An elderly man was strolling down the street when he was approached by a particularly unclean and shabby-looking homeless man who requested a few dollars for a meal. The man pulled out his wallet, removed ten dollars, and asked, “If I give you this money, will you spend it on beer rather than dinner?”
“No, I had to stop drinking years ago,” the homeless man said.
“Will you use it to go fishing instead of buying food?” the man inquired.
“No, I don’t waste time fishing,” the homeless man replied. “I have to spend all of my time trying to stay alive.”
“Will you spend this on green fees at a golf course rather than food?” the man asked.
“Are you nuts?” said the homeless man. “I haven’t played golf in 20 years!”
“Will you spend your money on a woman in the red light district instead of eating?” the man inquired.
“What disease could I get for ten lousy bucks?” exclaimed the homeless man.
“Well,” the man replied, “I’m not going to give you the money. Instead, I’m going to take you home to a wonderful meal prepared by my wife.”
The homeless man was astonished. “Won’t your wife be furious at you for doing that? I know I’m dirty, and I probably smell fairly bad.”
The man said, “That’s OK. She needs to see what a man looks like when he’s stopped drinking, fishing, golfing, and dating.”