Returning the Bird

A man came into a pet shop carrying a parrot in a bird cage. "I want to return this bird," he said.

The owner sighed at the prospect of facing yet another this-bird- won't-talk complaint. "Sir," he said, "we guarantee that all our parrots can talk. However, we can't guarantee when they will talk. It's all spelled out on your sales receipt."

"No, no, you don't understand," the customer said. "The bird talks. I just don't like his attitude."

Puzzled, the store owner said, "You're right. I don't understand. Explain it to me."

"I bought the bird a week ago," the customer said. "Every morning, I'd stand in front of his cage and ask 'Can you talk?' I did the same thing every evening. For six days, I got no response. Then, this morning, I shouted at the bird, 'CAN YOU TALK, YOU STUPID CREATURE? CAN YOU TALK?'"

The customer glared at the parrot. The owner asked, "So, what happened?"