Funny stories are a sugar glaze. Because you can’t ask your fellow partygoer or dinner party attendee or mutual friend if they want to hear a why-my-partner-gave-up-long-ago story or you’ll-never-guess-what-an-inconsiderate-witch-I-am story or this-marriage-is-in-complete-failure-mode story. As you might suspect, those stories tend not to be people pleasers. But with a funny story, the bitterness slides down their gullets, leaving a smile and a little buzz. No aftertaste. This is marriage as public performance.
