They Never Stop Looking for Their Provider #2

I have been writing these articles since I was 42. Now at 61, I see the pattern clearly. When a woman starts talking about having a companion, she is often hinting that you should consider her for that role. Women speak in hints, and this is one of their favorites.

For most of my life, my female friends were married, had children with the same man, and had never been divorced. I believed they were devoted to their husbands and families. I made it a point to know their husbands personally.

Recently I have noticed that some of these same women, now my age, approach me when their husbands become sick or retire. They start by pushing the idea that I need a companion. Later I learn their husbands are either in the hospital or no longer working.

One woman even cried to me, “How can I travel to Europe to see my family if my husband retires? Does he only think about himself?”

The real meaning behind that is, “How dare he stop working after 40 years without asking me” or “How dare my provider stop providing for me.”

I am not anyone’s Prince Charming, but I have been single for 25 years and have made enough money to support a wife and family. To some women, that alone qualifies me as a potential provider.

But I will not be mom’s boyfriend. I will not be grandma’s boyfriend.