why they are still together

there used to be a time when my friends, after noticing a lull in conversation, would ask me to tell them about my "parents at mcdonalds" anecdote. they never got sick of this, even after i had probably repeated the story 427 times to the same group. being the dutiful (gullible) friend that i was, i always obliged:

many, many years ago, when my sisters and i were all still students, my whole family went to mcdonalds for breakfast. my parents were at the counter deciding on what to order.

dad to cashier: one order of fries please.

cashier: ok, what kind? (don't ask me why she said 'kind' instead of 'size')

dad: french.

when my mom heard this, she burst out laughing, "french! hahahah! french!!!" she then composed herself, turned to the cashier and said,

"one brown hash."

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fast forward to around 10 years later, at the dinner table:

i was thoughtfully eating spaghetti while my dad and mom were having another riveting conversation. apparently, they had just seen ghost again on cable.

dad: i really don't like the guy in THE GHOST.

(two things: [1] this wasn't a cross-reference to the others -- my father doesn't know that movie. [2] when suppressing the urge to laugh, trying to control food -- that is already partially in your esophagus -- from migrating to your nose is no easy feat.)

in the interest of family harmony, i did not chuckle audibly. i let it go, for once. that is, until ...

ma: ah, you mean PETER swayze?

BWAHAHAHAHAHA. (no, really, that's how i sounded. or maybe more like, "BWAHAHHAHAHAaaa ... patrick! ... HAHAHAH")

the real secret to a lasting marriage: find a partner who is as blooper-prone as you.