04/02/2026 from Daily Jokes
#21999
Jerry was a man who believed in luck—but only when it was on his side. During a wild weekend trip to Las Vegas, luck didn’t just smile on him; it grinned, winked, and handed him a stack of chips worth $100,000.
Now, Jerry wasn’t the type to trust banks. He didn’t want the IRS sniffing around, he didn’t want his friends asking for loans, and he certainly didn’t want his wife knowing he’d gambled the mortgage money. So, upon returning home, under the cover of darkness, he took a shovel to his backyard. He dug a deep hole beneath the old oak tree, placed the cash in a waterproof bag, buried it, and patted the dirt down with the satisfaction of a secret keeper.
The next morning, coffee in hand, Jerry strolled out to admire his secret vault. But instead of undisturbed earth, he found… an empty hole.
Panic surged through his veins like espresso. He dropped to his knees, sifting through the dirt. Then he saw them: footprints. Large, muddy footprints leading directly from the hole to the house next door.
The neighbor was Mr. Henderson—a kind but deaf-mute man who lived alone. Jerry’s blood boiled. He marched down the street to the house of Dr. Evans, a local professor who was a close friend of Mr. Henderson and fluent in sign language.
Jerry wasn’t in a negotiating mood. He grabbed his pistol from the glove box, stormed into the professor’s study, and dragged the bewildered academic out of bed and down the street to Mr. Henderson’s front door. He banged on the door until the neighbor opened it, looking sleepy and confused.
Jerry shoved the professor forward, waved the gun menacingly, and screamed:
“You tell this guy that if he doesn’t give me back my money right now, I’ll kill him! No excuses!”
The professor nodded nervously. He turned to Mr. Henderson and began signing rapidly, his hands flying through the air. Mr. Henderson’s eyes widened. He signed back quickly, pointing toward his own backyard.
The professor turned back to Jerry, who was trembling with rage, finger tight on the trigger. The professor swallowed hard, adjusted his glasses, and said calmly:
“He’s not going to tell you, Jerry. He said he’d rather die first.”
