[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

You're thinking about this like a guy. You see a problem and want to fix it. You see a guy describe a problem and don't understand why he didn't fix it. It's very simple to us.

To a woman, fixing her car may carry a lot of extra connotations. It's not, "Now my car is fixed." It's, "What does it mean for him to fix my car?" Does it mean she now has some obligation to him? Will fixing her car cross them into a different stage in their relationship? The next time they have a fight, will he be able to use this against her? If she tells her dad the boyfriend fixed the car, will he get upset? Will her mom tell her she's being too dependent? Does it really mean she's becoming dependent? Is she ready to depend on him? What if she starts relying on him and then he stops working on the car? What will that mean for their relationship? Is he going to let her down? If she's obligated now, what does she owe him? Maybe she should buy him something. Or does she need to just blow him? Surely a nice dinner will be sufficient. But oh, she's going to have to sit out there with him while he works, because it would be super bitchy to stay inside. Boooooring.

So maybe he hasn't fixed his girlfriend's car because they're not at that stage in their relationship, and she won't let him. Or maybe he's smart enough not to wade into that morass just yet.

And after 37 years of marriage it becomes "my floor mat is crooked go fix it".