Fred had started noticing that his dear wife, Martha, seemed to be having trouble hearing him. He mentioned a few times that it might be a good idea for her to get a hearing test, but Martha stubbornly disagreed—she felt just fine, thank you very much.

Determined to prove his point, Fred crafted a clever plan. He headed upstairs to fetch his old recorder. After turning it on, Fred knew Martha was busy in the kitchen, so he stood at the top of the stairs and yelled down, “Honey, what’s for supper?”

There was no response. So, Fred walked downstairs to the living room and called out again, “Honey, what’s for supper?”

Silence.

Fred positioned himself in the hallway, closer to the kitchen, and repeated, “Honey, what’s for supper?”

Again, no response.

By now, puzzled and slightly frustrated, Fred stood right by the kitchen door and shouted, “Honey, what’s for supper?” Still no answer.

Finally, he decided to stand directly behind Martha and asked, “Honey. What. Is. For. Supper?”

Martha spun around, clearly irritated, and said, “For the hundredth time, Fred, it’s CHICKEN!”