A gentleman was waiting at the bus stop, waiting to go home at the end of the day. Another man walks up to him and asks him if he would give him the time. Strangely, the first man totally ignores the request. After a brief pause, the second man repeats the question, only to be ignored again. After a moment the second man walks off, disgruntled.
Another individual, also waiting for the bus, asks the first man, “That was a straightforward request; why didn’t you simply tell him the time?”
The first man, irate, responded. “Why? You want to know why? I’ll tell you why! Suppose I told him the time. And then suppose that we strike up a conversation. And after a little bit, he asks me to go have a drink with him. And we go to the corner bar. And after a few drinks, I take him to my house for a bite to eat. And we go to my house, and I make us a couple of ham sandwiches, and my daughter walks in. Now my daughter, she’s very pretty; and suppose they fall in love and want to get married. Do I want to have a man who can’t afford a wristwatch as a son-in-law?”