On Being A Bitch

I have a friend, a nice girl, one that I like, who has, lately, been something of a bitch.

Now bitch is a funny over used word.

Someones a bitch if they give you a dirty look, a bitch if they start a fight, a bitch if "they tryin to take your man". Someone can be a bitch for being catty ala Project Runway. There's a million reasons why someone is a bitch and the word has lost in power for it.

Who hasn't said "Oh, I know I'm being SUCH a bitch today."
Or
"I'm so sorry, I know I was a bitch earlier."

But that in and of itself kind of negates the bitch.
If you can admit it, that's the first step. So it's a catch 22. Because if you ARE being a bitch and feel bad about it, you really aren't by definition, by my definition, being a bitch.

Which brings me to my friend.
The one who is Acting Like A Bitch.

I feel bad even saying it.
But you know how within the confines of our marriages sometimes we sigh, we roll our eyes, we act as if our nose is out of joint. The million little huffy snide ways we interact with our spouses.

For some reason this friend feels fine doing it with me.
Daily.

And hey, maybe I'm super annoying.
Sure.
Maybe she finds me trite.
Loud.
Aggressive.
Boisterous.
Unpleasant.
Impolite.
Uncouth.
Inappropriate.
Too personal.
Too impersonal.

I can imagine that ALL of these things are true of me.

But I am not unintelligent.

And I am aware of her unveiled contempt and annoyance.
And frankly
if she feels THAT comfortable constantly being bitchy and miserable around me,
if we are THAT close that she feels she can allow herself the freedom to be snarky
to be short
to be terse
to be cutting
to be rude
then I think she should be equally comfortable when I too decide to tell her that I dislike it.
Immensely.

Because, after all, if we are so sure of our relationship, and we are past the point of paying arrears to civility, then we should be comfortable being told that we are
in fact
being a bitch.