I was with a group of people in a restaurant where we witnessed an older gentleman with a woman who qualified as an “armpiece.” He was 70 or so and she was about 35. He was balding and overweight. She was perfect.
“Now how did those two meet?” asked one friend, noticing the obvious disparity.
The others made guesses:
“Maybe they are both lawyers and they met in court.”
“Maybe he’s her dad or uncle or something.”
Just then the man made a loving, un-dad like gesture and the woman reciprocated. My companions chuckled.
“I know. They were in a bar. Strangers. He saw her across the room and he waved his checkbook.”
That’s not nice, I said. Maybe they have a wonderful love story to tell. We’ll never know.
In these tough economic times, things have suddenly changed. If my cynical friend was right and checkbook waving was indeed part of the occasion, then relationships such as the one we thought we observed, are likely to be in trouble.
It’s counter-intuitive, for sure. In spite of the fact, that a reduction in the rich old guy’s net worth often translates to a reduction in self-esteem, and it would seem likely that the attention of a beautiful young woman, could do wonders, it just doesn’t work that way.
He can afford his girlfriend; he’s not quite so interested, though. What’s up with this?
Turns out that when a rich old guy feels uncharacteristically out of control about his financial circumstances, he’s likely to hold back in the other parts of his life. Goodbye, girlfriend.
Money still talks. Always will. But during times of economic troubles, I have heard it called a “quieter conversation”.
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