There was once a poor farmer named John and his wife Esther. John never did much of anything but work on the farm, and his life was full of routine. Still, he enjoyed it.

The only excitement in John’s life came from the annual State Fair. John and Esther had gone every year they had been married. They enjoyed it very much, but John was most excited by a helicopter that offered rides for 50 dollars. He had always wanted to ride in a helicopter, and he asked Esther if they could go. She replied “Well John, I’m sure it would be fun, but it costs 50 dollars, and 50 dollars is 50 dollars.”

Every year John and Esther would return, and every year John asked to take a helicopter ride, and every year Esther would reply “You know, John, 50 dollars is 50 dollars.”

One year, when John and Esther were in their 80s, the helicopter pilot took pity on the old man and said “Look mister, I see you here every year. If you want a ride so much, I’ll let you two go for free. There’s one catch: If you speak or scream at all during the flight, I’ll have to charge you full price.”

So they went up, and the pilot pulled out all the stops. He did dives, corkscrews, rolls, every trick he knew. Still, not a sound was heard.

When they landed, the pilot walked up to John and said “Wow! Man, you’re incredible! I did everything I possibly could to get you to scream, and still you said nothing!”

John replied “I was going to say something when Esther fell out, but hey, 50 dollars is 50 dollars.”