Holiday

It struck me as odd that not a single guy asked me what I got Nathalie for Valentine's Day. And it's not like I didn't run into any guys today. Medicine is typically a male dominated field, so there were more than a handful of opportunities for my guy friends to ask, yet none did.

But interestingly, every single woman I happened to run into inquired about what I got Nathalie. It must be some strange unspoken contest women have amongst themselves to find out who got the best present. After about the fifth woman asked me within a 90-minute period, I stopped answering truthfully and started to get creative with my answers.

Woman Friend #6: So what did you get Nathalie for Valentine's Day?

Me: I got her a shotgun.

[This got a questionable look, but getting a woman a shotgun in the South isn't all that strange, so it didn't carry much of a shock value. WF#6 just moved on to another conversational topic.]

* * *
Woman Friend #7: So what did you get Nathalie for Valentine's Day?

Me: I got her a metric socket wrench set.

[Having to explain what a socket wrench is to WF#7 didn't have that comedic effect I was going for, so halfway through I just gave up and told her the truth.]

* * *
Woman Friend #8: So what did you get Nathalie for Valentine's Day?

Me: I got her a pleather S&M outfit.

[This initially got a raised eyebrow and "oh, so that's how it is with those two" kind of look. But that was it. I didn't get a rise out of her. She wasn't going to play my game. Instead WF#8 simply followed up by asking, "Why pleather?"]

* * *
Woman Friend #9: So what did you get Nathalie for Valentine's Day?

Me: I got her pregnant.

[When I said this, every woman within earshot whipped their heads around so fast to get confirmation of what they thought they heard that I'm surprised nobody suffered from whiplash. The look on their faces were priceless. Can any bit of gossip be more juicy than hearing that someone is pregnant?]