Sam and Abe, now in their late seventies, first met in the second grade in a school on the lower East Side of New York. Their relationship now is one of playing pinochle, playing jokes and making bets.
Sam calls Abe and says, "I got a bet for you: I bet you that mine is longer soft than yours is hard. A thousand dollars!"
Abe says, "How can that be? If you knew anything about biology, you..."
Sam interrupts, "I called for a bet, not a lecture. Mine is longer soft than yours is hard. One thousand dollars... yes or no?"
Abe says, "Okay, okay, I'll take your bet! How long is yours soft?"
Sam says, "Eleven years."
