Submitted for Approval

On our third date, over dessert, Bill told me he was into sadomasochism and wanted to tie me up. There was a pause as I choked uncontrollably on my crème brûlée -- I was a Nice Boy, and Nice Boys do not buy their active wear at Home Depot. I was too shocked to continue the conversation, almost too shocked to finish the crème brûlée, and he dropped the subject.

But as Grandma used to say (not speaking specifically of bondage), when you love someone, you make the effort. To Bill's surprise, I finally agreed to try it -- once -- and it certainly was an effort. There were books to read (like The Kiss of the Whip, which my mother discovered in my suitcase during a visit home), skills to acquire (more knots than I learned as a Boy Scout), and "accessories" to buy (never mind). To my surprise, I liked it. Three years later we are still together, and I'm still a Nice Boy. But under my Gap sweater, there's a chain from Home Depot.

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