Point, Click, Love by Molly Shapiro Page B

good-looking, had heard women at the office talk about him, but he didn’t have an effect on her. Actually, she couldn’t remember the last time a guy did have an effect on her. Maybe she was a lesbian. No, it wasn’t that. Annie simply wasn’t feeling sexual toward anybody lately.
    “Maybe there’s something wrong with me,” said Annie, hoping that Claudia might have some insight into her problem.
    “Maybe there’s something right with you,” said Claudia. “It’s always bothered me how women, even the strongest women, let men rule their lives.”
    “I can’t imagine you letting anyone rule your life.” Because Annie’s face was so delicate and her body so petite—barely five foot four and a mere 115 pounds—she was always in awe of women like Claudia, who was tall and muscular with dark, striking features. Annie knew she was strong and independent, but sometimes she wished her dainty features and frail frame didn’t stand in such contrast to her bold personality.
    “I never ‘let’ them, never thought it was happening. But it did,” said Claudia.
    “Your husband?” asked Annie.
    “Definitely.”
    “How?”
    “It’s not like he’s power-hungry or anything. He’s the nicest, most laid-back guy. And that’s the worst kind! They seep into your life, your brain, without you even knowing it. And pretty soon everything you do, every decision you make, it’s all about them.”
    “Well, when you’re married, isn’t that the way it is? Don’t they do the same thing for you?”
    “No. I don’t think so. I really don’t,” said Claudia. “I think men are different. I don’t think Steve thinks and acts with me in mind, because if he did, he’d be doing things a lot differently.”
    Annie noticed their martini glasses were already empty, so she waved to the bartender. “You want another one? Do you need to get home?”
    “Perfect example, right there!” said Claudia, slapping her hand on top of the bar. “Normally, I’d say, ‘No, I’ve got to go home.’ Why? So I can make dinner for my out-of-work husband, who’s been home all day watching TV and should have dinner waiting for me? Yes, I’ll have another drink.”
    “Great,” said Annie. “But I hope I’m not causing any strife—”
    “No, no. You’re fine. I’m sorry for going on about my husband.”
    “Please, I don’t mind at all. It’s actually good for me to hear about it. I’ve been thinking lately about skipping the whole husband thing.”
    “Awesome idea!” said Claudia, raising her newly poured martini with three plump green olives.
    “There are some problems with the idea though,” said Annie.
    “Like what?” asked Claudia, with a hyperbolically confused look on her face.
    “Well, there’s the lack of sex.”
    “You’ve got to be kidding me. I had way more sex before I got married!”
    “The lack of support?” asked Annie.
    “Ha! You’d probably end up supporting him! Financially, emotionally … They’re always getting their egos bruised, getting deflated, and needing to be pumped up.”
    “Loneliness?”
    “There’s nothing more lonely than a bad marriage,” said Claudia. Annie noticed the mood change, as if Claudia felt that she had gone too far.
    “Oh, wait. I know. Kids!” said Annie, trying to steer things in a different direction. “I think I’d like to have kids.”
    “Absolutely! I’m all for kids.”
    “You have some?” asked Annie.
    “Two. Twin girls. Twelve years old.”
    “How cute!”
    “You know, Janie and Sandy are better companions than any man I’ve ever known.”
    “But having kids on my own? I don’t know,” said Annie. “It seems like it would be awfully hard.”
    “It would be. But kids are hard no matter what. And in some ways, raising kids with someone is the hardest. I can’t tell you how many fights Steve and I have had over those kids. I’ve often thought that the whole thing would have been easier if it had been only the girls and me. I don’t