THE ONE ABOUT AUNT ANNIE

Did I ever tell you this one? You know, the one about my Aunt Annie?
When Annie was little, she was sort of evil. I guess she was about four years older than her brother Nick, so she would always get annoyed with him. Well, one day she told him that he was retarded. He didn't really believe her at first, but then she started giving him examples: "Why do you think Mom is so nice to you? Why do you think she helps you out with everything? Or what about your teachers? You know how they said you were doing really well in class? Daddy paid them to say that just so you wouldn't know that you are retarded."
Well, this was all too much for a poor boy of seven to ponder. And with all those examples, it must be true. For the next few weeks of his little life, Nick kept the secret that his family had apparently been keeping from him all this time.
One day, while tying his little shoes, he was having some trouble, so his mom bent down to help. Poor little Nick just couldn't take it anymore.
"You don't have to be nice to me just because I'm retarded. I know that I am retarded, so you don't have to hide it from me anymore."
Well, of course, his mom was caught completely off-guard by this outburst, and asked him who on Earth would tell him something so awful and untrue like that. Naturally, he told her that it was Annie, and that she had even given him proof.
This confession went on unbeknownst to Annie. Although content with the idea of shutting Nicky up for a while, she had almost forgotten her little trick. Her reminder was not a pretty one. Poor Annie couldn't sit down comfortably for a whole week.