No Means No

No meant No

I told him I had to have it
He told me no
I told him that I needed it
He told me no
I would have done anything for a yes
I needed him to give me a yes
I became desperate for his yes
But he told me no
I began measuring our relationship
by the yardstick of his no
I doubted myself
I cooked his favorite dish
I perfumed the right spots
I made myself the absolute incarnation
of his every fantasy
And yet, he told me no
Was I not pretty anymore?
Did he not love me anymore?
Had I done something wrong?
What was this No?
I panicked and feared that I
might have to use force
I would MAKE his No into a Yes!
I have ways of making a No a Yes!
I feared that I would need the big guns
of tears and irresistible seduction
because I had to have it!
He stepped across the threshold
Concern etched across his forehead
I prepared the teary eyed greeting
(Just in case it worked this time)
He looked into my red eyes
Frowned a little
and spoke to me
"I know you need and want this from me
and I know that you know that I love you
but, baby, my answer is still no.
I will not do this. We always said
that No would mean No, right?"
I nodded my yes.
"Okay then. As much as I want to say
yes to your every request...
and you do look fetching
in your special request dress...
and you smell even more delicious
than the meal on the table - but
No still means no."
I accepted his No.
It was our arrangement to accept
that No meant No
regardless of who said it.
No does not demand explanation
although it appreciates it
No meant no
So, I had to buy my own feminine products
Because he clearly,
emphatically,
unwaveringly
said...No,
I will not buy those items
Not even for you!
It is not a measure of my love for you
It is simply my own personal limit
and baby,
No means No!