On a sunny June afternoon, a well-dressed and refined lady boarded a flight from Switzerland, looking every bit the picture of elegance. As fate would have it, she found her seat next to a kind-hearted priest, a man whose gentle smile and calm demeanor immediately made those around him feel at ease. As the plane settled into its journey, the lady leaned toward the priest with a hint of nervousness in her eyes and whispered, “Father, may I ask you for a favor?”
The priest, ever gracious and attentive, turned to her and said warmly, “Of course, my child. What can I do for you?” The lady hesitated for a moment before confessing her predicament. During her trip, she had purchased a very expensive hair removal device, a high-end gadget that she couldn’t resist buying. However, she was now anxious about the possibility of having to declare it at customs and potentially pay extra fees or face unnecessary scrutiny. She thought for a moment and then asked the priest if he would be willing to hide the small item under his cassock during their passage through customs. The priest, being a man of compassion, agreed but not without setting one important condition.
He looked at her sincerely and said, “I will help you, my child, but I must be honest with you—I cannot lie. If I am questioned, I will not speak untruthfully.” Relieved but still slightly nervous, the lady smiled and handed over the precious gadget, trusting that the holy man’s presence and honesty would keep her out of trouble. Hours later, as the plane landed and passengers prepared to go through customs, the priest made his way to the checkpoint with the small device carefully hidden under his long cassock.
A customs officer greeted him and, following protocol, asked, “Father, do you have anything to declare?” The priest, maintaining a perfectly straight face and calm tone, replied, “From the top of my head to my sash, I have nothing to declare, my son.” The officer paused, puzzled by the oddly specific answer. He raised an eyebrow, finding the response peculiar, and asked with curiosity, “And from your sash down, Father, what do you have?” Without missing a beat and without a trace of guilt or hesitation, the priest replied, “Below my sash, I have a marvelous little instrument designed for use by women, but which has never been used.” For a moment, the customs officer stared, unsure of what to make of this unexpected and oddly phrased declaration.
Then, realizing the double meaning of the words, he burst out laughing, shaking his head at the priest’s cleverness. The humor of the situation diffused any tension, and the officer, still chuckling, waved the priest through the checkpoint. “Go ahead, Father. Next!” he said with a grin, allowing him to pass without further inspection. The priest walked away with his usual serene composure, carrying not just the lady’s secret item but also a quiet sense of satisfaction at having helped someone in need without breaking his vow of honesty.
The lady, watching from a distance, felt an enormous wave of relief and gratitude wash over her. The cleverness of the priest had saved her from potential trouble, and the entire situation turned what could have been an awkward or stressful encounter into a moment of shared laughter and lightheartedness. The story of this encounter soon became a travel tale worth retelling—a reminder that wit and integrity can often outsmart difficult situations, that kindness can come from unexpected places, and that sometimes honesty, when paired with intelligence and humor, can solve problems far better than deception ever could. The lady would never forget the priest’s generosity and clever thinking, and even the customs officer likely remembered that day fondly as one of the rare occasions when his routine inspection ended in laughter rather than frustration, proving that quick wit and a good heart can turn even the trickiest situations into a delightful story worth sharing.
