Speculation

The other evening Ron and I were discussing our neighbours and speculating on the nature of their relationship. They are a middle-aged couple I'll call Jerry and Donna. He is the head of a local industry, while she was a stay at home mom until the last child left the nest. Then Donna went to care her aging parents, whom she felt needed her to be nearby. We thought this was going to be a temporary arrangement, but after a few months we learned that Donna was attending college near her parents' home. Three years later she became a teacher at the college, and it seems she only visits her parents on weekends. So much for them needing her help 24/7 as we had thought.

Where does this leave Jerry? Pretty much on his own. Last year he had business dealings at a location near Donna, and moved in with her. Now he's back home, and we are wondering what will happen next. Will Jerry sell the house next door and permanently relocate to Donna's city? Or will they continue to live apart?

Ron thought that Jerry was being a wuss and should step up to the plate and order his wife back home.

"Who do you think wears the pants in that family?" he asked me.

"I think Donna has the upper hand," I replied.

"You mean spanking?" Ron doesn't miss a trick, and although I hadn't been thinking along those lines at all, I picked up on his implication.

"Well, yes. What do you think?"

"Okay, so who do you think does the spanking - Jerry or Donna?" Ron was obviously enjoying the way this conversation was headed.

I paused to consider. "Oh, I think it's Donna," I said.

"I think so too."

"Well, there's one way to find out. She's coming home in a couple of weeks, so we'll listen for telltale sounds."

Ron agreed it was a plan, and we both had a good chuckle over what we might hear while sitting on the patio. We'll be sure to keep the windows open, just in case.