A man and a woman, both married but complete strangers, found themselves assigned to the same tiny sleeping cabin on a long overnight train.
At first, things were awkward. They barely looked at each other as they arranged their bags. The man took the top bunk, and the woman settled into the bottom one.
The lights went out, the train rocked gently, and the silence became even more uncomfortable.
By one in the morning, neither of them could sleep.
The man was freezing on the top bunk, but he didn’t want to make things more awkward. Finally, he cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” he said softly, “but could you reach into the closet and hand me an extra blanket? It’s really cold up here.”
The woman was quiet for a moment.
Then she smiled and said, “I have a better idea. Just for tonight, why don’t we pretend we’re married?”
The man suddenly perked up.
“Well,” he said, “that sounds wonderful.”
She smiled sweetly and replied:
“Good. Then get your own damn blanket.”