Finally, finding a day when his wife seemed particularly tired, Joe jumped in and said, “Dear, why don’t you take a nap?” I’ll prepare dinner for us and the kids.”
Maisie, Joe’s wife, told her husband everything for their dinner. “Everything’s ready for the doe to cook. Get some butter and mashed potatoes ready.”
Joe was immensely confused. Doe? Was he supposed to get venison meat of some kind? Then it came to him: Maisie was trying to get rid of Fawn, the deer that they raised on their farm. Joe has suspected this from the beginning. Maisie had, ever since around the past year, been seen doing suspicious things, such as giving Fawn extra water and blankets. Preparing to give her some comfortable moments before sudden death, Joe concluded.
Feeling a pang of sympathy for Fawn, Joe decided that he could not kill Fawn. Giving her to his neighbor, who agreed to look after Fawn, Joe quickly went to the market to buy some other meat, cooked it, then served his family a special meal.
Maisie said, “Oh my! This is delicious, but I thought I told you to make some bread!”
“Heh- heh. Surprise!” Joe said elatedly, but was wondering what Maisie meant by “bread.”
That night, Joe was lying in bed when he connected the dots: Maisie said that, “Everything’s ready for the doe to cook.” Could she have meant by any chance dough? Was that about the bread?
Groaning softly to himself, Joe felt very glad that he had not cooked Fawn.