Leslie Time

"I couldn't have one conversation if it wasn't for the lies, lies, lies, Still I want to tell you everything till I close my eyes"
"Bad Reputation" Freedy Johnston

A few significant things since last time:

Tuesday, the missus was looking high and low for a couple of denim skirts she used to wear before her second pregnancy. Guess who had them... A year ago I would have feigned ignorance, and I considered it this time. She left the room, and when she returned I had the skirts laying on the bed. She put her hands on her hips and said, with some amusement, "You appropriated my skirts!" (Who talks like that?) I pointed out that I appropriated them some time back when I thought she was never going to see size 12 again. She's lost about 30 pounds since Christmas.

She then asked if I had appropriated a sundress that was missing. I told her (truthfully) that I had not, but I would keep an eye out for it.

Sunday, I finally got around to bleaching the hair on my arms. Please try to stifle your yawns, this was important to me. I did it with the full knowledge of my wife, and no argument from her. The results were a little uneven, and not as light as I would like, but it'll be better next time. On the bright side, a more subtle shift might ensure no one notices at work. Like I care. Many thanks to Shannon for pointing me toward this option. I never considered anything short of complete hair removal, but I think I'm going to like this a lot. The wife was interested in seeing the results, and offered no criticism of any sort. Go figure!

For about a week now, I've been looking for an opportunity to drop my female name in conversation with my wife. The chance came Wednesday. She was wrapping up her talking points, and asked if I had anything to talk about. (She has started asking this on occasion. Most welcome!) It went something like this: (apologies to Jenn -- theft is the sincerest form of flattery)

Me: You know, you were right.

She: About what?

Me: I should have gone to my meeting last week.

She: I told you so. What changed your mind?

Me: I'm just feeling a strong need for some Leslie time.

I wasn't looking at her when I said it, but peripherally I saw her head turn toward me quickly when I said the magic word. But she didn't follow up on it. I got the idea to do it from The Silence of the Lambs. The girl in the well tells Buffalo Bill her name in an attempt to humanize herself to her captor. Now, my wife is not a serial killer, and I am not her prisoner (debatable?), and if anyone was assembling a woman suit, it would be me. But I hope giving that part of me a name will make it more real, more tangible to her. Less of a concept, more of a person.

It's becoming easier to talk about this stuff with her, and easier to be honest about it, too. Life will be a lot nicer if this is out in the open for the long term. (And with this, I have used my parentheses allotment for July.)