I was watching her get ready for our date. There was something beautiful about her fuss over the details.

"Would you ever want to be a man?" I asked her.

"Uh-oh. Is this like a fantasy of yours?" she said, smoothing down her skirt.

"No. I'm just curious."

"About being with a man?"

"No. I am just curious if you ever get beaten down by being a woman," I said. "Like, all the work that goes into it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, look at your closet. You have 40 pairs of shoes, and at least 60 outfits."

"You want me to dress homeless like you?"

I lowered my bindle in shame.

She turned, head cocked, stabbing an earring into her ear. "I'm teasing with you, sweetheart. I like being a woman. I like dressing up and being feminine, no matter how long it takes. I even like it when I work an hour but can't get my hair right. It makes those nights when it is perfect all the sweeter. I don't know if there is a male equivalent, but there is nothing more electric than when a woman feels completely sexy."

"But looks fade," I said.

"Yes, that sucks more for a woman than a man, because women are relentlessly judged on their looks. It's like a race that never ends."

"What about living in a man's world?" I asked. "Doesn't it bother you?"

She leaned into the mirror with her lipstick and her lips formed an "O." I waited in the silence.

"I'm sure this is going to sound sexist," she finally said, "but I kinda like living in a paternal world. I don't like glass ceilings and all that, but I like it that men still treat me deferentially because I'm a woman. A batted eyelash at a middle-aged man behind the tire counter shouldn't be judged too harshly. He knows I am using my charms, but he doesn't care. It is like this unspoken present we give one another. I like to see the pride in his face as he helps me. One of the greatest gifts a woman can give a man is to make him feel like a man. Should I feel guilty about that?"

"No, baby. You shouldn't." She smiled, came over and put her arms around my neck. I could smell her shampoo. "But I am going to remember all of this and write it down," I said.

"Just don't mention how many pairs of shoes I have. I'm ashamed of that."

"I'll say 20."

Hear Gordon on "The Ticket" KTCK-AM (1310) weekdays from 5:30 to 10 a.m. E-mail him at gordon@gordonkeith.com.

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