It’s not easy having a mixed marriage. I was so innocent, sweet and ignorant and believed we could overcome anything. How did I not see the signs? Is it that I didn’t want to see them? How could I be duped by this man I found so attractive? And the worst part about it was his ability to fool me for more than 18 years. I thought we were on the same page. Before saying “I do,” we discussed kids, money and life goals. For years, the man was playing me like a fiddle. He fooled me with romantic gestures to make up for our differences. Differences he kept hidden until one evening just before a party…he snapped. He said, “No more! I can’t take it.” His head began spinning like Beetlejuice. I didn’t understand. He declared our “cultural differences” were slowly killing him. Our cultural differences? I frantically began searching my mind for some indication of what our differences could be. Okay, so he’s Mexican-American, I’m Irish-American, but that can’t be it, we’re both American. He’s a Bulldog, and I’m a Runner (college mascots). Could that be it? And I won’t point out the obvious…I’m a female, and he’s a male. “Nope,” he said, “ I can’t handle your playlist anymore!” “What? He doesn’t like my music?” He proceeded to tell me I have crap taste in music, and he was taking over the deejaying. Are you kidding me? He’s never complained before. I thought he liked Usher, Taylor Swift, Pitbull, and Pink. How many nights did he turn up the music, dance, and smile? I’ve never said anything about Korn, Tool or Jane’s Addiction. I like them too. But I should have known he was up to something when I started seeing my iTunes account go into overdrive. The signs were there…Dokken, Pennywise, Mother Love Bone and then Neil Diamond and Johnny Cash. I get that Neil and Johnny are excellent singing choices after throwing back a couple of drinks, but how can I get my groove thing going with this kind of music? At one point our “conversion” got ugly. He mentioned my age, choice of music and said some other things I can’t remember because the gloves were coming off. I’m not sure how to get past this. I can’t find a therapist to help us work out this dilemma. Our playlist problem is not considered a “problem” in the counseling world. It can all go downhill from here. Two playlists for one party? Please! There’s only one way we’ll get back to marital bliss…before the next party…I’ll be hiding his phone.
