Kono sighed. “People really don’t like unattached women.”
“No. They don’t.”
“And that sucks. Hard.” Kono scowled again. “Why should I have to be covered by some dude in order to go about my own business?”
“Well. There’s a reason we called ‘Women’s Liberation.’ Back in the day.”
“Women’s libbers. Huh.” Kono rocked back with a grin as she made the connection. “I’d always wondered where that name came from. I thought it had something to do with ‘liberal’….”
Doris shook her head and laughed. “Trading that name in for Feminism made some sense, at the time, but looking back, I think it was, maybe, a mistake.” Not wanting to take this detour, Doris continued, “Anyway, feminists, or women’s libbers, would say that you shouldn’t have to be covered by a dude.”
“Yeah.” Kono’s grin turned into a scowl. “I’m starting to see their point. And how it applies to me.”
Doris waited.
“So, I’ve been letting the wife thing happen.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Which would be fine, as a cover. Only,” Kono sighed hugely, “only, Adam gets this look in his eye. All warm and satisfied.”
Doris made another affirming noise. She knew exactly what Kono was talking about. She’d seen the same thing. Had known it would happen and was both resigned and tickled when it did. Watching Adam struggle not to let Kono see how puffed out with pride being her ‘husband’ made him had been amusing her for weeks now.
“He loves it!” Kono burst out. “He loves the idea. He loves knowing that claiming me like that gives him status and me safe passage.”
“Men do. Even the good ones. All their training and conditioning tells them to feel that way.”
“Yeah.” Kono laughed then. “He knows better than to ever say anything. But I can tell he wants too. So freaking bad.”
“I know, because I was there, in the seventies, that there is a whole school of thought about openness and honesty. But, for what it’s worth, I think you’ve both chosen wisely in not having a conversation about this. At least, not right now.”
Kono looked extremely doubtful. “Maybe.”
“And, also for what it’s worth, the older you are, the less anyone cares about your status. I’m so old these days I’m practically invisible. Even in places where you would think I’d stand out like a sore thumb.” Doris waved her had around the yard, taking in the ramshackle buildings clustered in a poor neighborhood in a middling city that saw few foreign visitors each year. “It’s a useful asset, actually, in my line of work.”
“Maiden, wife, crone, yeah?”
“Yeah. I was once certain I would never be a crone. That along with my generation, I could break that old paradigm. It turned out to be way more deeply rooted that we ever realized. And, eventually, I realized that invisibility carries it’s own magic power.”
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2013-09-01 01:39 pm (UTC)Kono sighed. “People really don’t like unattached women.”
“No. They don’t.”
“And that sucks. Hard.” Kono scowled again. “Why should I have to be covered by some dude in order to go about my own business?”
“Well. There’s a reason we called ‘Women’s Liberation.’ Back in the day.”
“Women’s libbers. Huh.” Kono rocked back with a grin as she made the connection. “I’d always wondered where that name came from. I thought it had something to do with ‘liberal’….”
Doris shook her head and laughed. “Trading that name in for Feminism made some sense, at the time, but looking back, I think it was, maybe, a mistake.” Not wanting to take this detour, Doris continued, “Anyway, feminists, or women’s libbers, would say that you shouldn’t have to be covered by a dude.”
“Yeah.” Kono’s grin turned into a scowl. “I’m starting to see their point. And how it applies to me.”
Doris waited.
“So, I’ve been letting the wife thing happen.”
“I’ve noticed.”
“Which would be fine, as a cover. Only,” Kono sighed hugely, “only, Adam gets this look in his eye. All warm and satisfied.”
Doris made another affirming noise. She knew exactly what Kono was talking about. She’d seen the same thing. Had known it would happen and was both resigned and tickled when it did. Watching Adam struggle not to let Kono see how puffed out with pride being her ‘husband’ made him had been amusing her for weeks now.
“He loves it!” Kono burst out. “He loves the idea. He loves knowing that claiming me like that gives him status and me safe passage.”
“Men do. Even the good ones. All their training and conditioning tells them to feel that way.”
“Yeah.” Kono laughed then. “He knows better than to ever say anything. But I can tell he wants too. So freaking bad.”
“I know, because I was there, in the seventies, that there is a whole school of thought about openness and honesty. But, for what it’s worth, I think you’ve both chosen wisely in not having a conversation about this. At least, not right now.”
Kono looked extremely doubtful. “Maybe.”
“And, also for what it’s worth, the older you are, the less anyone cares about your status. I’m so old these days I’m practically invisible. Even in places where you would think I’d stand out like a sore thumb.” Doris waved her had around the yard, taking in the ramshackle buildings clustered in a poor neighborhood in a middling city that saw few foreign visitors each year. “It’s a useful asset, actually, in my line of work.”
“Maiden, wife, crone, yeah?”
“Yeah. I was once certain I would never be a crone. That along with my generation, I could break that old paradigm. It turned out to be way more deeply rooted that we ever realized. And, eventually, I realized that invisibility carries it’s own magic power.”