Communication

Jordan teaches me many things that I’ve always suspected about men but didn’t really know for sure. For example, they take pride in their bowel movements and they love peeing outside.

Another thing Jordan’s taught me about men is that they only listen to about 15 percent of what women say.

I learned this while we were waiting for a ferry in Port Townsend to take us across the Puget Sound to Friday Harbor. Since it’s always rainy in the San Juan Islands, we decided to stay in the car and play cards. I suggested poker because I can never remember what beats what, and eight o’clock in the morning seemed as good a time as any to practice.

Now, I take my games seriously. Yes, we were playing with change from the ashtray, but once I was allotted my 2 dollars and 15 cents, I did NOT want to lose it. He had already won a few hands and I was having trouble concealing my frustration.

A few hands in, it was my turn to shuffle. I collected all the discard piles that I could see and asked Jordan if I had all the cards. He said “yeah sure,” so I dealt our next round.

Just as I was reviewing my hand, I noticed a few cards in the corner of the dashboard on Jordan’s side.

“Are those cards?” I asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” he replied.

“What?!” I yelped. “I asked you if I had all the cards and you said ‘yes.'”

“Nooo, he said looking me straight in the eyes. “You said ‘blah BLAH blah blah’ and I said ‘yeah sure.'”