The Parable of the Young Lady and Her Three Male Friends

One day while teaching, Josh was asked, “Teacher the common wisdom is that the United States is addicted to middle eastern oil but is the United States maybe just addicted to the Middle East?”

Josh spoke thus:

A young woman was wondering whether her three male friends thought she was getting fat.

“Will you come over and watch college football with me this fall?” one male friend asked one of the other male friends, “College football is so much better than professional football.”

The young woman didn’t care about the relative merits of college and professional football.  The young woman didn’t care about football at all.  The young woman knew the three male friends cared about football.  The young woman laughed, in case this might make her seem wiser.

The young woman wondered whether her three male friends thought she was getting fat.

“Let's get a picture,” said the third male friend.

“Let's take a series of pictures,” the second male friend said to the third male friend, “First just you, then we two together, then we three boys, then all of us together.”

The young woman didn’t care whether there was a series of pictures or wasn’t a series of pictures.  The young woman didn’t care what sequence of pictures would be best.  The young woman laughed, in case this might make her seem to have the correct opinion.

The young woman wondered whether her three male friends thought she was getting fat.

The three male friends all arranged themselves as suggested by the second male friend, and the four pictures were taken accordingly.  The young woman and the three male friends were all pleased, and they all laughed loudly. They were all drunk.

The young woman laughed because taking the pictures was fun.

The young woman wondered whether her three male friends thought she was getting fat.  

“It's almost closing time,” the first male friend said.

“I'm going,” the second male friend said. 

“Why are you leaving?” The third male friend asked.

“Because I have no friends,” the second male friend said.

“I'll go with you,” the third male friend said.

“I'll be your friend,” the first male friend said. “We'll all be your friends,” the third male friend said.

They all of them, the young lady and the three male friends, set off together.

The young woman laughed, to solidify her status as a friend of the second male friend and his two male friends.

The young lady stopped wondering whether her three male friends thought she was getting fat.