Anyone who has been in a long term relationship understands the complications, and the sometimes delicate peace.

There is, what we now call the flick-chick – expect an unpredictable launch at any time.

Now, any good MGTOW will tell you, the first time it happens, RUN! … and don’t look back!

There’s other more delicate versions. Examples you say? Well, you know, there’s the machine gun. Rapid fire accusations to make you duck for cover and while you’re still trying to figure out how to dodge the first bullet, the last one hits you in the arse. It’s been brewing for a while and she wants an automatic win on the first 8 and an argument over the 9th.

What’s your experience, apart from some form of sympathy-seeking chin-wobble or crocodile-tear?

And, what’s the worst? You’re in the middle of a semi-heated argument and suddenly she says, “You’re right.”

What’s that all about?

And, has this changed over the last however many years, and now you’re seeing the next generation engage in the modern version of your old experience?

This is something that happened to me yesterday and I had a free seat for the entire performance so I thought I’d put it in a post.

(But that’s enough to keep you going, I’ll be back to finish this later.)

OK. No candid contributions during the break. All happy campers, are we? Let me tell what happened in this story.

There I was, enjoying dinner in the park on a sunny evening and up roll a young couple, probably early twenties, if that. The girl may have been a bit younger. She’s in the back, while he’s driving, presumably his car.

The doors open and you hear her loud and clear. Elephant gun goes off with a one line accusation and he gets out of the car, wanders around to the passengers side, and starts the explanation. He’s obviously a walker and a talker and even a bit of a gesticulator, as he, I thought quite calmly responded to the yelling.

But, perhaps this is normal for them. Not the sort of thing that happened very much when I was young … don’t air your dirty laundry in public. But it did happen and I have to admit I was a great fan of the Punch and Judy shows that were always at the church fairs.

This went on for some time, these loud one line accusations and him pacing up and down like a walky-talky doll. And he was quite a big boy too and she much smaller by comparison. What I couldn’t see was the baby in the back seat, and who knows what kept the poor thing calm or asleep with that going on.

Next minute she was out of the car, sitting on the grass, cross-legged, breast feeding the baby with him sitting quietly along side watching presumably his partner and his child, but who knows these days.

Maybe I’m a bit old school but it’s not the sort of behaviour I would have expected or tolerated from a partner nor would I have been happy if it were children in my family.

The dynamics appeared disproportionate. The demands for attention by the young mother and the manner of debate but it’s the first time I’ve seen anything like this, so of course I was my usual curious self quietly munching away on my salad but the audience wasn’t missing a beat of this.

Is this what you see in the younger generation these days or perhaps something similar?

What’s your take on this performance?

(And what is it about, when they say, “You’re right” in the middle of the argument, just in case you’ve forgotten the question above, and have you ever tried that on a female and what happened?)