Emma thought. “Communication?” she hazarded. Maybe if she had asked Matthew to cook dinner more often, she would not have fallen prey to Monday’s madness. “Drawing boundaries and sticking to them? Educating him to take his share of the work?”
Fee shook her head, leaned forward across the table, and laid a hand on her daughter’s.
“Treats,” she said firmly.
There was a pause while Emma blinked in surprise, and unwrapped another mint.
“Treats,” she repeated.
“Correct.” Her mother nodded. “I love my husband dearly, and you know how much I love Matthew, too. But over many too many years and much too much beating of my head against a brick wall, I’ve come to accept that there are things about men that we’re just plain old not going to change. And here’s where we get to one of the good things about being a woman, which is that, once we’ve accepted a situation, we’re quite good at adapting ourselves to it, and one of the most effective ways of adapting is to take on the protective coloration of the environment. I’ve noticed over the years that men have very little hesitation in buying themselves treats when they feel they deserve one—you did say, didn’t you, Emma, that Matthew ordered the wood pigeon on Monday? And my philosophy is that, if they’re allowed to reward themselves on occasion, then I don’t see why we shouldn’t be, too. And now that we are—thank God—no longer dependent on them for every penny we spend, it’s very important indeed that we allow ourselves to splurge occasionally on things that will make us feel good about ourselves. It’s very healthy, in fact.”
Emma took another mint. Counting the wrappers on her plate, it seemed to be her fifth.
“But, Mom,” she said, “those shoes cost as much as a fridge. I can’t believe I spent that much.”
“Are they the most beautiful shoes you’ve ever seen in your life?” asked Fee.
“Yes, Mom,” said Emma after a moment. “Yes, they are.”
“And will they make your legs look perfectly lovely on your wedding day?”
“Oh, Mom,” said Emma. “They’ll make them look just amazing.”
“Well, then.” Fee smiled at her daughter. “I don’t suggest buying designer shoes every day of the week. And I certainly don’t suggest spending that sort of sum in the future without discussing it with Matthew first. But I do most strongly believe that if you find something makes you feel truly, wonderfully fabulous, then in the long run it’s the best and the healthiest thing, both for you individually and for the marriage you’ll create with Matthew, if you allow yourself to have it.”
“I don’t get it,” said Emma. “You don’t even like shoes.”
“I have other treats,” said Fee. “I know you girls think I look like some crazy old hippie because I don’t always follow the latest fashion. But I happen to feel extremely good about my body because it’s the way I like it to be—it’s clean and it’s healthy and it’s in reasonably good shape for my age, and if you want to know more, your father and I—”