Warning: Long post

I really liked this story because I think the message behind it holds true meaning.

TL:DR : A woman has a subconscious desire to be dominated. Remember that. Use it.

..........

Sundays as a kid, it was when we were the closest thing to what most folks would consider a family. I'd wake up to the smell of pancakes and bacon inundating the apartment. My mother always gave the girl the day off on Sundays—that's how she put it, anyway—and took great pride in preparing this incredible spread. Orange juice fresh squeezed in a carafe...the effect was stunning! And as my mother put out these perfectly prepared pancakes—pat of butter on top, syrup running down the sides, right on the plate—dad would sit down with the paper at the head of the table and he'd tell her, and me, that "ohh, this, this was living."

Usually he'd congratulate her on the effort. Thank her. Let her know that this was his ideal way to spend a Sunday. And as you might infer, this brought me great lightness. A respite from the norm. But then, maybe once a year, perhaps twice, upon landing at his seat, but before sitting, a scowl would come across his face. And my father would sweep the bacon, carafe of juice, and yes, those perfect pancakes off the table and onto the floor in a fit of rage. And he'd look at my cowering mother and scream "what the hell do I look like, a goddamned pancake eater?" And then he'd storm out. And my mother would fall to pieces even as she scrambled to clean it all up and put it away. She'd spend the rest of the day fretting over what she'd done to set him off and hoping he'd come home. And eventually, he would. And she'd apologize to him.

The punchline is the night when I was about eight years old, and he came into my room after one of these fractious mornings. "You know why I did what I did, Sonny? Keep things fresh and exciting for her. So she doesn't take it all for granted. And make her appreciate the Sundays I don't break it all apart. A woman has a subconscious desire to be dominated. Remember that. Use it.