How Marriage Helps You Get Your Drinks Faster

Photo: indi.ca

My wife and I file into a tent for a wedding reception. On one side is the guest book, on the other is the bar offering the initial refreshments.
We want to sign the guest book, but more important is getting glasses of wine soon and not getting caught in a large line. Almost instinctively after 42 years of marriage, my wife and I know our comparative and absolute advantages. Her handwriting is good and mine is dreadful. My arms are longer than hers.
She makes an immediate beeline to sign the guest book, and I head straight for the bar, having ascertained what she wants to drink. Very shortly she has signed the book and I have two glasses of merlot. The efficiency gains from marriage are well known. It’s also true that for most couples they grow over time.