The Manipulation of the Sexes...

I was at the mall on Saturday with my family, and while waiting in line for a smoothie at the food court, I listened to the conversation two 30-something women were having - shopping bags in tow.

Their uninteresting chatter suddenly compelled me, when the pretty one called her husband on her cell phone. Her voice was very warm and soothing- excited even- at the opportunity to talk to her betrothed. I thought it peculiar that after the inital pleasantries were over, she asked her husband to go ahead and buy the headphones he had been eyeing. It was clear that the husband's lust for a particular set of - no doubt - expensive headphones was part of an earlier conversation. But now, this young woman called, and implored her husband from the goodness of her heart - to treat himself, and get the headphones. It sounded fishy to me, until I saw her shopping bags - emblazoned with monikers from all the finest retail stores in our humble little suburban mall.

Once "Trixie" had convinced her husband of the merits of the headphones, I heard her gasp, throw in a few "Really?"s and tsk-tsk her way through the remainder of their brief phone call. It ended with with this woman sharing the most wonderfully appreciative "goodbye" and "I love you"- both smothered with a flavor of conspiratorial unity.

When this act was over, she clapped her cell phone shut, and turning to her friend, declared: "Don't you even feel guilty for what you bought!" Her friend's eyes looked up meekly to protest, her heart obviously heavy with grief - but the first woman only stood firm: "Don't feel guilty. You should hear what Chris bought. Aaron said he is going CRAZY!"

Softly, unsure, the second woman responded, "Are you sure?" "Yes, don't you even feel bad. You have every right to get a few things. Chris is going nuts..."

And on the conversation went- but my mind had drifted away, reflecting on the way we husbands manipulate our wives - and you wives manipulate your husbands...