You’re at a cocktail party, chatting with friends, when you notice a woman giving you funny looks. She smiles when your gaze flicks to her glass, and you realize she’s had more than one drink already. You excuse yourself to go pat her dog, and when you return, she’s giggling and leaning into a man’s chest. You don’t know them, but you know exactly what’s going on.
You’re not supposed to know what’s going on, but you do. You’ve been slipped a Viagra. Now you have to decide whether to keep playing along, or tell the truth and hope for the best.
Realistic Options
You’re a married man, for God’s sake. Why would you even think about doing something like this? What would be the point? You want to stay married, right? You want to keep your family, right? What would happen if you get caught? You know how these things can ruin a man’s life, especially if he gets convicted. You’d be looking at real prison time, maybe even time served. You don’t want to go there. So what are your options?
You could try pretending to be asleep while the doctor gives her the medication. But you’re not quite that lucky. She’s a smart woman, and she knows you’re awake. The only way this one works is if you play along. Plus, you’ve been awake for a while. So even if you’re pretending to be asleep, you’re probably not fooling anyone. You need to come up with a new plan.
Unexpected Options
You’ve been out of town on a business trip, and you come home to find your wife in the arms of another man. You get angry, you get violent, you even threaten to kill them both. But then you realize the truth. Your wife is a monster, and you’re the only one who can stop her. You’ve been had. You’re out of options. You’re going to have to kill both of them.
You could try telling the truth and hoping the situation gets handled peacefully. But in reality, you’re the one who’s going to be responsible for any bloodshed. There’s no trusting a cheating wife when you’ve been betrayed. You know what they say about liars, don’t you? They can’t be trusted. So what are you going to do?
The moral arc of these stories is always the same. The man gets knocked off his feet by life, and he ends up doing the right thing, even though it’s probably not the thing he intended to do. But in the moment, faced with temptation, it’s hard for him to know what’s best. So he makes the wrong choice, and it destroys his life, but in the end, it’s for the best.
As you can see, all you need is a bit of faith, and a little patience. You don’t need to be a saint, and you don’t need to be a monster. You just need to be the kind of person the universe is better off without.