He explains to me that everyone will have their jackets off after dinner and he didn’t want his pants to fall down. I said that at these events everyone keeps their jackets on. Being 16 and always wanting to be right, we ask me if I want to bet. I agree on a $5.00 bet that at 9:00 if more than 50% of the people have their jackets off he wins. We shake.

At 5:30 during dinner, he sees that already 40% of the people have their jackets off and he makes the fatal mistake of taking out his wallet and motions to me that it looks like I lost.

I lean over to my wife and say you know I can’t let him win. And she responds, well it looks like you lost.

There were about 200 people at this wedding and I knew around 10. The idea then dawned on me.

At 8:00 I started making my rounds to each table and I asked for a volunteer table captain whose job it was to make certain at 9:00 everyone at the table had their jackets on. About 20 tables later, I had it arranged. But now I had to get the groom’s table. So I did the same thing with he groomsman who agreed to have everyone at head table with their jackets on. I even went over to all the folks dancing and asked them politely if they would go back to their table and get their jacket on. People asked a lotto questions and my answer was we are going to do something special at 9:00.

Now it’s 9:00 and there is not one shirt ion the place showing. I find my son who is in the lobby drinking with a cigar in his hand and I remind him it’s time to check the room.

We go into the room and he is shocked. He walks the circumference of the room to verify that there is not one jacket off. He takes one look at me, and says you did this didn’t you. I did not deny it, and collected my $5.

2 lessons to take away from this experience: 1-Don’t count your chickens before they hatch 2- There is no sure thing in life.