Story - The Yellow Ribbon

This is a story that can be told to middle school kids or older.  Very young children won't respond to the humor of the punch line.  It is a good "space filler" to use while the group is waiting for the next event.

Jane wore a yellow ribbon around her neck everyday. And I mean everyday, rain or shine, whether it matched her outfit or not. It annoyed her best friend Johnny after awhile. He was her next door neighbor and had known Jane since she was three. When he was young, he had barely noticed the yellow ribbon, but now they were in high school together, it bothered him.

“Jane, you know I love you dearly, but why do you wear that yellow ribbon around your neck?”

And Jane would reply, "Johnny, if you really love me, you will have to understand that I'll tell you someday, but not right now."

And so Johnny waited.

Johnny and Jane grew up and he asked her to the soda shoppe for an ice cream sundae. Then he asked her to watch him play in the football game. Then he started seeing her home. And come the spring, he asked her to the dance. Jane always said yes when he asked her out. And she always wore a yellow dress to match the ribbon around her neck.

It finally occurred to Johnny that he and Jane were going steady, and he still didn’t know why she wore the yellow ribbon around her neck.

So he asked her about it yet again.

“Jane, you know I love you dearly, but why do you wear that yellow ribbon around your neck?”

And Jane would reply, "Johnny, if you really love me, you will have to understand that I'll tell you someday, but not right now."

And so Johnny waited.

Well, time flew past, as it has a habit of doing, and one day Johnny proposed to Jane and was accepted. They planned a big wedding, and Jane wore  the yellow ribbon around her neck on their wedding day.

“Jane, you know I love you dearly, but why do you wear that yellow ribbon around your neck?”

And Jane would reply, "Johnny, if you really love me, you will have to understand that I'll tell you someday, but not right now."

And so Johnny waited.
 
Johnny and Jane raised a family of four, with the usual ups and downs, laughter and tears. When their golden anniversary rolled around, Johnny once again asked Jane about the yellow ribbon around her neck.

“Jane, you know I love you dearly, but why do you wear that yellow ribbon around your neck?”

And Jane would reply, "Johnny, if you really love me, you will have to understand that I'll tell you someday, but not right now."

And so Johnny waited.

And the day came when Jane became sick.  She was on her death bed, and Johnny asked one more time

“Jane, you know I love you dearly, but why do you wear that yellow ribbon around your neck?”

And Jane replied, “Okay Johnny, you can go ahead and untie it.”

With shaking hands, Johnny fumbled for the knot and untied the yellow ribbon around his wife’s neck.

And Jane’s head fell off.