An old woman was lying on her deathbed and looking back on her life. She knew the end was close and she had to clear her heart of guilt. Her four daughters came to her, and she told them a truth she had been hiding for years.

One by one, they came to see her, and she told them things she had been keeping locked away for their entire lives. One by one, they forgave her and left the room in thought. Then it was her husband’s turn. The two of them had stayed married for the children’s sake, and now she could finally get this all off her chest.

Her husband came in, and she decided it was time to finish this before she died. “Now that the end is close, I have to tell you something. I know the two of us never had what you would call a good marriage, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise. I was unfaithful to you many times over our marriage.”

The old man just sat and nodded. “I knew. After all, most of them were once my friends. Most of them were better friends and told me about it.”

“Well, since that doesn’t bother you, then I guess I should tell you that the girls aren’t yours. I was on birth control when I was with you, but I wasn’t when I got pregnant.”

Once again, the old man just sat there nodding. “I knew. After all, there should have been some kind of resemblance to me or my side of the family. None of the girls even resemble each other, let alone me.”

The old woman lay there and wondered how he was able to take this news so well. Maybe she had been wrong about him all these years. The old man looked at her and smiled. “If we are getting things out in the open, then I should tell you I wasn’t faithful to you either.”

The old woman was surprised the meek man had it in him. “Really? Do you have any kids of your own then?” He simply nodded. “As a matter of fact, I have six of them. All strong and well-behaved. Haven’t you ever noticed?”

The old woman shook her head.

“I thought you might notice all your grandchildren look a little like me?”