In 1971, I scored higher than my academic-superstar boyfriend on our biology test. Now my husband, he remembers the questions were poorly designed.
Our brains record events differently. We should have realized that then.
Years later, during 2:00 a.m. phone calls, Dr. Hubby remembered how to calculate complicated medicine dosages and IV percentages.
When babies wailed at 2:00 a.m., however, he never gained consciousness. If he had, nocturnal amnesia would have occurred. “We have kids?”
Yet, I appreciate Hubby, my medical consultant in mystery writing. Once, though, while eating out, I pumped him about undetectable, fatal drugs — and forgot to whisper.
“Keep your voice down!” Hubby hissed as big-eyed diners moved elsewhere. “I don’t do that!”
I should recall minutiae of mystery movies we’ve watched umpteen times. I remember what the main character wore. Or if she was pushed off a high bridge (I loathe heights). But Hubby, who never forgets a plot, reminds me whodunnit.
Helpful guy.
The I-see-it-my-way-you-see-it-yours list goes on. And on.
Hubby remembers campsite numbers and lake depths from every park we’ve visited. Which is north or south of what?
I remember trees. Lots of them. Water. Lots of it, too. And that the sun sets in the west. Please don’t ask me about the moon.
Hubby always memorizes his parking spots. Unlike me, he’s never meandered for hours in a dark lot with ticked-off kids after a rock concert. Think of all the exercise he missed.
On the other hand, I still hear my late, penny-pinching father, urging me to turn off lights: “This house is lit up like Alcatraz!”
Hubby must have been raised in Alcatraz, because all-lights-on seems natural to him.
He does remember to schedule our cars for oil changes.
What, cars have oil?
Lately, though, both our memories are suspect. Name recall’s the worst.
I say, “Who did we have dinner with yesterday? You know, the flannel-shirt guy and the woman wearing cute boots.”
“That was yesterday?” He muses. “Weren’t we in their wedding party?”
“And they in ours. …”
Eventually, we nail it: Ned and Patricia. My brother and sister-in-law.
So what, if married life now consists of playing 20 Questions. With both his-and-her recall, we’ll get it right.
As long as we avoid biology tests.
Your Extraordinary Ordinary: What differences have you noticed in male-female recall?
