A husband and wife were celebrating 50 years together. Their three highly successful children had all agreed to gather for a special Sunday dinner in their honor.

“Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!” gushed their eldest son, a surgeon. “Sorry I’m late—I had an emergency at the hospital and didn’t have time to get you a gift.”

“Not to worry,” said the father. “The important thing is that we’re all together today.”

Soon after, their second son, a high-powered lawyer, arrived. “You and Mom look great, Dad! I just flew in from L.A. between depositions and didn’t have time to shop for a gift.”

“It’s nothing,” the father reassured him. “We’re just happy you made it.”

Finally, their daughter, a busy marketing executive, rushed in. “Hello and Happy Anniversary! I’m so sorry—I’ve been swamped with work and packing for a last-minute business trip, so I didn’t have time to get you anything.”

After dessert, the father leaned back and said, “There’s something your mother and I have been meaning to tell you. You see, we were very poor when we started out. Despite that, we managed to send each of you to college. And through all these years, your mother and I loved each other deeply… but we never found the time to actually get married.”

The three children gasped. “Wait… you mean we’re bastards?”

“Yep,” the father said with a grin, “and cheap ones too!”