Pearlcatchers - Laughing Matters

Bob’s father took Bob to see a psychiatrist. Although only a 10-year-old child, Bob had a disquieting tendency to claim that he knew everyone - absolutely everyone! - and refused to admit that he was wrong.

The psychiatrist had a simple solution to deal with Bob’s minor complex. By confronting one of these lies head-on, Bob would be forced to deal with reality, and would drop his insistence. The psychiatrist asked if he knew Paris Hilton. “Of course,” Bob replied. “She’s having a photo shoot in London this afternoon.”

That was all that the psychiatrist needed to know. He promptly took Bob to London, where Paris Hilton was having a photo shoot promotion. The psychiatrist was convinced that, once Paris Hilton did not recognise Bob, the young boy would face the truth and his lying would collapse.

As soon as they saw Paris Hilton, she put down Tinkerbell and ran over to greet ... Bob. “Bob, it’s so good of you to come!”

Surprised by this turn of events, the psychiatrist was ashen faced. So Bob really knew Paris Hilton? But he couldn’t know everybody, after all. So the psychiatrist tried again, with the Mayor, the Chief of Police, and a dustman; Bob, however, was recognised by the Mayor, the Chief of Police and the dustman.

In desperation, the psychiatrist booked plane tickets for himself and Bob to Rome. “After all,” the psychiatrist thought to himself, “There’s no way that this young boy could know the Pope!” After landing in Rome, they went directly to Saint Peter’s Basilica, where the Pope was to appear and bless the people. To his dismay, the Pope recognised Bob, and asked him to join him.

Afterwards, on the way home, Bob turned to the psychiatrist and asked, “Now are you convinced that I know everyone?”

With a defeated sigh, the psychiatrist nodded ‘yes’.

With a smile on his face, Bob leaned back in his chair and said, “I thought that the Pope would convince you.”

The psychiatrist turned to Bob and said, “It wasn’t that; when you were appearing with the Pope, a man turned to me and asked, ‘Who’s that with Bob?’”