Laughing Man-

         You know how the news shows use their best, crazy promos to get you to tune in later on?  I saw one the other day that got me thinking.The promo said that a man had an unexpected after effect from hip surgery: he can’t stop laughing.  And if I remember correctly the voice over said something like, “And it’s not so funny for his wife…”

         NO S#%T?  His wife isn’t enjoying him laughing all the time?  You call that news?!  If I were doing the lead in, I would want it to be more believable.  I would run it as, “Woman has managed NOT to smother her husband after listening to him laugh for two years!”  Or “Woman kept laughing husband chained in the basement for two years.” Or “Woman performs lobotomy on husband with the help of Black and Decker.”  Or even “Woman begs doctors to MAKE her deaf.”  On second thought, she would have to be blind too.  She would still be able to see him laughing.

         I didn’t actually see the story when it aired and I suppose I should really look it up. But then I would feel guilty mocking the whole situation.  I don’t mean to laugh at their hardship, just to imagine how it would play out in my own house.  And it would not play out well…

         Did you ever get to a party late and everyone was tipsy and had all these inside jokes that you missed?  Or had to take care of a spouse after they went to a Christmas party and came home a giggling fool?  If these situations didn’t bother you, than you are a better person than I am.  If my husband came home from the hospital all giggly, it would be amusing.  For about 5 minutes.  Then I would get irritable, “What are YOU laughing at?” If I tripped, he would laugh. [Grrr]  If I dropped a dozen eggs, he would chortle. [Argggg!]  If I burned myself at the stove… I would have to kill him…

         And I think I would be acquitted. I would videotape him before I moved in with the pillow.  I’d ask on tape, “Hey honey? Wouldn’t it befun if I held this pillow over your face?” He’d laugh. In a singsong voice I’d ask, “If you want me to kill you with this pillow laugh out loud!” Big laugh! Cut to a shot of me dancing and singing,  “Let’s have fun with the pillow!” He roars with laughter.  And I go scot-free.  (Definitely if I have a female judge!) 

         Hang on… Ohmigod!!  I just went to look at the actual video and it is crazy!  It’s a little hard to figure because the couple is is Dutch and the subtitles are a bit nonsensical.  (Either there was trouble translating or it’s even weirder!) The poor wife is not amused (duh) and only smiles at the end when they demonstrate that her husband cries for the national anthem.  His crying is the only thing that makes her smile… (I would’ve said “And when I perforate him with a fork.” And then, when I demonstrated for the camera, I would smile and say, “Usually he cries.  Let’s try again.  And again…”) Adding to the wackiness, during the interview the husband holds an Ernie doll and says something about not being able to cheat? Huh. Interesting.

         Originally, I felt sympathy for both the husband and the wife.  Definitely more for her because she is suffering waaayyy more. But I did feel badly for him as well. Who would want to laugh against their will all day?  Poor, nice couple.  The victims of some weird medical anomaly…

         BUT! After a careful review of the video, I have changed my initial assessment: I think he is faking it.  I think he wants a divorce and, being retired, they can’t afford to split up and pay for two apartments.  It is a brilliant plan!  I think he woke up from his hip surgery and thought to himself, “Well, now that I can walk again, I could go skirt chasing…if only I could get rid of her without going to jail …and keep all our money…how can I push her out?…” What a cunning way to you drive your spouse away!  I think his plan is to make her so crazy that she just walks and leaves him everything.  After two years, most women would leave screaming with only what they could carry. Then when it all goes before the courts, she is the bad guy.  She left him in his time of need!  She promised for better or worse!  He would keep everything and she would be penniless. (And she’d probably still be happy to be away from his hyena laugh!)

         I am happy to (possibly falsely) report that his plan has backfired!. This woman is made of strong stuff and she isn’t going anywhere.  In fact, she has flipped the tables.  Most women would’ve run after a month and then he could’ve stopped laughing and declared himself cured on his first date with someone new.  But he underestimated his wife.  Not only is she hanging in there, she is calling his bluff.  He has to keep it up.  Now she is waiting for him to cave.

         Think I am wrong?  Ask yourself why, in this Internet age, are we just hearing about this now?  After two years?  I think he laughed for a year waiting for her to give up.  Then she waited a year for him to give up.  Now, she has upped the ante and gotten the whole world involved.  Who has the upper hand now?  He has to abandon his plan or laugh for the rest of his days.  I think that he keeps letting people play the national anthem so that he can weep over his dilemma without giving himself away.  He even says something about getting her to leave.  But she won’t.  She has built the perfect defense!  She stood by his side through it all.  Look at how trapped the guy looks.  Can someone please get this couple a reality show??  I want to see who wins this standoff!

Judge for yourself: Watch the video here:


Scroll down the site for the video and click CC for the English subtitles.