But, as a professional interpreter, she knew too well how the shading of certain words in Spanish could dramatically change the connotation in Japanese. Having grown up an Air Force brat, stationed both in Spain, and Japan, she well understood the nuances and attitudes of these countries.

Too well! Mario was a product of a society that considered women as creatures placed on earth strictly for the pleasures of man. This is what had bothered Jenny. She fully understood that his request to modify the simultaneous translation of an important speech concerning the governing of fair trade practices was, in effect, a declaration that his way, was the only way. Take it, or leave it. No reasonable argument allowed.

After an old fashioned courtship of candy, flowers, and all the right words, Jenny had been devastated by an old fashioned demand. His attitude was the Latin American equivalent of, "This is as far as I go baby. Put out, or get out."

As a modern Ms., Jenny couldn't allow herself to be used this way. She fully intended marching down Fifth Avenue on August 26th, being that 1970 was the 50th anniversary of the women's suffrage amendment. On the other hand, she had seen what the feminism movement had done to the marketplace of available men. Too often a perfectly handsome, financially able date had destroyed the aura of romance by an overwhelming willingness in agreeing with the principle of a woman making a financial contribution to a relationship. Prior to Mario, she had found herself in the backwards role of supporting a stockbroker turned sculptor who reveled in the idea of being "kept."

Thinking about Mario, and then the sculptor, and then about the half dozen or so men that had been part of her life since she had arrived in New York fresh from college, Jenny felt the numbness of despair creep over her body once again. The past five years crossed her mind as if fifty. Instead of a carefree 27, her age was a turned about 72. She hadn't been looking for a husband per se, yet with this additional failure of what the women's magazine liked to call a personal relationship, the concept of "spinsterhood" was beginning to acquire meaning.

Jenny's problem was similar to many. Due to a fortunate combination of better than average beauty, a bubbly personality, brains, and athletic abilities, the average man was afraid to approach out of a fear of not being worthy enough to attract attention in return. The type that did walk right up to ask for a date all too often was out for conquest; or revenge for previous battles of the sexes.