Strong Men in Modern America

Samuel here. I've been called many things. From sadistic misanthrope to freak. From cruel and unusual bastard to literary genius. Well, many people can't agree on what to make of me. I'm the writer whose stories show men and women at their best and worst. There are bad men and bad women in this world. The media and society at large thinks of women as saints and heroes while they think of men as villains and buffoons. Well, I think villainy is inherently part of both sexes. I also see television shows and commercials making men look bad while glorifying women. I'm not into worshiping the opposite sex, or the same sex, for that matter. I see both men and women as tragically flawed creatures. That's what fascinates me about them. Instead of elevating either one, I debase both. My way of guaranteeing equality of the sexes.

The story that I am about to tell you involves a couple whose private life is definitely on the unusual side of the force. The husband, Mike Haverhill, is a tall and good-looking black man in his early twenties. He attended a state college for a few years and graduated with a bachelors degree in business. He tried the business world for a time but quit because he loathed that soulless environment. He decided to do the job he always wanted to try. The profession of cab driver. Mike works as a cab driver in the big city. He's a strong, smart and resilient man who excels at his job and loves what he does every day. The wife, Michelle Alexander Haverhill, is a short and somewhat plump Caucasian woman with long blonde hair and pale blue eyes. She's a high-ranking accounting executive for a major company in an office downtown. She's an empowered businesswoman whose home life would definitely surprise the men and women she works with.

You see, Michelle's husband Mike is a real man. A man who is confident about his masculinity and his place in the world. He respects both sexes but doesn't take crap from anybody. Man or woman, you mess with this man, you get what you deserve. Plain and simple. He operates by his own rules and doesn't give a damn what the rest of the world at large does or thinks. That kind of man is rare in today's seemingly anti-male and increasingly feministic world. Mike is a strong and resilient man who nevertheless enjoys the simple things in life. He lives by his own means and doesn't care what others think. That's the kind of man he is. You might wonder, how could a high-ranking white female business executive fall in love with a ruggedly handsome black cab driver? Well, life happens folks. Cupid's arrows spare no one.

When Michelle met Mike, she was instantly fascinated. He was unlike any man she had ever met. The men she met at the office were good-looking, smart and capable men. However, they lived in the business world. An environment where frivolous women could scream harassment and start lawsuits any time they felt like it. Due to these reasons, along with downright female favoritism rampant in corporate America, businessmen didn't date businesswomen. They dated women from other careers and walks of life.

It was simpler.

But what about the businesswomen? Why did so many good-looking, educated and successful women couldn't find available men? It's not because men have a certain fear of wealthy or successful women. It's because businesswomen seem to have lost an inherently feminine quality which attracts men. Women from other walks of life and professions are firmly in touch with that which businesswomen have lost, so men still desire them. Real men prefer real women and vice versa. That's the way nature intended it.

When Michelle began dating Mike, she instantly knew that she was fortunate. Mike was a real man in an era where there was a dearth of them. Mike was a blue-collar African-American stud. His father Louis Haverhill was the Fire Chief for the city. His mother Eleanor Smith Haverhill was a community college professor. His brother James Luther Haverhill was a college football player. His sister Andrea Lucille Haverhill was a policewoman. The Haverhill family was made up of strong, determined and confident individuals. Strong bonds of family love and loyalty united them.

The Haverhill clan was Roman Catholic by nature. All of them attended one of American's top historically black colleges. When Mike first brought Michelle home, the clan was understandably surprised. Mike had always been the family rebel. He went to college, got a business degree then ditched corporate America for his passion. His mother Eleanor was especially surprised. She thought her favorite son would bring a nice young lady to the house. And he did. What she never expected was for that nice young lady to be anything other than black. Oh, well. Mama got a surprise. Cab driver Mike and business executive Michelle dated and eventually got married four years after they first met.

So, there you have it. Two people from two very different walks of life meet and they form a very strong bond. Mike and Michelle. As different as could be, yet bound to one another. He makes time for her. And she makes time for him. Michelle respects her husband Mike as a man and she respects his profession. When she's with him, she's his lady. How much money she brings to the table doesn't matter. When he's with her, he's her man. He respects the work she does as an executive but she's first and foremost his wife, his mate, and his woman. When they're both off from work, they can be seen holding hands and walking through the town. Just a man and his woman, enjoying some of life's simple pleasures. Spending time with one another. Respecting each other. That's the secret to success in relationships. Most women, and quite a few men, have forgotten that. Gentlemen and ladies, consider this a reminder. Regardless of how much money you make or the pressures of your job and life, always respect your husband or wife. Always care for them and appreciate them. At the end of the day, you're all each other has got. Truer words were never spoken. Amen.