The man began to follow the path suggested until he remembered the first advice. Then, he returned and followed the long path. Days later he learned that the shortcut led to an ambush.

After a few more days of travel, he found an inn by the roadside, where he could rest. He paid for a room and he lay down to sleep after taking a bath.

During the night he woke up as he heard a terrifying scream. He rose to his feet and went to the door to check what happened. As he was opening the door, he remembered the second piece of advice. Therefore he returned, lay down again and slept.

At dawn, after breakfast, the owner of the lodge asked him if he had not heard the scream at night. He affirmed that he heard.

“Were you not curious to see what happened?”

“No, I was not,” he replied

Then the host said:

“You are the first guest to leave this inn alive. My neighbour is completely crazy. He usually shouts at night to call someone’s attention. When some of the guests come out, he kills them and buries their bodies in the backyard.”

The man continued his long journey, eager to arrive soon. After many days and nights walking, he was very tired, but he finally saw his house far away.

It was night. He saw some light coming out of the window of his house and was able to see the silhouette of his wife. But he also saw that she was not alone. He came closer and saw there was a man with her. She softly caressed his hair.

When he saw that scene, his heart was filled with hatred and bitterness. He decided to rush at and kill them both mercilessly.

However, he took a deep breath and he remembered the third piece of advice. Then he stopped, reflected and decided to sleep outside that night.

He slept in the midst of the bushes, determined to make a decision the next day. At dawn, he was calmer.

I will not kill my wife and her lover. I am going back to my boss to ask him to take me back. But before I go, I want to tell my wife that I have always been faithful to her. He thought to himself.

He went to the front door and knocked. When his wife opened the door and recognised him, she cried and embraced him warmly. He tried to push her away, but he was not able.

“I was faithful to you but you betrayed me,” he told her with tears in his eyes.

She was shocked, so she replied:

“How did I betray you? I have never betrayed you. I waited patiently for you for twenty good years.” She maintained.

“What about the man that you were caressing yesterday?” Then he asked:

“That man is your son. When you left, I discovered I was pregnant. Today he is twenty years old,”

Hearing that, the man asked her forgiveness. He met and hugged his son. Then he told them all the things he had experienced while away.

Meanwhile, his wife prepared some coffee for them to eat together, the last bread given by his boss.

After a prayer of thanksgiving, he broke the bread. When he looked at it, he found all his money inside. In fact, there was even more than the right payment for his twenty years of dedication and hard work.

***

Tell us: What are your overall thoughts about the story?