A Drinking Problem
An Irishman walks into a bar in Dublin, orders three pints of Guinness and
sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When
he finishes them, he comes back to the bar and orders three more. The
bartender asks him, "You know, a pint goes flat after I draw it; it would
taste better if you bought one at a time." The Irishman replies, "Well,
you see, I have two brothers. One is in America, the other in Australia,
and I'm here in Dublin. When we all left home, we promised that we'd drink
this way to remember the days when we drank together." The bartender admits
that this is a nice custom, and
leaves it there.
The Irishman becomes a regular in the bar, and always drinks the same way:
He orders three pints and drinks them in turn. One day, he comes in an
orders two pints. All the other regulars notice and fall silent. When he
comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, "I don't
want to intrude
on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your great loss."
The Irishman looks confused for a moment, then a light dawns in his eye
and he laughs.
"Oh, no," he says, "everyone's fine. I've just quit drinking."