What is a bitch, anyway?

A piece of another conversation keeps coming back to me. (As usual, I prefer a few days of mulling things over before I give in to words.)

Storyteller's roommate was proposing to his girlfriend. Since she lives there, I can only imagine that they've been together for a while. As the tale goes, she's been a "bitch" about getting married - getting more and more demanding about it. (I didn't ask for details. I learn a lot while being quiet.) So he's proposing. And despite Storyteller's opinion of her, since an engagement can be turned into a reason to drink, the "bitch" is worth partying with.

My question to Storyteller was, "So she's already living with him?" Yes. "So that means she's already cooking for him, caring for his home, sharing his bed, yet she's a 'bitch' to want to get married."

To his uncomfortable look (apparently women should be willing to agree with this logic), I followed with a kindly sarcastic, "You know, a ring is actually a fair trade for all that."

I was met with silence.

I think Storyteller was right. Think of the terms "prison bitch" or "supervisor's bitch." Is it any different than being "a man's bitch?" And maybe that's not all - maybe we're stupid bitches. Because it is pretty stupid to feed, pet, and give the whole of your life to a man who has no desire or intention to marry you. I can't say that I myself haven't been there in my relationships, but experience has shown me that it's foolish to even think of him or give him the time of day.

Now if only I wasn't so heartbroken when men tell me these things, maybe I could string together my words when sharing them to someone's face would be the most beneficial.