Not Like They Use to Be

"That's a bad habit!  Eww!"

"What is?" he asked, not bothering turning to his wife when he spoke.

"Not looking at someone when they are talking!  You never look at me!  Why dont you look at me when I am talking.  It is called being polite!  You use to look at me all the time.  You use to look at me with stars in your eyes!  Now, you dont look at me, and you dont talk to me!"

"I am talking to you now.  What do you want me to say?" he replied while watching the March Madness that he had waited all year for.

"It is not the same thing!  We dont talk.  We never talk anymore.  And you dont look at me!  can you at least look at me?"

He briefly glanced over to her, and then went back to watch the hated Dukies going down in flames. "There.  I looked at you.  Satisfied?"

"NO!  That was not a look!  That was a glance.  I have had better looks from the bums on the street!  And you have not said 10 words to me since dinner!  10 words!  We dont talk anymore, and you dont look at me!  When we were dating, you said you would always love me!  And now?  You dont even look!  Is it my big thighs?  Is it my gray hair?  Is it the fact that I am no longer a size 2?"

Taking a chug on his Bud, he asked: "What is it with women sizes?  I can never figure them out."

"See?  You are not talking to me now!  Instead you are talking to yourself and watching that stupid idiot tube!  Why cant you talk to me?  What is it about me that makes you not want to talk or look at me?  Have I changed?  Am I not the same siren that won your heart 35 years ago?  Then why dont you look at me any longer!  I saw how you drooled over that MTV video of Beyonce and Shakira!  I have not seen that look in years!"

"Hey, I liked the song.  It had a beat." he managed to get out before pumping his fist in the air as the opposition scored another basket.

"Yea, right!  So what was the song!  And you still did not answer me.  What do they have that I dont?  Why do you look at them that way and not at me?  What have I done to deserve this?  My mother would roll over in her grave if she knew what you have turned into!  A self indulgent uncaring slob!  You dont even brush your hair or shave every day!  Why not?  Am I not someone you want to look good for?  Do I not take care of you and make sure that you do the right thing?  What is it with me that you dont like anymore? Where did I go wrong?  You used to love me, now you dont care!  I am somebody!  I demand respect!  I demand you look at me when talking, and talk to me, not past me or around me!  Talk to me!"

Putting down his can of beer, he turned to the chair, and said with all the restraint left in him "I cant talk to you like we used to because you are dead!  Now go haunt some other poor slob and let me get back to the game!"

With that, he flipped the channel to the next March Madness game - already in progress.