Thanks, Chrissy, for remembering the words of Nopkins. And Lillie, I decided not to share the story with her today, but I'll let you know when/if I do.
No, today, I'm going to put a receipt in the "In" basket where she enters all the financial stuff. It will be a piece of paper simply marked, "Cash, lunch, $15" It is likely to start a firestorm for many reasons.
You spent HOW much for lunch? Yes, that is a lot of money for me to spend on lunch. It was a special occasion. I went out with N, who works with me, who I've known for 15 years, who is my friend, for her birthday. I didn't buy her lunch.
My W may be satisfied with chewing me out for spending money without consulting her. She may chew me out for spending $15 on lunch. But I suspect that she may be more mad at the fact that I was out at a nice restaurant with N.
N and I, as I said, have been friends for a long time. And that's all we've been. But my ex was very threatened by N because, well, N is attractive and has big boobs. I don't know how my W will react. I have to admit that, since my ex had such suspicions about N, I got in the habit of just never mentioning her to my ex. That "habit" spilled over into my current M.
In the spirit of my "New Transparency," I will tell my W about my lunch with N. And, if my W asks me, "have you told her about our marital problems?", I will answer truthfully, "yes."
N, to me, is no different than J, my best buddy (a male), who knows all about my marital problems, too. N is just as easy to talk to, and has the added insight of a female brain, which, as everyone knows, is at least 25 percent larger than a male brain.
Can men and women be "just friends?" I can say, unequivocally, yes.
N and I had a falling out several years ago, because her political ideology is very different from mine. We decided, however, after a couple years of polite distance, that our friendship was more important than that, and now, when we talk, we just kind of avoid that whole area.
N and I can talk about almost everything but politics. I can talk to my W about politics, and really would love to get to the point where I can discuss everything else with her. So, we'll see if we get any closer to that point by her reaction, if any, to my lunch.
