The Deception of a Woman
Once upon a time, a man decided to write a book titled The Deception of Women. A woman learned about this and decided to find him. After asking around, she eventually found his house. She entered under the pretense of curiosity and asked, “What are you writing?” The man replied, “I’m writing a book called The Deception of Women, so that men will read it and never be fooled by women again.”
The woman said, “Oh, man! You can’t even avoid being tricked by women yourself, and now you want to write a book to teach others?” The man proudly said, “I know women better than anyone, and I’m sure I’ll never be deceived.”
The woman replied, “Don’t waste your time with this book; you won’t gain anything from it.”
The man arrogantly responded, “Don’t speak to me like that; you women can’t fool me.” The woman said, “Listen, here’s my advice: whether you listen or not, it’s up to you.”
The man said, “Thanks, but if you’re not hiding anything, you’d better leave and let me get back to my work. I know you women can’t stand it when someone is about to expose your tricks.”
The woman replied, “Very well,” and left. She then used all sorts of beauty treatments—eyeliner, henna, glitter, and perfume—before returning to the man’s house, now completely adorned and dressed in her finest clothes.
The man greeted her, and when he looked up from his book, his heart skipped a beat. She was now standing before him like a beautiful stranger. In panic, he asked, “Who are you?” The woman lazily fluttered her eyelashes and answered, “I am the daughter of the city’s judge.”
The man asked, “Are you married?” She replied, “No.”
He asked, “How can a girl like you not be married yet?” She answered, “Because my father loves me so much, he can’t bear to marry me off.”
The man pressed, “How so?” She replied, “Whenever a suitor comes for me, my father tells them that I’m deaf, mute, and blind, and he sends them away.”
The man, in disbelief, asked, “Will you marry me?” She answered, “I have no objections, but what’s the point if my father doesn’t agree?”
The man insisted, “Tell me what I should do to win your hand.”
She replied, “If you truly love me, go ask my father for my hand. He’ll tell you that I’m deaf, mute, and blind, and that I’m no good for you. You should say that you accept me despite my flaws. That might make him agree.”
The man agreed and went to the judge’s house. He asked for the daughter’s hand. The judge responded, “Welcome, but my daughter is deaf, mute, and blind, and she won’t be suitable for you.” The man replied, “I accept her as she is, with all her flaws.”
The judge, seeing the man’s determination, agreed and arranged for a large wedding. The entire city was invited. Afterward, the man was taken to the bathhouse, and then to the bridal chamber. When he uncovered the bride’s face, he slapped his own head in shock as he saw the truth of the judge’s words.
The man realized he had been tricked, but he was too embarrassed to admit it. He left the house and fled to a distant town, away from everyone who knew him.
Years passed, and he started a small business. One day, he saw the same beautiful woman come into his shop. She greeted him, and he shouted, “You’ve driven me out of my own home and now, you won’t leave me alone in this strange land either. What do you want from me?”
She laughed and replied, “I don’t want anything from you, I just came to ask—do you remember when you said you would never fall for a woman’s trick?”
The man sighed, “What other trick are you planning to play now? Please, leave me alone.”
She said, “If you promise never to write that book about women again and never try to deceive men, I’ll help you.”
He replied, “What book? After what you did to me, I’ve completely given up on writing.”
She continued, “If you listen to me, I will make sure the judge divorces you from his daughter.”
The man, eager to be free of his troubles, agreed to do anything she asked. She told him, “First, promise that you’ll marry me.”
He reluctantly agreed.
She instructed him, “Now, take a group of travelers and go back to the judge’s house. Knock on the door. When the judge answers, tell him that you’ve been away visiting your relatives and that they came to see their daughter. He will ask you where you’ve been. Just say that you missed your relatives, and they wouldn’t let you return early. Then, tell him they came to visit their daughter and stay for a while.”
The man followed her instructions, took a group of travelers, and went to the judge’s house. When the judge opened the door, he asked, “Where have you been all this time?”
The man answered, “Dear father-in-law, I’ve been away visiting my relatives. I missed them, and now they’ve come to visit their daughter and will stay for a while.”
He began introducing the travelers, saying, “This is my cousin, that’s my aunt, this is my uncle…”
The travelers started causing a commotion, asking where they should tie their dogs or if they could kiss the judge’s hand. The judge quickly realized that if people found out that his son-in-law had brought a group of strangers into his house, his reputation would be ruined.
So, he quickly pulled the man aside and told him, “Before the people arrive and start gossiping, you must divorce my daughter and take your people and leave.”
The man replied, “What about the dowry?”
The judge, eager to get rid of him, said, “Who’s asking for a dowry?”
Relieved, the man agreed, and the judge immediately arranged for the divorce. He then married the woman who had tricked him into this whole ordeal.
