I have a daughter who is single. We were sitting and talking when a name came up. It was a professional basketball player. When I told her that he was a multimillionaire, she said she’d like to meet him. But when I said he was married, she said, “I really didn’t want to meet him anyway. I was just joking.”
And I said, “I would love for you to meet a basketball player who is making around four million, one hundred thousand dollars a year. And if he had his head together and was putting money away, you and me, we could put the money thing aside.”
She said, “Dad! Please!”
I said, “I’m just talking, you know, like, information. I’m not pushing you anywhere. I don’t see why you can’t discuss this. I mean, it’s not like I’m asking you to get married. I’m just saying, from my viewpoint—”
She cut me off and said, “You just seem to be interested in the money aspect.”
I said, “Well the money is big.”
“Dad!”
“But the money is huge because of the way you like to live. I know you and I know how you’ve been living.”
“Oh, Dad! Please stop! This is so depressing.”
And I said, “Yes, for both of us. I want you to understand that I feel I should be able to answer questions as opposed to being cut off. So, to answer your question—”
She said, “I’ve forgotten the question.”
And I said, “Of course you have, because it’s not on your tab. I just want you to realize that when you meet people, friends or whatever, you should consider what the monetary participation would be, would have to be, because of what you’re accustomed to.”
What I didn’t say was And how you don’t participate in chipping in on monetary things, you know, like, to get a job. I didn’t say that. I said this:
“All I’m saying is, it would be nice if this fellow, whoever you meet, had some money. But then I would want you, of course, to be happy. Which means an awful lot of things. His behavior, his manners, his obedience toward you, which husbands need to learn, and they have to be taught like you train a dog or a parakeet. And eventually, if the female figures he’s worth it, she’ll keep him and keep training him. And, if he loves her, then he will comply and accept all of these rules and regulations and become a very quiet person who smiles and listens to his wife and doesn’t mind getting up and moving to another room so that drapes can be changed and different pieces of furniture can be moved because it’s that time of year.”
When I looked up she was gone.
