Many humors stories are structured on the basis of repetition of an element, most often three times.

Example:

A man can't find his car and tries to hitchhike. It is pouring rain. The first driver who comes along honks his horn and doesn't stop. The second car that comes by splashes water from a mud puddle all over him. Then another man comes out and unlocks the door of his parked car, next to the first man. Furious, the first man goes up to him, shakes him, and says, "I wouldn't accept a ride from you if you paid me."

Can you say one?