NINE MONTHS JOURNEY IN SEVEN DAYS
The Hodja's first wife had recently died. The state of single blessedness was not to the Hodja's taste, so he decided to marry again. With some help from his neighbors, he had no difficulty in finding a suitable widow.
Exactly seven days after the wedding the woman gave birth to a baby. The Hodja immediately ran to the market, bought some paper, pencils, and books, and on his return put these objects beside the newborn baby. His wife seemed surprised, and asked:
"But Effendi, surely the baby won't have any use for these things for a long time yet! Why the hurry?"
"You are mistaken, my dear," replied the Hodja. "A baby that arrives in seven days instead of none months is sure to need these things in a couple of weeks at most."
