It's funny 'cause it's true
One day, though, when their issues seemed largely resolved
and I suggested discussing an end to their therapy, the husband brought up a
new concern: His wife now seemed less interested in having sex with him. He
turned to her and asked why. Was she still attracted to him? After all, he
wondered, why did she appear less interested now that their relationship seemed
stronger in all the ways she wanted?
“I’m very attracted to you,” she said earnestly. “You know
when I really crave you? It’s when you’re just back from the gym and you’re all
sweaty and you take off your clothes to get in the shower and I see your
muscles.”
Her husband countered by saying that this very situation had
occurred that morning but that his wife became irritated when he tossed his clothes
on the floor, which led to a conversation about his not vacuuming the day
before, when she worked late. He had worked late, too, which accounted for the
lack of vacuuming, but still — she hated waking up to a messy room, and it was
his turn to vacuum.
“Right,” she agreed. “I wasn’t focused on sex, because I
wanted you to get out the vacuum.”
“So if I got out the vacuum, then you’d be turned on?”
His wife thought about it for a minute. “Actually, probably
not,” she said slowly, as if hearing the contradiction even as she was speaking
it. “The vacuuming would have killed the weight-lifting vibe.”
