Self-made men aren’t always as self-made as they think, and their wives often have a lot more of the power in their relationships than they imagine. Recently, a man wealthy man named Thomas Wheeler was driving on the highway with his wife of many years.
Wheeler is the CEO of a large insurance company, and to say that he has been highly successful would be an understatement. Wheeler noticed that the car was running low on gas, so he pulled off the highway to a gas station to refuel. There was just one attendant at the gas station, and he filled the tank as Wheeler walked around a bit to stretch his legs.
As Wheeler was returning, he noticed that his wife was having an animated conversation with the attendant and as he came up close to the car, he heard the attendant say, “It was nice seeing you again,” to his wife, and it was suddenly clear that the two knew each other. The conversation stopped then, and Wheeler and his wife drove off together. Back on the road, Wheeler asked his wife how she knew the attendant and she told him that they had gone to high school together and had even dated.
“You’re lucky that I came along,” said Wheeler to his wife. “If I hadn’t, you might be married to a gas station attendant instead of a wealthy CEO.”
“No,” his wife replied. “If you hadn’t come along that attendant would be a wealthy CEO and you’d be working at a gas station.”