I want to give you children...
I met up with an old friend of mine the other day. Whilst chewing the cud about this and that in the pub, he suddenly looked at me, put on a glum face and said:
"Lisa wants to get a cat"
"Right. And that's bad is it?"
"I don't like cats"
I shrugged. "So don't get a cat then"
He pulled a face. "She says it's either a cat or a baby".
Oh. I see his problem. It's catch-22: she's not offering him a real choice at all. When she says it's a cat or a baby, what she really means is that it's a cat then a baby. Either way, there's bound to be a baby involved at some point - it's just a matter of time.
I don't really see how he can win this one. It's a double-bind.
He can stall for time, I suppose, but if he *really* doesn't like cats then he simply has to bite the bullet and get on with the other option.
...or he can run as far and as fast as his legs will carry him. And even then, Lisa's pretty sporty, and I rather suspect that she can run both further and faster than him, and he knows it, so he's back to square one. He can run, but he can't hide.
No wonder he's looking a bit glum.
"Lisa wants to get a cat"
"Right. And that's bad is it?"
"I don't like cats"
I shrugged. "So don't get a cat then"
He pulled a face. "She says it's either a cat or a baby".
Oh. I see his problem. It's catch-22: she's not offering him a real choice at all. When she says it's a cat or a baby, what she really means is that it's a cat then a baby. Either way, there's bound to be a baby involved at some point - it's just a matter of time.
I don't really see how he can win this one. It's a double-bind.
He can stall for time, I suppose, but if he *really* doesn't like cats then he simply has to bite the bullet and get on with the other option.
...or he can run as far and as fast as his legs will carry him. And even then, Lisa's pretty sporty, and I rather suspect that she can run both further and faster than him, and he knows it, so he's back to square one. He can run, but he can't hide.
No wonder he's looking a bit glum.
Labels: friendship, random
posted by swisslet @ 19:53
5 Comments:
At 8:51 pm,
swisslet said…
...and yes, I am aware that it's possible to read resonances with my own life in this story. Am I worried that our cat could be the thin end of the baby wedge?
Nope.
Just the cat in this house.
At 12:58 am,
HistoryGeek said…
I love that Lisa is sporty!
At 1:03 am,
Michael said…
its moments like the one your friend is going through that are probably why me relationships are usually short lived... I respond to ultimatums and other actions like that... undesireably.
If given the option of cat or baby, if I didn't like/want a cat or baby... I'd respond with "(insert name of expensive car) or threesome."
Yes, I realize this is why I'm single... but I'm a happy single.
...then again, I'd probably choose the cat, and when baby was brought up... I'd point at the cat.
My last cat lived to be 19... so that's plenty long enough to get you out of the years of fertility.
At 12:40 pm,
Anonymous said…
Babies are great, yay for babies! And cats for that matter.
The baby wedge, and I can assure you it has no thin edge,is a great wedge to be involved with. In case you hadn't realised, babies are little people and people are great as well - aren't they??
At 3:53 am,
Anonymous said…
Uh, no offense to Tina, but I definitely do not think babies are great. And the only thing less great than a baby is an ultimatum. Poorly done, Lisa...
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