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War Trophies
She’s gone — but the gifts from your ex remain!
I had an old friend who used to refer to presents he’d received from long-gone girlfriends as war trophies. Even though he no longer associated with the women, those gifts stood as testimony to his ability as a soldier in the numerous battles in the War Between the Sexes he’d survived.
We, I don’t know about the metaphor — or whether I think it’s valid. But somehow, I thought about that old pal yesterday when I looked around my apartment to make note of the war trophies I myself have accumulated over the years. Not that I’ve been that prolific mind you, but a single guy of my age has to have a few lying around!
A lot of them come from my current paramour — who will eventually become an ex I have no doubt. Numerous t-shirts, underwear, a little stuffed bear, a picture on the wall, a keychain with an LED, a pussy cat writing pad, and several other tokens of her esteem adorn my apartment.
I think that the plethora of crap she’s bought me over the years might be more a manifestation of her tendency to be a shopaholic than it is a statement of her love for me. But at least when she acts like a completely self-centered monster, I can look upon all with which she’s lavished me to mitigate the enmity I feel at the very thought of her. Bipolarity is a double-edged sword. I…
