Seniors, Does your partner have a strange sense of humor that you just don't understand?

• My husband is usually the kindest to people but with beggars and scammers he goes out of his way to be funny with them, to the point of embarrassment. He did come to the US as a refugee years ago and worked his way to become a US citizen without any handouts, learned English himself through night school and trial and error, he hates people who try to get something for nothing. That being said, I think some people really can be desperate and need a handout from a stranger. There are always those who will take advantage though. We now live in Hungary, not a 3rd world country but very different then what we are used to in the western countries. There are many, many scammers and beggars there, some I have seen with my own eyes are just faking being disabled or hurt, they are very tricky and good at their game. There was for several years an elderly Hungarian women who was always hanging out in the tourist area with a tin cup in her hand. She always wore the same old coat, summer or winter she wore that old thing.She also always sported a huge black eye, like it was either self inflicted,someone was giving her one or it was a really good makeup job.It was always there. I do not understand much of the native language there and my husband knows it well. Every time the women would approach us for funds, my husband would say something in Hungarian to her, smile and walk away. She was giving me the old evil eye every time he spoke to her. I had actually asked him to give her something as her eye was troublesome looking. After months of him saying whatever to her and her giving me the dirty looks, I finally asked him what he was saying to her. He( the brat) told me he said to her,"I would like to give you some money but my mean old wife won't let me." I could of strangled him on the spot, how rude. He though it was so funny although I thought it was cruel. After he told me what he said,he still spoke to her every time we passed her, he told me he now said to her,"How is business?" She could of killed me with her look. I find this sense of humor to be anti-social to mean,do any of you have a wicked sense of humor or are you with someone who has a slightly evil streak? I should add, my husband is the kind of person who would help a strange if he felt it was legit. Yes, S, people do shout as if that is going to help them understand. In Hungary we also get approached almost ever time we leave home. We live in a very working class district and stand out like sore thumbs, everyone hits us up. I dress down when in my district and dress like myself when going elsewhere. sometimes my husband will go to a better district without my knowledge as I dress for the day and then I am so mad at him. Some of the scams that go on there are unbelievable to those raised in the west. I would be a real sucker if not for my husband.

• Answer:

  Crumbs Sounder that's harsh even for you.... Marilyn I'm sure your hubby knows the area and the people there well enough to know how to deal with the spongers and treat them with disdain should he see fit. I doubt he would be intentionally cruel to anyone in dire need. My hubby sometimes has a sarcastic sense of humour which some folk may find a little too straight to the point but I know what he's trying to say and often mention that if he added a smile even if it's a wry one it might help to put the point over a little better.