Marcie and Leo

Marcie doesn't like to be called certain things.

The whole time we were dating, Marcie was known by various titles. (Those who have read any of the Good Neighbors series know most of them.) She was either Amor (love in Spanish), Beloved, my Pet or some other derivative of those. She would call herself Good Girl at times and Naughty Girl at other times. In many of these situations, they were private between her and I. There were a few times when someone would use it to get my attention although this was limited to Matt and Aubrey because they are so close to me.

However, there are some terms folks like to use that she's not a fan of. Because she is my wife and I love her, I do not ever use the words. I even avoid using some of the other words during love making for similar reasons. In my mind, it is about respect. Marcie is a classy lady, plain and simple. I treat her as such because of that. That's why you'd never catch her wearing a collar with the word slut on it or hearing me refer to her as something else derogatory like that.

I say that because there were times that I would have to defend Marcie's honor. I guess you could say it goes along with the hero complex I deal with. Those who have read the series I am involved in have seen me defend Aubrey and Wes as well as Marcie's sister June. In my mind, I abide by certain principles. Even though in the eyes of others I have been "tamed", I still am the first person to defend those who either can't defend themselves or protect those I care about.

June's ex-husband felt that firsthand on two different occasions. The first was a time he visited our office and tried to get us to become his tech support company with faulty patents and very substandard credentials. He was ready to step to Matt in a threatening manner before I stood between them. I didn't have to raise a fist. I barely had to raise my voice before he backed off. It was a few moments later that he was escorted off the property by our security detail.

The second time was after Marcie and I were married. June told him where the ceremony was. He made the mistake of coming to bring June back after he walked out on her a few days before she came to visit. I ran over from the reception next door to see him yelling at her. I stepped in and avoided his fists before returning two of mine. The police came and he is still in prison at the time of this writing.

This isn't a writing about my defending people, but a video about how I respect Marcie. With everything Marcie had done to be there for me since we became friends, I had no desire to do anything cross with her. It's one reason I was always careful during our grieving time. Respecting Marcie just came naturally to me.

Even though Marcie and I have been married for a couple of years, I still consider myself a guest in Marcie's house. That is because Marcie's late husband worked hard to pay off the house so Marcie would always have a place to live. I do not do anything drastic to the house because although we are married, it's hers. I am even careful to do the chores the way she wants me too for that reason. Yes, I help around the house. I am not too much of a "man" to insist she does everything. I help with the laundry and dishes and dusting. There are times when Marcie will insist that she has it. I politely fall back when she says this because I want to keep my wife happy.

This doesn't mean that Marcie runs the relationship. Marcie respects me also. She allows me to handle the work stuff without nosing in because she knows I have it covered. There are times when she asks to be spoiled versus expecting it like someone who is entitled. Many times, when we must make big decisions, we talk about it like adults and come to a compromise at times.

Yeah, this had been a boring writing talking about respect when it comes to Marcie. The thing is sometimes in certain dynamics, there's always a fine line between domination and abuse. It's not the same in every relationship and ours is far from the typical because of the way we are. The thing is Marcie is a fantastic woman and, at least in my mind, she should be treated as such. Marcie treats me like I'm the luckiest man on Earth. It's something about her I appreciate so much because it feels amazing.

Earlier this year when she set me up to get a few new suits, I felt weird initially because it was something I hadn't felt in a long time. The fact my wife, who is the most careful person with money I know, would set me up to get two tailored suits for the sake of work was amazing. I know that some guys have a word for this. To be honest, I am very fortunate to have Marcie in my corner.

Of course, if she ever reads this, she is going to blush hard and melt. Truth is, I melt whenever she makes me feel that way also.