Chapter One: Gender Differences

Chapter One
August 2, 2012
Gender Differences

Growing up, Dougie was one of my very best friends.  We spent a lot of time together in the summer of 1978 recreating the entire Grease movie, playing Odyssey (the 1970s version of Xbox and Playstation,) and dancing in the rain in nothing but our underwear.  After all, in our eight and nine year old minds, he was not a boy and I was not a girl.  We were merely genderless friends in this endeavor called life.  That is, until the day he asked me what my favorite candy bar was.  “Well, duh! Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!” I exclaimed.  His question did not compute until an hour later when I found myself playing Spin-the-Bottle with him and several friends.  As I spun the empty green Perrier bottle, it conveniently landed on Dougie.  In an instant I found myself tasting the familiar palate of peanut butter and chocolate in his mouth.  In that very moment I realized we were different from each other.  His boy tongue touched my girl tongue and forever separated the species.    

K.J. Brubaker

Keiser University
Professor Fischetti