Two Rights Make a Wrong?

by TJ Robertson

This is a story of two people, with two different views

Now different views are something we all profess to not mind, but in reality we resent. Especially if the different view is held by our spouse. Everyone knows this is true, but we rarely will admit to such petty behavior because generally these incidents that tend to be the most irritating, are the ones that are the most ridiculous. Who wants to tell someone about the argument over the toilet paper roll, or the complaint about a spouse's belief that mowing the grass produces methane emissions in the unacceptable range therefore the lawn cannot be mowed that weekend? You start telling someone about the argument you had with your spouse over these ridiculously silly notions your spouse had, and next thing you know, you end up looking the fool instead of the one deserving to be humiliated. Well, this is a story about two people, two views, and two lessons learned.

My brother Les and his wife Amy were driving to Amarillo down this long straight Texas road. This road is just the type of road people thinking of Texas would imagine. Long, dry, hot with miles and miles of nothing but desert high plains. The only thing imparting a color of life being the occasional mesquite trees and clusters of prickly pear cactus. The only human inhabitants, in transient passing cars seen for 5 miles coming, then passing in a flash before a license plate can be deciphered. Animal life is abundant of the unfriendly type, hidden from the hot glaring sun and rarely seen by the passing motorist except for the occasional rattlesnake or skunk in the road. There, of course, are cattle, too. 

But cattle in Texas are not unusual or even noticed for the most part. With so many hundreds of miles of free range, why would the cattle want to be next to a highway? Life is not easy for any animal on the high plains, and especially for the cows. Many acres of range are needed for just one cow with the sparseness of vegetation and water. Basically the cattle are fending for themselves, therefore it is not an unusual occurrence to have a cow consume some loco weed or be attacked by coyotes, or bit by a snake.

So as they drove down this road, my brother saw a dead dog just off the side of the road and he happen to mention this occurrence to Amy. Now there was some tenseness between them from a previous disagreement and therefore what happened following was blown out of proportion. Amy said "What dog? ... That was a cow!" 

"No! It was a dog," Les said, as he continued to drive down the road, certain that Amy was just being argumentative and therefore rapidly getting very upset with her.

Amy is likewise perturbed with Les for his refusal to admit it was possibly a cow, for she knew what she'd seen, and it was a big bloated dead cow! "How could anyone miss that?" she thinks to herself.

Well, tempers flared and finally it culminated in Amy insisting that they stop and turn around to prove to Les that she was right. "If you're wrong," he said, "you owe me your whole paycheck!!" Amy was determined; he was wrong and he was going to see he was wrong. She knew she was right!

The drive back to the place where the dog/cow had been seemed longer than it was, with anger in the air. Once they finally got to the spot, they got out of the van and sure enough there is this dead dog a few feet away from the white line of the highway. And there ... a few feet over, was a huge bloated dead cow on the side of the road. Well, needless to say, they were both right, but both wrong too. Okay, what does someone say in this situation? Exhibiting typical male diplomacy, Les says to Amy, "How could you miss seeing that dog?" Amy looks at her husband, looks back at this huge bloated cow, and then looks back at her husband and asks, "WELL HOW DID YOU MISS THE COW????" 

So folks, see there are always two views and depending on your view, you are right. But I'd like to also say you just might be wrong, too, if you saw the whole picture. What are the lessons? Well, first, if you insist on being right, make sure you are right. And second, if you are right, keep your mouth shut, for two rights only make a wrong.

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Copyright © 2001-2007 TJ Robertson
All Rights Reserved

Author bio:
TJ Robertson is an award-winning poet who now resides in the state of Washington. Comments to the author can be sent c/o The Blue Rose Bouquet and they'll be forwarded.

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