Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Do You Remember Reading Buddies?


As a couple there is something to be said about reading the newspaper together. First of all, for some reason, whatever section the other person is reading always looks more interesting than the one you're reading. Even if you've already read it, you still want to read it again.

"I didn't realize how good that travel section looked til I saw you thumbing through it like that. What is that picture there--Portugal?"

I love the fact that we go through the real estate section of every Sunday paper and look at pictures of places that we have no intention or possibility of ever buying, but we still check for price fluctuations.

"Oh look at this--that lakefront property just went down to five bazillion, as oppposed to the unreasonable six-two they were asking last month. They're obviously weakening."

Some things in the paper are better not to share. But you don't know which ones they are until it's too late. My husband does this a lot.

He's reading an article about this woman in Houston who was fired seemingly unfairly, from a very good job. He's reading, and quietly, to himself, he goes, "Hmm...tsk...geez."

I go, "What?"

"Hm? Oh nothing, just this article. This woman, in Houston she had a great job, and they let her go because they discovered that years ago she was a prostitute...just kind of sad."

I say the required, "Hmm...tsk...geez."

Then about five minutes go by and for some reason it's stuck in my head. And looking at him like it's his fault, "What is it with prostitutes?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the whole thing with prostututes and men--I just don't get it."

Now see, when you are couple, each person represents their gender. You are the flag bearer for the whole team. And if any member of your team, anywhere in the world, past or present, does anything to offend, you have to answer for it. (Woman Law)

"No it has nothing to do with prostitutes, Babe, I'm just saying, it's kinda sad...You know, here's a woman, got her life together and everything...and...then...hey...uh...what's that picture there, Portugal?" Then he tried to get me to read the Travel section together and tries to get off the whole Houston thing.

But there are after shocks. (Woman Law)

Hours later, we're eating, and I turned to him, "Are you chewing loudly?"

"No."

"Well, you're bugging me."

So, surprisingly he figures out my womanly thought process: eating chicken, BBQ sauce, Texas--"The prostitute lady? That's what you're upset about?"

I say, "I just don't get it."

Ah,well the complexity of our thought process is not for man to figure out. It's there job to just deal with it.