A friend of mine was suffering from a lack of self-confidence after the end of a particularly difficult relationship. He was a bit concerned about returning to the dating world, worried that he had "lost his touch" with women. 
   Unfortunately, soon after ending his previous relationship, he began to lose his hair, and he saw this as a sign from above that he was supposed to be alone for the rest of his life. "Who is going to want to date a man without hair?" he said to me. He was convinced that good hair was the ticket to a successful relationship. "What will she run her fingers through now?" he asked sadly. "The skin on top of my head?" 
   When he finally started asking women out again, he only took them to locations where a cap was acceptable — playing in the park, walking the dog, or any kind of sporting event where he could successfully hide his thinning top. This worked out fine for a while, but there are only so many sporting events to go to, and only so many sunny days to walk the dog. 
   One of the many great aspects of my friend's character is that he really loves going out for a nice dinner. Back in college, we enjoyed many nights at the most expensive restaurants in town, spending too much money on bottles of wine and delicious food. Unfortunately, none of these restaurants allow caps to be worn. Hearing this, my friend was once again disappointed. Then, one day, he received a note in the mail saying that he had won a free dinner for two at a lovely new restaurant located in the business center of town. 
   "Congratulations!" the letter read. "You and a guest have been chosen to sample and enjoy our wonderful cooking and atmosphere. Please find the enclosed gift certificate for fifty dollars!" My friend was delighted! Jumping up and down with happiness, he thought out loud about what to wear, what to order, when to go, and... who to take. He couldn't wear a hat into this new restaurant, and wondered if there was a woman out there who wouldn't be disappointed by his bare head. 
   After worrying for a few minutes, my friend shouted out, "I'm going!" Jumping up from his seat, he took on that all-too-familiar glow on his face as he quickly glanced through his address book for a possible date. At last, he landed on Sarah, the woman whom he had been interested in, from a distance, for months. He sat down in his favorite chair, dialed her number confidently, and asked her to join him—she accepted without even hesitating. 
   A few nights later, dressed to the nines and without a cap in sight, he and Sarah shared a perfect evening and have been wonderfully in love ever since. 
   That was the best fifty dollars I've spent in a very long time!

我的一位朋友在结束了一段特别坎坷的恋情后，自信心受到很大的打击。
对于重新开始约会，他有点担心，生怕自己与女人早已“断了电”。
糟糕的是，在结束恋情后不久，他就开始脱发，他认为这是上帝在预示他将孑然一身度过余生。
“谁愿意跟一个秃头男人约会呢？”他对我说。
他深信一头漂亮的头发是建立圆满关系的关键。
“如今她的手指能在我头上抚摸到什么呢？”他悲哀地说：“我的头皮吗？”
当他终于又开始和女人约会时，他只带她们去那些可以戴帽子的地方——在公园里游玩、遛狗、或任何一种体育活动，只要他能成功地掩盖自己日益稀疏的脑袋。
这样维持一段时间还行，毕竟可参加的体育活动种类有限，适合遛狗的好天气也有限啊！
我朋友有很多不同凡响的特点，其中一点就是他非常喜欢去餐馆享用美妙的晚餐。
以前念大学时，我们俩在城里最贵的餐馆度过了许多美好的夜晚，美酒佳肴，花钱无数。
不幸的是，在这些餐馆里都不能戴帽子。
得知这个情况，我朋友又一次泄了气。
然而，有一天，他收到一封信，通知他得了奖，可以在一家新开张的位于本城商业中心的漂亮餐馆免费享用一次双人晚餐。
“祝贺您！”信上说：
“您和您的朋友被选中前来体验和享受我们的出色厨艺和美妙氛围。随信附上一张价值50美元的抵餐券！”
我的朋友高兴极了！
他兴奋地跳了起来，还自言自语说着要穿什么衣服、点什么菜、什么时候去、还有……带谁一起去。
他可不能戴着帽子进那家餐馆，也不知道哪里能找到不会对他的光头失望的女士。
就这样担心了一会儿，我朋友大喊，“我要去！”他从座位上跳起来，飞快地翻看通讯录寻找可能的人选，脸上又浮起了再熟悉不过的飞扬神采。
最后，他锁定了萨拉，他关注她已有几个月了，不过，只是在远处默默地注视。
他坐在他心爱的椅子上，自信地拨通她的电话，邀请她和自己共进晚餐。她爽快地答应了。
几天之后，衣着笔挺、光头毕现的他和萨拉一起度过了一个美好的夜晚，从此以后两人恩爱无比。
这50美元是我好久以来花得最值的钱！