快乐的秘密

For two friends there is only one secret to happiness, that is easy to understand, but, perhaps, difficult to accept.
　　A beautiful night. Silence. The sky is full of stars. Outside the weather is warm, pleasant, relaxing. After a day's work, two friends sit on the balcony and smoke a joint. They are enjoying themselves. They pass the cigarette around, give each other friendly burns and sometimes flatter the other one with names like "dumbass" - but between them there is peace and trust, as it should be after twenty-five years lived side by side. They are fond of each other. They have a history together. Neither one is afraid of disappointing surprises from the other one. And yet, Tom (the host) is skilled at disguisedly pouring, drop by drop, subtext after subtext. In a Machiavellian fashion, Tom has prepared for that night some sort of a truth-hoax.